Running fast, this is what everyone wants to do. The general idea is that, if you want to run fast, practise running fast. No more than 25% of your MPW should be speedwork and speedwork should only be taken on after you are running a good strong base (MPW). This is to help prevent injury. As this site is for beginners, I will keep this section fairly simple as speedwork can get rather complicated. Before beginning your speedwork, a 1 to 2 mile warm up is necessary.

There are many terms for different types of speed work, and all help in different ways. You will not need to use all of them and I personally just use 3 or 4. If you begin to research speedwork you may see some of these terms crop up:

• Cut Downs - This involves running a distance fast, then a shorter distance faster. So on and so forth.
• Fartlek Training
• Long Hills
• Mile Intervals
• Quarters - This involves running quarter miles at the track, faster than your 5k race pace.
• Tempo Runs

Fartlek Training: Fartlek is Swedish for 'Speedplay'. It is the simplest form of speedwork and involves burts of speed, at any pace and at any distance. This is the best way for beginners to begin speedwork, it is spontaneous and fun. The distance should ideally be between 50 yards to a quarter mile. In between each burst of speed, you should leave plenty of time to recover. If you use a heart rate monitor, you can wait for your heart rate to drop back to your THR. You could also use landmarks or even streetlights for this exercise, running fast for 2 streetlights, and recovering for the next 3/4.

Long Hills: Don't do this one if you suffer lower leg problems. This may be suitable for some, as you do not actually have to run fast. These long hills bolster your leg stregth, making running generally easier, and working your quad muscles. The hills should be a quarter mile long, and not too steep. Even experienced runners may feel sore the day after hill training.

Mile Intervals: This can be done at any distance, but the mile is a round figure to aim at. Run a mile at race pace or faster (on or off the track), and then run a mile at a slower pace to recover. Repeat this. The idea is that you cannot run the whole race distance at the pace your aiming for (yet), but as you progress and can handle 1 mile with ease, you can then move on to running 1.5 miles at your target pace. Once you can run at your race pace for your race distance, slow down by 30 seconds a mile, this would then be called a tempo run.

Tempo Runs: This is going out and running as fast as you can. It basically imitates a race against yourself. Ideally a tempo run should always be a little slower than your race pace, at least 30 seconds a mile. Going out and running tempo runs is a common mistake beginners make. They bolt out the door, aiming to beat their personal bests in training. Tempo runs can replace mile intervals as you reach your targets for an upcoming race, or they can be used along side intervals, running just slower than your current race pace. If you are only running a small base (less than 15 MPW), tempo runs can be invaluable because they are not included in the 25% rule. However, this doesn't mean you can go out and do tempo runs every day of the week! Run them in moderation.

As an example: I run 40 miles a week, so using the 25% rule, I can do 4 miles worth of speedwork a week. The 4 miles are the miles I run fast, and do not include the distance I run whilst recovering (ie, inbetween mile intervals). If I were to do a tempo run, this would be excluded under the 25% rule. I recommend starting speedwork by including some fartlek training. Then, after a couple of fartlek runs over a couple of weeks, include a tempo run, do this for 2 more weeks. After this, start on your mile intervals. Building up by 1 or 2 fast miles a week. Remember to apply stress gradually and not break the 25% rule. Generally, you should first build a base and then start speedwork, not do both at the same time. Detailed plans can be found in books or on the net.