How to RUN FASTER
When you first take up running, it’s encouraging to see your times get quicker week after week but, after a while, you may start to see those times plateau and suddenly getting a parkrun PB seems much harder. We show you how to switch up your training to up your pace and hit your goals
Words: Anna Harding
Say no to the plateau
If you’ve been running for a while, one of the main reasons you might not be seeing an improvement in your speed is that you’ve hit a plateau.
This can be down to a number of reasons, the first being that you don’t have enough variety in your running routine. How many times do you say to yourself, ‘I’m going for a run’ and that’s it? You might have a distance or total time in mind, but that’s as complicated as it gets. However, varying your types of run and running workouts will enable you to work on speed, strength and endurance and that’s why it’s important to take the time to plan out your sessions, especially if you’re looking to get faster.
If you’re looking for speed, try and build in some interval workouts or fartlek runs. These types of workouts give you an opportunity to experience faster paces and will help your overall speed improve as well.
Overtraining can also be a factor in seeing your performance tail off. If you’re working towards a specific time goal and you want to get faster, it can be tempting to put all your effort into running or to do every run at a hard pace, but there is a limit to what you can do. Overtraining can lead to injury because you’re not resting enough and not giving your muscles and the rest of your body enough time to recover and adapt between training sessions.
Overtraining can lead to an increased state of fatigue and an increased perception of the effort required during training. It’s definitely something to look out for, especially if you’re completing a more intense training block than you’re used to.
|| Interval training can lead to physiological changes, including an increase in your cardiovascular efficiency ||