If you're struggling to smash your personal best why not take the Ultra Fit six weeks personal best challenge? Our programmes are guaranteed to boost your training, get you running faster and give you a new approach to running - whatever your level of fitness. We've got schedules for beginners, intermediate and advanced runners that will have you running faster to help break your personal best. By Liz Champion Including speedworkmyoui training is one of tfie best ways to improve your fitness, get you running faster and lielp you run harder for longer. Regular sessions will help to increase the range of movement in your joints and help speed up your running action. You should soon see a transfonnation in your running, especially if you are new to speed training. By running faster in training your regular running pace will seem easier and more comfortable. Speedwork will also help in races when you need a final push to overtake another runner or increase your speed in the final stages of a race. With regular training you should notice that you are running faster and feeling stronger with less effort. Don't think a few sessions will transform you into a better runner - you will need to work hard to achieve your goal and break your personal best. Speedwork is difficult and you will need to work out of your comfort zone if you are to notice a real Improvement in your fitness. With the right "Speedwork is diffioult and you wi need to work out o your oomfort zone i' you are to notioe a real innprovement in your fitness t attitude and the right training there is no reasons why you can't run and race quicker Try these sessions for six weeks and you should soon be feeling fitter and faster and hopefully on your way to smashing your personal best. Please write to Ultra Fit to let us know how you get on. Remember that you will need to train sensibly and use these training sessions as a guide. For more detailed information you should consult an athletics coach who will design a training programme specifically for you. Speedwork increases your chance of injury so it is important to train sensibly and don't do too much too soon. Make sure you build up gradually and limit the number of repetitions. Train at an intensity that you feel comfortable with and don't try to race other athletes during training You should increase the intensity very slowly and listen to your body If you are finding it difficult during a session and don't feel one hundred percent, it may be better to take a rest or postpone the speed training till another day 82 Ultra-FIT
Warming up and down properly is also essential to reduce the risk of picking up an injury. In winter when it is much colder you will need to take more time to warm up than you did in summer Do a gentle jog for ten minutes to raise your body teraperature, increase bloodflow to your muscles and get your body ready for exercise When you are warming down jog gently for five to ten minutes to get rid of any lactic acid and return your body to its pre-exercise state Tip to successful speed training Build up gradually - don't do too much too soon i Warm up and down property I Train at an intensity you are comfortable with Stretch after training j Think about quality rather I than quantity Listen to your body and take time to recover Be realistic with your expectations Before you start speed training it is important that you already have a good fitness base. You should have been running for at least three months and feel comfortable running for long distances. If you are new to speed training, do one session every ten days to start with. When you are planning your speed training make sure you take your current fitness level and running experience into consideration and be realistic. If you are in doubt you should consult an athletics coach or other fitness professionals. Training with a partner will also help you to keep motivated and if the person you run with is quicker than you, this will help make you run quicker. "When you are planning your speed training make sure you take your ourrent fitness leve and running experience into oonsideration and be realistio" Remember that speedwork is not about spnnting until you can't run anymore. The sessions are about control and improving your ability to run quicker for longer distances. You should fit in speed sessions around your usual training and they should not make up most of your training. Pacing Newcomers to speedwork might find it difficult to judge pace when they first start the training sessions. It's useful to train with other runners who will already have a good idea about what pace to run for each different type of speed training. If you have already completed a 5km or 10km race you will have more of an idea about your target pace for each. You will need to run quicker and train at a higher intensity that for your normal runs but you should also try to run consistently for each repetition. For your first session ease yourself into the training - if you train too hard from the start you will struggle and dislike speed training It's much better to have an enjoyable first session and then increase the intensity during the next speed session. IVpes of speedwork Fartiek This is Swedish for 'speed-play' and is one of the most popular types of speed training. You simply incorporate different speeds of running into your normal run. This can include short sprints, faster harder runs and easier slower jogging. You can do these sessions on grass, road or country. It can include