Canadian Health and Fitness.  November/December 2002 Vol. 2 No 4

SPEEDWORK: From Runner to Racer.                      By Steve Baker

Let me try to put this into perspective. You have been running now for a while possibly three to four times a week. You may do it as much for meditation as for fitness. You have wittingly or by accident found a way to leave many of your problems on the road. You come back refreshed mentally and physically, ready for a day’s work, or indeed, a good night’s sleep. Your running is a break, not just another chore that has to be done. Physically all your systems are working well, and you’re more aware than ever that smoking, overeating, or excessive drinking is certainly not an option. What’s more you’re looking good. Fitness wise you’re literally in the top two to three percent of the population. You have developed the knack of listening to your body and know when to miss a run or two, without any feelings of guilt. Walking is always an option. You warm-up and cool-down, and are aware of the importance of good form. You select your footwear intelligently. Injuries are very rare. You are not only fit but also HEALTHY!

It does not get much better than that! Or can it?

If, on more than one occasion you get to thinking: “This is great, but I’m not getting any faster.”  “I would love to go back to that race I tried last year and beat my time”.   It might be time to introduce some speedwork into your program.

Speedwork = Interval Training. Contrary to popular belief, interval training is not super fast, all-out speed, as much as it is controlled running. Remember: Run and rest, run and rest. The trick is to work towards getting gradually stronger. Control is important in any intelligent training program. Learning to relax while running fast is the most critical element in the development of speed.

We have all experienced “Interval Training” in its most natural form when we were just a few years old. A little rest to catch our breath at the top of a playground slide before the rush of speed on the way down. Letting yourself be “tagged” to catch your breath between chases around the schoolyard at recess.

Many runners and coaches mistakenly refer to intervals as the fast part of the pacework/speedwork. Not so: the interval is literally defined as “an intervening period of time, a time of temporary cessation, or pause.” The interval is the rest that happens between the fast parts, which are usually referred to as repetitions or ‘reps’. Gerschler, a German coach, and Dr. Reindell, a physician, together pinpointed when the greatest stimulus for heart development occurs, “during the first 10 seconds of the recovery interval.”  “The run provides the stress, while the interval allows for the developmental response.” I tell you this so that you may see the interval, period of recovery, as being a crucial element of speed training!

To benefit from this type of training you must be in shape to begin with, as the mechanical stresses of interval training can be considerable. Anaerobic fatigue is uncomfortable, and fast reps require mental toughness and tenacity. Hill work  (see my last article) helps develop the power and mental toughness required to survive these faster reps. on a more level terrain. Indeed, hill work is a form of speedwork in disguise.  Are you ready to kick it up a notch?

There are five variables that we have to juggle in order to achieve the desired benefits from this type of speedwork:

• Distance or Time. Once up to speed, for the best effect each rep should not extend for much more than 300m - 1000m or say 90 - 180 seconds.

• Intervals, in general, should not exceed 90 - 120 seconds.  Enough to allow Heart Rate  (HR) to drop to approx 65% - 70% Maximum Heart Rate (MHR). If your pulse does not fall to this level, you have to shorten the distance, slow the pace of the rep, or lengthen the interval. The longer the interval the greater the development of aerobic system. The shorter the interval the greater the development of the anaerobic system, important for speed. Both systems must be developed to race well. As you get fitter and faster start cutting back on your recovery time. At no time is absolute recovery desirable.

• Repetitions. (Reps) That is the number of times you perform the Distance, or Time, run at speed.  This is often the dilemma:  too low reduces the effectiveness of your workout, too high you crash. Depending on pace, among other things, you may perform anything from 5 - 20 reps. Run a realistic pace so that the last rep is the same pace as the first. (Exception, for experienced athletes only, when doing “Melt Downs”: each rep is slightly faster than the previous one.) It’s the last three or four reps that will make the greatest improvement!

• Pace.  How fast you run the repetitions. Do not train too fast; too much speed is more damaging than too much distance! HR will be in the 75% - 95% MHR range. Higher or lower depending on systems to be trained. Use interval training to develop pace judgment. During your reps do not look at your watch. Try to guess what pace you are moving.  Pace judgment is so important in races that have no K markers, or have been placed in error. Train and learn to trust your judgment.  

      Check at the finish of the rep and adjust pace accordingly for the next rep. Running at a   
 consistent speed is also one way to conserve energy.

• Rest.  What you do between sets of reps/intervals.  Walk, jog, but remember to keep moving ... preferably slow running.

