The secret to becoming a faster runner is to start running faster. Ok, ok. I know you’re probably saying to yourself, “If I could run faster, don’t you think I would???” While this answer may seem a little silly and simplistic, incorporating one day of speed work per week into your training schedule can pay huge dividends for your performance. Whether you’re a seasoned runner looking to set a personal best on race day or a new runner just trying to keep up with your faster friend on neighborhood jogs, speed work will help you become a faster and more efficient runner.

Why does speed work make us faster? According to the experts at Runner’s World, speed work helps teach our muscles to tolerate the build-up of lactic acid. The higher the intensity of our workout, the more quickly our body can remove lactic acid and other byproducts from our muscles (increasing what is called our lactate turn point). When you have a higher lactate turn-point, you can continue at a higher intensity of effort for a longer period of time before reaching a state of fatigue. Because speed work also has a higher cardiovascular training level, your endurance capabilities are also likely to improve.

So what kinds of speed work sessions should you do? Here are a few of my favorites:

• Intervals: Intervals are by far my favorite speed workout because they offer a lot of variety and flexibility based on your running goals and how you’re feeling. I prefer to do these on a treadmill or at the track. Intervals should be run at 85 to 95 percent of your maximum heart rate – so you’re pretty much giving it everything you’ve got. You can do longer intervals – anywhere from 800 meters to 1 or 2 miles at your 5K race pace – or shorter intervals – like 200 or 400-meter repeats slightly faster than your 5K pace. Recovery time is key between intervals. For your longer intervals, your recovery time should be equal to or slightly shorter than your interval time (i.e. if you run your 1-mile repeats in 8 minutes, you might recover for 4 to 8 minutes.) For shorter intervals, you should recover longer (i.e. if you run your 400-meter interval in 1 minute and 15 seconds, you might recover for 2 to 3 minutes). Recovery should be slow and allow your heart rate to return to normal. I love to do 5 3-minute intervals in the middle portion of a 5-mile run. I also love turning up the speed with 6 to 10 400-meter repeats. In the week leading up to a race, I also like doing 3 1-mile repeats at 5K pace with a 5-minute recovery in between each.

• Yasso 800s: Yasso 800s are a popular speed workout for runners training for marathons and one of the speed workouts I do often during the training season. This workout was created by Runner’s World’s Chief Running Officer Bart Yasso (@BartYasso) and is supposed to provide a good indicator of the time you could expect to run in a marathon. The idea behind the workout is to run 800-meter repeats at your goal marathon time, followed by a 3-minute recovery jog in between each. At the beginning of the season, you might start with 5 to 6 Yasso 800s and slowly add one each week until you reach 10 repeats. For example, if your goal marathon time is 3:48, you would run your 800-meter intervals in 3 minutes and 48 seconds or faster. Jog slowly between each repeat for about 400 meters.

• Tempo Runs: Tempo runs are workouts in which you run the middle portion of your run 30 to 45 seconds slower than your 5K pace (or around your 10K pace). It should be difficult to talk. You may also choose to do your tempo work at either half or full marathon pace depending on your training goals for the week. For instance, you would start with a slow warm-up of 1 to 2 miles of easy running, followed by 30-45 minutes of continuous running at tempo pace and concluding with a slow easy cool down of 1 to 2 miles.  The point is to be able to sustain a hard pace for the entire duration of your tempo time without slowing down.
•  Fartleks: The word Fartlek is a Swedish term that means speed play. It has everything to do with running fast and nothing to do with farting *wink.* Although Fartleks are similar to intervals in the fact that you alternate surges of high intensity with periods of easy running, they’re different because they’re more free-flowing and organic. Rather than a perfect measurement of 400 meters around a track, you might incorporate 5 to 8 fartleks into your mid-week run by sprinting between lamp posts, stop lights or every fifth mailbox. This is an especially fun workout when running with a group. You can run single file with 8 to 10 people. The person in the back of the line sprints to the front. Once at the front, the person who is now last sprints to the front and so on. While you are sprinting to the front, the rest of the group is jogging very slowly. This is fun to incorporate into the middle of a long run as well. If you are just starting out with speed work, this is a great workout to try.

5 Rules to Follow Before Starting Speed Work

1. Before attempting to incorporate speed work into your training schedule, make sure you’ve built a solid running base where you’ve been running at least 3 days a week for several months.
2. Speed work can increase your chance of sustaining a running injury if you’re not properly warmed up or if you try too much too fast. Run a slow warm-up mile followed by some easy running drills and dynamic stretching (e.g. skips, high knees, grapevines, butt kicks, etc.) to help ensure your muscles are properly prepared for your speed session. You can find a good warm-up routine for speed work here. Three to 6 short, fast strides of 75 to 100 meters on soft terrain are also helpful to do after your warm-up mile before you get into your speed session. If you aren’t currently doing speed work, be sure to build slowly. The last thing you want to do is too many repeats at too fast a pace that leads to injury. Don’t try to tackle 10 Yasso 800s during your first speed session or at the beginning of a training season. Instead, consider doing 5-8 30-second sprints with a 30-second slow jog or walk in between each rep. As the weeks progress, you can add more reps and more time to your intervals … from 30 seconds to 1-minute sprints, from 1-minute to 2-minute sprints and so on.
3. Don’t schedule your speed workouts the day after a long run or hard workout. You want your body to be fresh and recovered for this harder effort. You should always alternate easy days with hard days in your training.
4. If you are sore or feeling any little aches or pains, avoid speed work until that goes away. Pain in your IT band? A slight twinge in your knee? A case of plantar fasciitis coming on? If so, avoid speed work until you’re at 100 percent. You don’t want to turn a minor pain into a major injury.
5. Knowing how fast you should run your speed work is key to being successful and enhancing your overall performance. Be sure to read this article about how to determine the proper paces for your speed work.

Is speed work part of your weekly running schedule? If so, what’s your favorite speed workout? If not, what’s holding you back from incorporating speed work into your training regimen?