At the end of the day when you are racing, speed is what counts. The faster you run, well….the faster you run. To develop speed you need to practice running fast (and have a range of other physiological components). This session is designed to develop your pure speed and is great for 5km runners and sprint distance triathletes.
Each week I will be posting the Friday Fartlek Run Sessions that you can do to enhance your running. Fartlek is a Swedish term that is often used by runners and it means speed-play. See a previous post about training intensity (levels) to know how hard to work.
The inspiration for this workout comes from an an old issue of 220 Magazine from back in the 90’s or early 2000’s that Steve Trew wrote called Running Fast When You’re Tired.
Steve Trew’s Speed Under Pressure Plus
- 10min WU Level II;
- 3x
- 400m Level V, 400m Level II RI;
- 300m Level V+, 300m Level II RI;
- 200m Level V++, 300m Level II RI;
- 100m Level V++, 300m Level II RI;
- 10min CD Level II;
- 10min Stretching
Start the workout with a Warm Up (WU) for ten minutes of easy jogging at Level II.
The Main Set involves running three sets of six by 200m at Level V. After each rep the Rest Interval (RI) gets slightly shorter. Start with 90-seconds at Level II for the Rest Interval (RI) and reduce the duration of the Rest Interval (RI) by fifteen-seconds each rep. After the sixth (and twelth) rep the Rest Interval (RI) will be fifteen-seconds, return to 90-seconds after the first rep of the second (and third) set.
The Cool Down (CD) is at a low intensity, jogging (Level II) for at least ten minutes.
Finish with 10 minutes of stretching to assist with the recovery.
If you would like further advice feel free to contact me.
I am the Head Coach & Director of Qwik Kiwi – Endurance Sports Consultant.
I specialise in assisting first-timers and recreational athletes to achieve their sporting goals. I can be contacted at coachray@coachray.nz and 021 348 729.
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