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Speed or Distance: What’s More Important?
By Christina | July 26, 2009
Whether training for a marathon or just running as part of your training, it is important to include all types of running into your overall workout program. I get asked often if it is better to run fast for shorter distances or run more miles at a slower pace? The answer is simple. It depends on your goals, but for total fitness speed and distance are equally important.
If you have no plans to run a marathon, then running 15 miles at a time doesn’t make sense for you to do now or ever in your training. The same principle applies if you’re training for a marathon. If your longest runs a week are only 6 miles, you will be not be physically ready to run 26.2 miles. A general rule for running is your training has to reflect your fitness goals.
That said, no matter what ultimate distance you plan on running, every runner needs to incorporate speed and distance training into their exercise plan. Distance is important, even if you are not a distance runner, because you are endurance training when you run long distances. Large muscle groups are activated and your heart rate is kept relatively low. Sprinting short distances is much more heart rate intensive. It is an excellent cardiovascular workout. The good news is training both speed and distance will make you a better runner overall in the long run.
It is easy to change your running routine to include speed and distance. A good rule of thumb is to have one long run a week. Obviously, the distance of the long run will depend on your fitness level and abilities and your goals. A long run is defined as whatever a long run is for you. In other words, it needs to be out of your comfort zone and longer than all of the other runs you do during the week. For example, if you run 3-4 miles three times a week then a long run would be 6-7 miles once a week. If you are training for a marathon, you need to extend your long run by a ¼ mile to a ½ mile every two weeks. Your long run should never be the full 26.2 miles. The longest you will ever run before race day is 20 miles.
Speed work should be incorporated at least once a week. This can be in the form of sprint drills or running shorter distances at a faster pace than you are comfortable with. When you are working on your speed, you should not be able to carry on a full conversation or have a low heart rate. You should be breathing heavily and working very hard to maintain the pace you have set for yourself. The idea behind speed training, in addition to being physically beneficial to you, is that you will be able to eventually run your long distances at a faster pace.
A comprehensive running program has one sprint day, two or three mid-distance runs, and one long distance run. If you do this every week instead of having all of your runs identical, you will be able to run further distances at a faster pace in no time.
Topics: Boot Camp, Marathon Training, Personal Training |
