If you want to kick up your running program to the next level, speed workouts can help. Running at or near your race pace for a series of intervals can help prepare your body for running faster and stronger in races. In addition, running faster boosts your metabolism and burns more calories than slow running. There are a variety of speed workouts you can do, depending on your current training program and distance goals.
Short Intervals
Short interval training incorporates sprint workouts into your running program, helping you become a faster runner. Short intervals -- repeats of 100 or 200 meters -- strengthen your leg muscles and accustom your body to running fast and recovering while still working. Rest for two times as long as it takes to run the repeat. So if you run 200-meter sprints in 35 seconds each, you should jog slowly or walk for 70 seconds before beginning your next interval. Your pace for intervals and the number of repeats you do depends on your fitness level and goals. If you are training for longer endurance races, for instance, you should do more repeats. The Runner's Resource recommends a basic guideline of running 200-meter intervals at a pace faster than your mile race pace.
Middle and Long-Distance Intervals
If you are training for long distance races, you can incorporate longer intervals into your running program. Longer intervals follow the same principles as shorter intervals, with rest periods about twice as long as your interval times. Running middle to long-distance intervals not only helps your foot speed improve but also helps your body build endurance by becoming accustomed to running at faster paces when fatigued. The Runner's Resource offers the pacing guidelines of doing 1-mile intervals at 10K race pace and 800-meter intervals at 5K race pace.
Fartleks
Fartlek, which means "speed play" in Swedish, is a form of speed training that includes bursts of sprinting during your regular-paced runs. Top running coach Greg McMillan, in the New York Times article "Adding Speed Workouts to Marathon Training," advises beginning runners to incorporate 20 or 30 seconds of sprints into their runs to improve speed and conditioning. You can vary the amount of fartleks you do during a run as well as the durations of your sprints to make your workouts as challenging or easy as you want.
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