For someone just starting in a running life, the mere act of running will bring about improvements. When I started signing up for the first 10-kilometer competitions, I was getting better and better results without any special training and maintaining consistency in my jogging routines. I didn’t know what speed training was, a long run, and much less a tempo or a fartlek.

That increase reached its limit, in my case, 42 minutes. That was when it became necessary to try other training formulas to improve, and then came the famous speed work.

When to start

Renowned coach Bob Glover of the New York Road Runners Club recommends starting speed training if:

1. You have been running for at least a year.
2. You have completed a competition.
3. You run at least 25 kilometers per week.
4. You can run harder than your training pace for a distance of at least 5-10 kilometers.

Following these suggestions will undoubtedly prevent injuries. Of course, this is a general recommendation, and there are case studies.

As defined by Hal Higdon: “Speed ​​work is a training method that can allow you, after months or even years of training, to make progress after you have reached a plateau in your performance.” If you are starting and have not reached that plateau, why try this work? This could also be a good guide for when to start.

In addition to this, the author Jeff Galloway, in his famous text ‘The Book of the Runner,’ when talking about speed, first highlights the importance of first developing resistance: “Before running a 10K race quickly, you must be able to run the same distance without stopping. The first element of a speed program is a long run that increases every two weeks until it is longer than the distance of the competition race by at least 20%”, making it clear that this base will be what determines being able to finish a race successfully, and later what will help to improve times progressively.

Once that speed begins to be gained and progress is observed in time, it is essential to understand that the secret is not to run long distances every day. After all, since the 1920s, it has been discovered that to increase the speed of athletes, better results could be achieved by dividing the distance into small sections and running each one faster than the race pace, with rest in between, which is where fartlek and interval training were born.

Do you want a training plan that has the best speed workouts?

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