How To Use Speed Workouts to Run Faster

Is running fast something you’re after? Is setting a PR your goal when you line up for a race? Does your training plan include speed work? If so, this post is for you.

When we start a block of training – when we’re just getting in shape or if we’re training for a big race, we start with easy mileage. We build a base so that we can add speed work on top of the base we’ve created. The bigger the base (foundation) you can safely build, the more speed work your body can withstand.

Think of it this way: a building with a very wide base – the size of a city block – has the potential to be a very, very tall building. On the contrary, a building with a very small base can’t get very high before it topples over.

Training is very much the same. A big base allows you to add layers to your training while only having a very small base can increase the risk of injury.

Now that we’ve talked about building a strong foundation for speed work, we need to get into the actual speed work! Speed work is very individualized. What works for one runner may not work for anyone else!

We’ll look at a few different tips to help decide how often you should be doing speed work, what different paces are typically called/used, what pace you could/should run at, and I’ll give you sample workouts at each common pace.

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How Often?

How often you run fast really depends on how much running you’re doing. If you are running less than 20 miles a week, I’m assuming that you’re probably running somewhere between 3 and 5 days a week. By adding one speed session a week, you can see tremendous gains in your running performance.

A sample week might look like this below:

Mon	Tues	Weds	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun
off day	XT/run	Speed Day	Off	easy run	cross train	LR

If your mileage is higher – 30 or more – you’d still see really big gains from one workout a week, but you might actually see even more if you added a second workout to your weekly routine.

With two workouts in a single week, your week might look like this:

Mon	Tues	Weds	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun
easy run	Speed Day	off/easy run	easy run	Speed Day	XT/easy run	LR

Keep in mind, more is not always better. Just because you can run 2 workouts in a week doesn’t mean you need to.

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What Paces?

Keep in mind that speed workouts don’t have to be all-out fast. Anything that is faster than your regular run pace will increase your ability to run faster. As you’ll see below, there are any number of general paces that any runner can add to their weekly running.

• Tempo
• Threshold
• Interval
• Critical Velocity
• Anaerobic Capacity
• Speed

If you’re unsure about pacing you can use a Jack Daniels VDOT chart or a pacing calculator from Tinman Elite.

All of the above paces can be used to create a full “recipe” for a runner’s weekly mileage. Just know that the amount (volume) of each pace above is not spread out equally. Speed work is taxing and should be used as only a small portion of your overall running volume.

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How Fast?

The speed (pace) you actually run is dependent on so many factors, including your current fitness level, the goals you have, the mileage you run.

Want to run a tempo run? Tempo pace is generally 85-90% of your maximum heart rate, or 25-30 seconds slower than your 5k pace. We typically run a tempo run as an extended block of time – say 15 or 20 minutes. The effort isn’t overly taxing, so recovery from a tempo workout is usually quicker than any other workout.

Looking to try a threshold workout, like repeat 800’s? Threshold pace is generally 85-90% of your current easy run pace, or 25-30 seconds slower than your 5k pace. Threshold and tempo paces are almost identical – where they differ is the recovery. For example, someone might run a tempo run at 8 minute pace and threshold at 7:45 pace. They might both run at their workout pace for 20 minutes, but the threshold workout might look like 4 x 5 minutes with 1 minute jog.

Interval paced workouts, like 8-10 times 400 meters would be done at your 5k pace. These workouts are TOUGH in nature because they are grinding workouts. The pace is never so fast that you can’t keep up, but the recoveries are equal to the time spent running, so you’re never fully recovering.

Need something a bit quicker because you are racing shorter distances? Try adding striders to the end of your runs. And if you need more volume, you can run repeats of short distances with lots of recovery.

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Sample Workouts

You’ll want to find your exact pace based on your current fitness level. You should check out a calculator or use a coach to predict/guide your training paces.

These workouts are only examples and should be done with a warm up and cool down run. Click each example for an entire blog post about each topic.

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