fast 30-second bursts at a faster pace then a timed recovery With fartiek you can have fun with your training and chose an intensity that you are comfortable wnth. Training in groups can be a very beneficial and fun way of helping to improve your fitness and speed. It also takes away the monotony of training and gives you something to focus on during the run. Repetitions/intervals These are done at a hard pace for a set time or distance. You could run anything from 200m to 2km at 5km or 10km pace. Remember it is not flat out sprint running, but a hard run that you can complete successfully. You wiu need to push yourself but not so hard that you physically can't run anymore Be as consistent as you can with this type of training. You will need to repeat the session including a set recovery time between each rep. Beginners should include a long recovery time to make sure they don't overdo the training. As you progress the length of your recovery time will decrease and the number of reps wiu increase See your coach for specific training schedules. Tempo running A tempo run is longer than the distance run in repetition training. You will need to run harder and faster for longer periods of time and distances. They could be Ultra-FIT 85
reader cha enge anything from 800m to three miles. They should be run just slightly slower than your target 5km race pace. You should have to put in more effort but it shouldn't be too uncomfortable. HUls Hill training is one of the best ways to improve your strength and endurance Find a hill that takes between 30 seconds and five to ten minutes to cumb, run up it at a harder intensity than usual and jog back down to recover You should repeat the session depending on your cunent level of fitness and running experience Newcomers to hill training need to ease into it gradually as running up and dowm hill places extra strain and pressure on your joints. As with all the sessions make sure your warm up properly and don't run at a fast pace that you vnu struggle to maintain. We've put together some speedwork training sessions to suit beginners, intermediate and advanced runners. The sessions should be used as a guide - what works for one runner won't necessarily work for another. You should contact an athletics coach if you want a training programme tailored specifically to your running ability Sprints - you could try some fast sprmts on the track - try 2 x 200m sprints and gradually increase the number of repetitions. intermediate runners M Pyramid training You start with a short distance, gradually increase the distance, and then come back down again. These are great for the track. You should try 200m, 300m 400m, 300m, 200m. You could also do pyramid training for longer distances - 1000m, 2000m, 3000m, 2000m, 1000m. Out and back tempo - run for 20 minutes out then increase the pace as you return home You can really push yourself on this session. Fartiek - run hard for five minutes with a five-minute recovery - aim to make the session around 40 minutes. Advanced runners These are intense sessions and sliould only be attempted by experienced runners. The sessions When you are choosing sessions ttiink about what you want to achieve. If you want to improve your speed on the track focus on the 200m and 400m sessions but if you want to improve your speed endurance concentrate on the longer repetitions. Beginners Newcomers to speed training should try one of these sessions once a week to start with. If you find this difficult make it once every ten days - train sensibly and listen to your body Fartiek - a gentle introduction to 'speed play'. Try a 35-minute run with quick bursts. You could time this by rtmning quickly for 30 seconds and then recovering with a slow jog for a few minutes or you can pick points along the run. Pick out a landmark in the distance and increase your pace until you reach the point. Find a hill and run up it five times at a hard pace wnth a slow jog back down. Try this a few times before gradually increasing until you can comfortably complete ten repetitions. 4 x 400m interval training with a two to three minute recovery This is best done on the track - run as fast as you can for one lap and then take time to recover. Remember to pace yourself and take a longer recovery if necessary a 16 X 400m with 90-second recovery Break them down into sets of four with a longer recover between each set. 8 X 1000m at 10km race pace - to recover you can do a 400m jog of the ttack - take a longer recovery if necessary. A race to gauge your fitness If you are feeling stronger, fitter and faster after six weeks of including speed training into your programme why not take part m a local race? It's a good way to gauge your fitness and you will soon know if your speed training has helped improve your running. Pick a local race with a course that you are comfortable with. Do you want a flat and fast course or a tough and challenging hilly course? Whatever race you decide to enter it's a good idea to choose one that you have run before - you will know what to expect and will have a personal record to beat. Try to run it faster than before but race sensibly and pace yourself - your hard work will soon be wasted if you set off too quickly. How to stay motivated Keep your training varied - mn at different speeds and on different surfaces Run with friends Set yourself realistic and achievable goals Get into a rurming routine - make training part of your daily life Don't be afraid to try new training sessions or routes UF 86 Ultra-FIT