Sprinting intervals can help you build up your speed.
Many fitness enthusiasts set goals for themselves in order to run faster and farther. While getting faster at running long distances is not something that happens overnight, you can build up to it by making constant progress during your training workouts.
Instructions
1. Establish your running baseline. A baseline is what you can currently perform comfortably when it comes to running long distances. To find your baseline, time yourself with a stopwatch as you run your long distance. For instance, if it takes you 60 minutes to run your 7-mile long distance goal, then 60 minutes is your baseline.
2. Set your speed goal. Make the goal realistic, but create it so that you get the result you want. By setting a goal, you have something measurable to strive for and you will be able to measure your progress along the way.
3. Create a running training routine. Schedule the days that you will train for distance, and the others days that you will train for speed. When you train for distance you want to run as far as you can, or to your goal, without worrying about your time. If you train for speed, you will pick up the pace without running as far.
4. Incorporate a faster sprint into your training on speed days. Cut back on your total miles and, instead, run 50 to 100 yard dashes as fast as you can. According to a study performed by University of Copenhagen scientists, runners who reduced their distance and added 50- to 100-yard dashes to their training improved their speed by 7 percent.
5. Run in intervals. A running interval involves alternating between faster and slower paces. To do this, you might run for 10 minutes at a comfortable speed, then perform a 2-minute interval where you sprint, before returning to your comfortable speed for another 10 minutes.
6. Double up on your running so that you run in the morning and the evening to increase your speed. According to a July 2009 article in "Runner's World" magazine by Ed Eyestone, people who run twice a day reap the benefits of running faster compared to athletes who stick to a once-daily training schedule.
7. Take care of your body. Stretch before and after your runs, drink plenty of water and eat appropriate foods to fuel your body. It is also important to schedule rest days, where you do not train at all, during the week. Your body needs a day or two off to recover and rest.
Tags: your speed, comfortable speed, days that, days that will, long distance, long distances