Speed running

[VG11]

Hey there fellow runners,

I just did my first NRC speed run today - 27 mins total with 8 mins of interval speed running. My question is should I be running in between the intervals or not?? I did a fartlek run last week and that included gentle running in between the speed but not sure about the interval training?? Can any one help??

Also, will the above help improve my speed when doing longer runs as I feel I’m so slow!

Thanks for any advice you can offer.

[damienair Administrator]

Hello and well done. Speed training is great for improving your pace. It gets both your legs and your brain used to running faster. It all depends on the intensity of the speed sessions. If you are running full speed with no reserve then you will need a break. If it is a pace faster than normal but you still have the energy to run slower in-between faster runs then that is good too. Also important to mix it up with longer slower runs to build up endurance.It takes time to develop pace. When I started first I could not run a full 5K without 1 or 2 walking breaks. My first 5K parkrun took me over 39 minutes. A year later I was running a full 5K in around 32 minutes. Following speed and interval training I managed to get under 30 minutes, 28 and even 26 minutes. My 5K PB is 25:36. That translated over to my longer runs too. My first 10K took me 1 hour and 20 minutes. I managed to bring that time down to under 58 minutes. But it takes time and progress can be slow, so just stick with it. Good luck.

Damien

[VG11 Graduate10]

Thanks Damien, your reply is so helpful! I feel like I’m not getting anywhere but clearly I need some persistence and patience. I’ll keep going with the speed runs and the longer ones as well. Cheers