All practices must include adequate warm-up, technical drills, and cool-down.

The speed sessions of your training are best performed leading into your race season, and not lasting for more than 6 - 8 weeks.

Do two speed workouts per week in addition to your two to three LSD (Long Steady Distance) runs. During one of these long runs, once warmed up, do about six informal 10sec pick-ups on the level or up a hill. Just a little reminder to the fast twitch muscles of things to come and to reinforce good form and cadence. This should not be an effort ... float into them, and float out ... these are your easy sessions. Never forget that, even in the weeks when speedwork is performed, LSD runs plus the warm-ups and cool-downs and intervals between reps accounts for 90% of your training.

Now some examples of interval training preferably performed at a track, a quiet back road, or even an indoor parking lot! (Distances measured out by cycle, tape or similar).

1. 4min rep. (HR 75% - 80% MHR)
     1min Interval. (HR drops to 65% - 70% MHR)
     Do the above combination: 4min rep / 1min interval, x 3.  Have a 5min rest, and then
     repeat: 4min rep / 1min interval, x 3.  How far did you run in the 4mins, 1min? Was it
     consistent? How did you feel? Could you do more? Good. Go home, have a warm bath
     or shower, and make notes in your diary.

2.  800m rep. (HR 75% - 80% MHR) This is essentially your 15K race pace. Same pace as
     above.  200m interval (HR 65% - 70% MHR)
     Repeat 5 - 6 times.

3.  1000m HR 85% MHR . Your present 10K race pace.
     400m interval.  (HR 65% - 70% MHR)
     Repeat 4 - 5 times.

4.  600m HR 90% MHR Your present 5K race pace
     200m interval.  (HR 65% - 70% MHR)
     Repeat 3 - 4 times
     Rest for 10mins, easy jogging / walking, then repeat.

5.  400m HR 95% MHR Mile race pace, or close estimate. (Do not go too fast ...
     At the end of the first rep ask yourself, “Could I keep this up for three more laps, a mile,
     without a rest”?  Adjust accordingly. )
     200m interval (HR 65% - 70% MHR) jogging
     Repeat 6 - 8 times.  

     Later possibly do:  (400m rep. 200m interval) x 5. Rest for 5mins. And repeat.

Throughout the fast reps it is important to focus on running fast and on relaxing while trying to achieve this pace. You will not achieve this by looking at the scenery, talking to, or worrying about those around you. Fix your mind on the pace, the body’s reactions, and the maintenance of a relaxed stride.  Be a slave to good form, breathing, and concentrating on the ‘Four Drives”...off the back foot, ...the knees up, ... the hips forward, ... the arms down.  The instant you lose concentration, you will start to tie up and you will fatigue more rapidly.

Neuromuscular coordination and mental discipline are both equally essential to the development of speed.

Reminders to help maximize the training effect:

• Always finish a workout feeling that you could do a little more.

• Do no more than two sessions a week. One or none if you race.

• Stick to the pace. Use a diary: plan, adjust and develop.

• Expect three or four workouts before you start to feel more comfortable: “Wow! I’m covering the same distance in the same time, but feeling more relaxed.” Should come to mind. Next session increase the reps, or decrease the intervals a little. Experiment on the cautious side.

• Expect about six - ten sessions before you begin to see any big improvement in race performance.

• Train lightly the day before and after your speed workout.

• Check turnover / cadence and running form frequently.

• Be patient for speed work is not a quick fix... But I promise you it will work.

• Train the mind.  ‘I have the power’.

• Have the courage to say, ‘I’m dropping out of this rep/session’, if you are not feeling too good, or your HR is not recovering as quickly as it should.

• Continue to focus on your immediate goals, always seeking for that magic balance between training and rest, driven and laid back, art and science... while keeping foremost in your mind the slogan, “no fun, cease to run.”... No easy task.  Your long-term goals will be realized. Your hard work and diligence will show.

‘Come to the edge.’ he said.
 They said, ‘We are afraid.’
‘Come to the edge.’ he said
 They came, he pushed them, and they flew.


Stephen W. Baker, M.Ed., B.P.E., Dip. Phys Ed. (Carnegie).  Manager of Frontrunners Footwear Victoria, B.C.  Steve who has been a teacher, yacht broker, commercial fisherman, choker-man, sky-diver, and who has sailed a 30’  classic wooden sloop 25,000 miles offshore, some single handed, can now be frequently seen running, cycling and racing on trails and roads in and around Victoria.