Spring Training
Strength and speed for summer racing
By Christie Matheson, Roger Burrows
As featured in the May 2002 issue of Running Times Magazine
Most of us need to reconsider the notion of Speed. Mention "speed workout," and we think of character-building intervals on a track, or maybe some gut-wrenching hills. Sorry, but physiologically, this kind of running is not Speed at all, but rather simply another aspect of Stamina. It is Stamina’s top end, for sure, but it does NOT increase our basic ability to go faster. For that, we have to look at other "S’s." Most distance runners beneath the elite level significantly neglect two of them.
The Neglected S’s: Strength and Skill
First, we need to develop our Strength. To borrow the opening sentence of Timothy Noakes’ monumental book The Lore of Running: "Muscle contraction is the essential physiological event that allows us to run." A stronger muscle exerts more force. When increased force in a running muscle is applied against the ground, we run faster. Period.
Second, we must learn to apply force effectively. Enter the other neglected "S," Skill. In physiology, Skill has the technical meaning of "desired movements, and the trained ability to perform them."
If there is a "secret" to increasing our distance running speed, it is two-fold. It is a combination of (1) building the strength in our running muscles and (2) applying our newly-acquired strength to the act of running. This may require some adjustment to our normal routine, and it is not a short-term process.
Strength? Are you actually suggesting that I do weights?
If you want to run faster, I am. To run faster, you need stronger running muscles. The best place to get them is still in a traditional weight room. But distance runners just need a simple, basic program that takes comparatively little time. Local fitness supervisors who know their stuff will suggest an endurance program for you. Tell them that you don’t want more than seven exercises in your circuit, as follows:
Find someone else to help you if they try to convince you to do more. If they do, they are not thinking "strength endurance."