Run Training
SPARE YOUR LEGS FROM EXCESSIVE POUNDING AND ADD SOME SPEEDWORK TO YOUR REGIMEN
LOWER THE MILES AND UP THE INTENSITY
By Pete Williams
When it comes to running, triathletes tend to believe that more mileage is better — valuing distance over speed. There’s a tendency to view an Ironman finisher, no matter how slow, as more accomplished than a sprint competitor, no matter how fast the sprinter might be.
No wonder many triathletes train accordingly, preferring long, steady-state runs over shorter interval training. That’s a mistake, coaches say, since the quickest, most efficient way to get faster is by focusing on speed work.
“People sacrifice speed for distance,” said Eric Hall, a top Florida sprint triathlete and a performance specialist at A.W.O.L. Sports Performance in Tampa, Fla. “I’d much rather cut volume and train faster, which will translate into more speed at whatever distance you choose.”
When a runner tells friends about racing a 5k, they inevitably ask about the finishing time. “Nobody ever asks a half-marathoner what their time was because that’s seen as the accomplishment,” Hall said. “Rather than see if you can extend that slow pace over a marathon, why not work on getting faster at the half?”
When you were a kid, it probably never occurred to you to try to run a long distance. To you, running meant getting somewhere and getting there fast. You also probably realized that fast running was the ultimate expression of power and athleticism. The best baseball, football and basketball players in your school or peer group were probably also the fastest.
And yet, we somehow forget all that as adults. We never equate the qualities we want — greater strength, a leaner body — with speed and explosive power. When you get faster, you improve your muscle size and power, the efficiency of your nervous system and even your flexibility.
32 USA TRIATHLON FALL 2013
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