Run slow - Race FASTER !

I hear you say coach must have gone mad …. but hey , have a read and try it out and if your not running PB’s within a few weeks you can call me worse !
If you study the way East Africans train you will understand , I have coached Kenyans now for almost 30 years so I do know what I’m talking about ;)
How many of us go out of the door and start running immediately and even look at our watch after a km and think go faster ! …Most of u are or have been guilty of this im very sure …… WARM UP !
Most running injuries come back to a few simple things :
1.Lack of proper warm up
2.Impatience
3.Wearing race shoes for training
4.Running too much on hard surfaces
5.Running outside your normal range
6.Poor hydration/rehydration !
So when we look at easy/recovery runs , they should be at what we call conversational pace , a pace where you can have full conversations with your running partners without gasping for breath , if your running alone try singing as you run… same thing applies.
You should also do stretching before and after all runs , not just hard efforts !
Heart rate for easy runs as a rule of thumb would be around 140 or just under that !
Run easy - Race fast !
Long runs - unless a specific test/trial
Same rules apply as for recovery/easy runs .. .with a little more emphasis on hydration , try to drink 200ml every 25/30 mins .
Conversational pace again …. as you get more tired HR will go up a bit so try to keep your Average Heart rate under 150 .

Speedwork/Tempo runs

Warm up and cool down even more important … on warm up keep the AHR to under 140. Then you can do some faster strides , eg. 80 meters fast , walk back to start and repeat 4-6 times , this will elevate your HR a little o that when you start running fast your reasonably comfortable. Age/fitness/weight will all have a bearing on your pace during the speed session but an AHR of between 160/180 would cover most regular runners .
Cool down would be a slow jog/fast walk for 15/20 minutes to flush out lactic acid from the muscles and to ease out the tiredness . Continue to rehydrate as you cool down and have a carb/protien snack within 45 mins of finishing your session as this will refuel and help to mend any small muscle pains that result from the fast running . This refuelling/hydration applies to all runs , especially speed and long ones.
So as you can see , when a little care and attention is given to the speed and effort levels , you will have more energy , you will recover faster from hard work and long runs… and Hey Presto … PB’s will flow :)
You would be amazed at how slowly the worlds top runners do their easy runs , 5/6 mins per km when they race at 3 mins or faster per km !! If its good enough for them , then why not for us ?
Please try to apply these simple idea’s to your training , im 100% sure that you will be seeing a new dimension in your running very soon.
Cheers and Happy Running
Coach Ian Dexter Ladbrooke - Running4Health ( +254 703725928 Whatsapp)