“Life is not always a matter of holding good cards, but sometimes, playing a bad hand well”
In these weird times, some of the questions I’m asking myself about my own training are:
How can I make the most of my training time available? Can I actually improve my performance?
How can I keep myself motivated to train hard, with no clear end goal in mind?
What aspects of training usually get neglected?
One of the things I’m focusing more on at the moment is improving my speed.
I’m doing a lot more shorter, faster sessions than I’ve done in a long time.
And I’m finding it’s a great use of my time and very effective at improving my performance.
And I’ve seen almost immediate benefits!
I’ve noticed that my easy pace has improved on long runs.
And I’m enjoying running more than ever!
So I think focusing on improving speed could be a great option for you too!
This article outlines:
What are the benefits for ultra-runners of training to improve your speed?
Some specific ideas for training sessions
What should you consider when doing this type of training?
I hope it’s informative. And inspires you to focus on something that you might not have thought about before.
But Before You Read More… Please Vote for JamesRunsFar as the ‘Best Professional Running Blog’
I have made the shortlist for the ‘best professional running blog’ by the Running Awards.
If you like what you read on my site, then please vote for me here.
Thank you if you’ve already voted. And the good news is, that you can VOTE AGAIN!
So, please do.
The main reason I started this blog was to inform and entertain you.
I hope that I am doing that.
And if you agree, then please vote for me.
Thank you!
:-)
What Are the Benefits of Speed Work for Ultra-Runners?
Whilst most ultra-runners don’t think about speed that much, focusing on this area of training can have huge benefits.
Your Slow and Medium Paces Should Improve
Many top athletes, including ultra-running legend Ian Sharman, say that one of the keys to improvement is to increase your slow and medium pace.
This is because most of the running that you do for longer events will be at a slower pace.
By doing speed workouts, your body becomes used to training at a higher pace.
And this has a positive knock-on effect on your slower paces.
“By stressing our top end; we can operate at a lower heart rate for the same average pace”
They Are An Effective Use of Your Time
If you don’t have as much time to train as usual, then these sessions can be a very efficient way of improving fitness.
“A one hour speed session can be as useful as a 2-3 hour run”
That’s because you can squeeze in a lot more high quality training into a shorter space of time.
As an ultra-runner, you still need to do the longer distances.
But if you’ve only got 20 - 60 minutes for a run, then these could be a good option.
Your Form Should Improve
Speaking of efficiency, working on your speed should improve your running form and running efficiency.
This is partly because running at a higher speed forces your body to run in a different way to when you are running at a very slow pace.
Even if you don’t know you are doing it, your form will probably improve as a result of doing these faster workouts.
They Keep Your Training Interesting
Ultra-runners have a tendency to churn out week-after-week of long, slow workouts.
And that is important, as your races will require you to run for a long time and quite slowly.
But it does mean that training can get repetitive and boring.
Mixing your training up with 1 - 3 harder, shorter sessions during the week can give you a different psychological stimulus.
Which will keep you more motivated over the long run.
What Specific Speed Workouts Can You Do to Improve Your Ultra-Running?
So it’s clear that there are lots of benefits for running at a faster pace in training.
And now you need some ideas for how to actually do them.
There are hundreds of varieties of workouts you can do. And you can make up your own too.
But here are some of the ones that I’ve been doing recently.
1) 3-Minute Repeats
This is a session that is a favourite of 100-mile world-record holder, Zach Bitter.
And it’s very simple.
After a good warm up, you do repetitions of 3 minutes at very hard intensity. They should be at around your 5k pace.
After each rep, you will have a very easy recovery of around 2 minutes. This can be at a very easy jog. Or even a walk. it doesn’t matter how slow you go for.these.
Repeat this between 6 - 10 times
Your aim is to get to the same distance for each rep. From the first to the last. Consistency is key, rather than fading off for the last reps.
2) Yasso 800’s
Yasso 800’s were originally designed for marathon training. But I’ve found that they’re a simple session to use for ultra-running too.
This is a similar session to the 3-minute repeats, but based on distance, rather than time.
Because of that, it can be easier to do them on a track. But I often do them around a loop in my park just as easily.
Again, after a warm up, you do 10 repetitions of 800 metres. Keeping an even pace from the first to the last rep.
Just like the 3-minute repeats, consistency is key.
Have 400 metres rest between each rep. Walking or very easy jogging.
3) Pyramid Sessions
This is the most complicated, but the most fun, of the three sessions in this article.
A pyramid session includes starting at a low distance, and then increasing it with each rep.
After you get to a certain distance, you reverse down the same reps as you did when you were increasing them.
For example, you’d start with a good warm up.
Then your first rep of hard work might be a 200 metre effort. You’d have a good rest, possibly 2 minutes, very easy jogging. Then you’d do 300 metres. Another rest, then another rep of 400 metres.
You can do as many reps as you like, until you get to a desired distance.
I usually go up to 800 metres.
Then I do another rep at 800 metres, and reduce the reps each time. So I’ll do 800 metres hard, rest, 700 metres hard, 600 metres hard, rest until I get to my last rep of 200 metres. Back where I started.
The objective of these sessions is to do the second rep in the same time as the first.
For example, both reps of 200 metres should be the same. Even though one is at the start of your workout and the other is at the end.
This is a difficult workout to get right.
But it can be a lot of fun. The variety in the session makes you stay on your toes and keeps you motivated.
Related Article -> 5 Shorter Sessions for Ultra-Athletes
What Else You Should You Consider When Doing Speed Work?
As with anything new that you’re introducing to your training plan, there are a number of things to think about.
