Sportsguide Multisport Magazine

RUNNING  WITH NIC KINSLEY

 By bianca on November 9th, 2009

The Need for Speed
 
The sun is rising a little earlier, the ambient temperature is improving, the winds have arrived and summer is on its way. 
Weather aside, it is also that time of the year where the sporting calendar is dotted with an array of multisport events and short course races. Choose a race or a series of races and commit to them. Make them the reason to boost your training and to get up in the morning. 

The focus of this article will be on preparing yourself to run 5 -10 km. The distance is relatively short, and pacing over that distance is considered very fast. Make sure that your shoes are still in good order, or pull out your racing “flats”, if you are privileged to own a pair. Remember to limit the training that you do in the low profile, light weight shoe, as they can result in calf and achilles injuries if your foot is not accustomed to wearing them. 

Warm up
 
Because you will be doing speed training, it is very important to warm up properly. This means a gentle, easy jog for about 10 – 15 minutes on flattish terrain, followed by 5 minutes of stretching. Stretch correctly, without bearing any weight on the muscles that you are stretching. If in doubt, avoid stretching until you are able to spend some time with someone (gym/yoga/pilates instructor or physiotherapist) who can show you how to stretch your running muscles. After the warm up you should not be breathless, but your body and legs should feel warm and supple.

Main Set There are no hard and fast rules regarding speed work, except that you must remain focussed on your posture and be acutely aware of any niggle or strain that may be developing in your legs whilst you are running. If you feel something is coming on, back off immediately and resume jogging. Most running injuries are caused by runners ignoring the warning signs and become aggravated during quality sessions (hill/speed work). Don’t stray too far from your car/house/place of departure, if something does go wrong you won’t have far to go to return to safety.

Find a good flat surface where you can run. With speed work, you will not be in need of psychological assessment if you run the same stretch of road 20 times. Fortunately, we have many places in SA where you can find a quiet stretch of road, grass or pavement that is between 400m to 1km in length.

Start with striding – running in big steps (like an impala) over 100m. Do that 10 times.

Move onto 2/3 x 1km. Do them as fast as you can over that distance, keep in mind that you want to try and keep your speed consistent over the distance. (Don’t run the first 100m in under 10secs if you can’t maintain it over 1km). Recover 30 -45 secs between each km.

Don’t give yourself too much recovery time as this will improve your anaerobic fitness and your endurance. 
Your legs should be very warm, almost burning.

Next do 10 x 200m or 5 x 400m. The pace must almost be a sprint. Be very careful that you don’t pull or strain a muscle at this stage. Recover 30-45 seconds between each 200/400. The first couple will feel easy and the last few will feel like your lungs are being torn from your chest, it is normal. Time yourself, try and maintain the time that you ran the first few in.
You will feel clumsy the first few times you try and run 200/400m as you will not be accustomed to the leg speed that you will be generating. If you feel uncomfortable, do check out your shoes and your posture. 

If you are feeling okay after the 200/400m, then finish your main set with 2 x 1km. You should find that they feel easier to run, as you would have become accustomed to running faster.

Your speed set will then consist of speed work of between 5-7km. This can be varied as you get fitter. You can run 2km, or 800m instead of 1km, or more 400m and 200m. Mix it up, keep the intensity up, and keep the recovery short.

It is a good idea to measure your fitness and speed by running a time trial every few weeks, as a yard stick for your speed training. 
Warm Down It is very important to warm down and stretch again after a speed set. Do something similar to your warm up. If you have time, include 100m strides in your warm down as well. Your body will recover well after a speed set and you will feel good. Ensure that you hydrate well.

All of this will translate into positive results when you race the short course races. If you train with speed, you will race with speed. Unfortunately, if your training is limited to social jogs, don’t expect your body to produce the goods when trying to blast the run leg of your next multisport race. There is nothing more satisfying than ploughing through the fields on the run leg or seeing your peers fall off the pace in the second half of the run because they haven’t done their homework.

Above all, keep enjoying yourself!

Pointers to improving your running technique and efficiency:

• Use your arms properly to assist in pulling yourself forward. 
• Relax your upper body so as to allow free movement of your hips and waist. 
• Use your stomach muscles to control your breathing and the forward thrust of each stride. 
• Run off your forefoot instead of the ball of your foot, by leaning slightly forward when you run. 
• Lift your knees slightly, as this will increase your stride and thus your speed. 
• Your “core” plays an enormous role during speed sessions. Hopefully you took the advice from previous articles and have made some effort during winter to strengthen your core. If so, you will feel the benefits. If not, it is never too late to start.

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