My old high school coach used to tell me: “You have to run faster to be able to run faster“. In the simplest terms, you have to train your legs to go faster so that you can break through your time barriers. There are many types of workouts to help you get there, but today’s post is about track workouts.
Intervals…..
You may have heard about interval workouts. Basically you run a set distance a certain amount of times with a set rest period. You can do intervals practically anywhere you want. However, a track is measured exactly right so that most intervals can be exactly measured. Most tracks are 400 meters, so it is relatively easy to measure off most common distances. One mile is approximately 1600m, so 4 laps is 1 mile and so forth. Yes, it can get monotonous, but if you want to control certain parameters of your workout, a track can be your best tool to use for this purpose.
I’m Not That Fast….
As I always say, “There is NO slow – it is you vs. you”. Therefore, do not get intimidated by the track. People hear track workouts and they imagine everyone running a 4 minute mile at the Olympics. You can imagine it, but in the end it is you that has to execute the workout and 99.99% of us are not running in the Olympics. I have met probably 1,000 runners in my life and only 2 have run in the Olympic trials and a 3rd just qualified for 2020 in the marathon. So the track is where you run your speed to get things done. Now that we have that part settled, your workout may be slower than other people, but if you are running faster than usual, you are getting the benefit of a track workout.
Get Used to Running Faster….
The beauty of the track is that you are running faster than you are used to, but for much shorter distances. You develop your fast twitch muscles and those muscles help you run faster when you need them to. Depending on your goals, you can do practically any interval to help you get a faster time. If you only run 1 speed continually every day, you are not going to improve your speed by much.
So again – you need to run faster to run faster….. so incorporate workouts to do this. Don’t be scared off by the track….you can use it to get to where you want to be.
Happy Running!
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