Put Everyone’s Health and Safety First
Now, more than ever, we need to prioritise our health. But, more importantly, the health of others around us.
Please make sure that you are allowed to go outside in your locations. And that you choose a location where you can do all of the things that we’re being advised to do at the moment.
That includes practising physical distancing. Which is especially important if doing a session where you will be breathing heavier. And moving at pace having to dodge people to remain 2 metres away from them.
If you can’t safely go outside, it’s time to think about what workouts you can do at home.
Related Article -> How can you improve your running fitness during the coronavirus pandemic by working out at home?
Don’t Do Too Much Too Soon
Just like with building up running distance or introducing weight training, you need to ease into speed training over time.
Don’t suddenly go from doing no speed-focused training at all, to doing 3 or more workouts per week.
When first starting, I’d advise to only do 1 or 2 workouts a week.
But make sure that you leave enough days in between to recover.
When starting, that means at least 2 easy days. You can still do some exercise on those days, but make sure it is very easy.
“When first starting, I’d advised to only do 1, possibly 2 workouts a week. But make sure that you leave enough days in between to recover.”
Once you’ve done a few months of this type of training, you can increase the amount you do.
And that leads me on to the next point…
Don’t Do Too Much In A Specific Time Period
Once you’ve got used to speed training, you may want to increase the amount you do.
Which is absolutely fine. And, actually, it’s what you should be doing to see improvements.
But the big danger with this type of higher-intensity training is that you end up trying to do too much of it.
These sessions should push you much harder than your average run. And so your body needs time to recover from them.
That means that you can’t do too many workouts in a week. Even the most successful athletes rarely do more than 3 hard sessions a week. And will usually have at least one day of rest in between.
The 80/ 20 principle is a good way to measure how much hard training you should be doing.
This is where 80% of your training should be done at an easy, comfortable level. With the remaining 20% at a higher intensity.
The other thing to be careful of is doing too many of these workouts in a complete ultra-running training cycle.
This is because you want the majority of your training to be specific for your event. And these sessions aren’t that specific for ultra-runners as they’re run at a much higher pace than in a race.
So they should be used few and far between.
Don’t Push Through Sessions Regardless of Other Factors
Most of us ultra-runners love sticking to a plan. And we hate changing direction from that plan. Especially if it means missing a session or doing less distance in a session.
But when thinking about harder training sessions, it’s even more important than usual to listen to your body.
If you have a small injury or are generally not feeling well, then it’s even more wiser than usual to skip the session. Or at least reduce the volume of work that you’re going to do.
“He who fights and runs away
May live to fight another day;
But he who is battle slain
Can never rise to fight again.””
Again, because of the high intense nature of these workouts, trying to push through a small injury is more likely to lead to a bigger problem later on.
I learnt this the hard way in a workout I did in August 2019.
I pushed through the final few kilometres of a particularly tough session. And I could feel that I had developed a small injury, which was getting worse as the session went on.
But I didn’t listen to my body, pushed through the session… and ended up injured for more than 3 months.
I had to pull out of two main races. And my fitness dropped significantly.
Stopping a session early is rarely a bad decision. Because you can always make it up on another day.
But if you get injured from pushing too hard, that could end up being a poor decision that lasts for week and months afterwards.
And you can end up missing races, or not performing as well as you should have.
Related Article -> Four Activities to do When You Have A Running Injury
Summary
Focusing on improving your speed, even as an ultra-runner, has lots of benefits. And there are some easy ways to do it.
Here’s a simple recap of the article:
Benefits of Focusing on Speed - It can improve your top pace, but more importantly for ultra-runners, your average and easy pace. It also improves your running form and efficiency. It can be used when you have limited times. And it can keep training fresh and interesting.
Specific Types of Session - There are many types of session you can do. Including Yasso 800’s, 3 minute repeats and pyramid sessions. Try them out and see what you enjoy. And make adaptations to the sessions too. Creating your own sessions is half the fun!
Things to Watch Out For - As with any type of training, there are some other things to consider. First, ensure that everyone’s health and safety is prioritised. Not just your own, but those around you. Second, don’t do too much too soon. Or too much in a short amount of time. Your body needs more rest than usual from these sessions.
One Last Call… Please Vote for JamesRunsFar as ‘Best Professional Running Blog’
I have made the shortlist for the ‘best professional running blog’ by the Running Awards.
If you like what you read on my site, then please vote for me here.
Thank you if you’ve already voted. And the good news is, that you can VOTE AGAIN!
So, please do.
The main reason I started this blog was to inform and entertain you.
I hope that I am doing that.
And if you agree, then please vote for me.
Thank you!
:-)
How Are You Improving Your Ultra-Running Speed?
Let me know in the comments at the bottom of this blog, on the Contact Page or on social media below.
Save Time, Money and Effort by Claiming Your Free Training Plan Template
Join hundreds of other athletes who get amazing benefits, simply by providing your email.
A FREE training plan template - Which will save you time, money and effort when creating your plans
The best training and racing advice from across the web - I send these articles out every month, exclusively, to email subscribers
Early access to exclusive offers and deals - I send out the best discounts and offers to email subscribers first, before anyone else
What Did You Think Of This Article?
I would love to get your honest feedback about what you think about the articles on JamesRunsFar.com.
I can use your feedback to write blogs that what will help you achieve your goals.
Simply tell me what you think by filling in this 1 minute survey.
What Should You Read Next?
Read about my first place at the PRDNDTS race and new 6-hour record for Phoenix Running
Find out how I could Help You Improve Your Performance through coaching