loader

Benefits of Speed Workouts

  • Increased Oxygen Utilization: Speed workouts enhance your ability to use oxygen efficiently, improving your VO2 max. By regularly training at high intensities, youll breathe more effectively and your lungs will become better at utilizing oxygen.
  • Improved Running Form: Speed workouts can lead to a faster cadence, better running posture, shorter ground contact time, and more efficient strides. In general, they help improve your running economy.
  • Mental Toughness: Speed workouts also build mental resilience. In races, the final few hundred meters or kilometers can be the most challenging, often filled with exhaustion and pain. Interval training helps you become accustomed to pushing through this discomfort, maintaining your speed even when you’re hurting, which enhances your ability to finish strong.

Structure of Speed Workouts

Speed workouts consist of alternating between high-intensity running phases and recovery phases. Typically, you perform 6-15 repetitions (1 repetition = 1 high-intensity phase + 1 recovery phase).

General Principles:

  1. Maintain Speed: Your final repetitions should be performed at the same speed or faster than your initial ones. Avoid starting too fast and slowing down as you go.
  2. Recovery Time: The recovery period should not exceed the duration of the high-intensity phase.

How Fast Should You Run?

There is no strict rule, but generally, speed workouts should be done in heart rate zone 5 or at 90-100% of your VO2 max. If you can talk comfortably while running, you’re not working hard enough. Speed workouts push your body into anaerobic metabolism (without sufficient oxygen).

Typically, the high-intensity phases last between 1-10 minutes or cover distances from 400 meters to 3 kilometers. The longer the interval, the slower the pace will be. You may need to experiment to find your optimal speed for these workouts.

How Long Should Each Speed Phase Be?

There are no specific rules here either. Coach Jack Daniels often uses 200-meter intervals. Yasso 800s involve running multiple 800-meter intervals. Kipchoge’s training includes 1-kilometer repeats, and Deena Kastor has described “mile repeats.” Sage Canaday’s ultra training sometimes features 2-mile repeats.

Personally, I usually do 800 meters, but occasionally I mix it up with 1200 or 1600 meters.