In this article, we’ll address what I consider to be the critical training components that are a part of every successful speed development program to increase running speed of your athletes.

After all, the fastest athletes on any team and in any sport are almost always the quickest and fastest on the field or the court. and every coach and athlete wants to know the most effective methods to increase running speed.

So the question becomes: what are the training elements that must be addressed in order accomplish this goal?

To start, no athlete can be expect to succeed with their speed training if they aren’t properly warmed up. Many programs still use that old school warm up philosophy of jogging around the field a couple times, getting in a circle and holding static stretches as the whole team counts to 10. Now, I don’t know any sports that require holding a stretch for an extended period of time in order to get prepared to compete or practice. That being the case, such an outdated warm up philosophy is not going to increase running speed.

Instead, athletes must do a dynamic warm up that progresses from slow, simple movements like jogging and skipping to the high intensity speed drills that actually prepare them for an intense practice.

Another critical element to speed development is that of improving coordination. Moving the limbs at the speeds required to get faster requires very high levels of coordination. Even the best athletes overestimate their ability to properly do speed drills or go through a series on an agility ladder. That’s why I often do these types of drills at the beginning of the season to give them a first hand experience that shows them just how much room for improvement they have.

One overlooked training element that is proven to increase running speed is that of regular focus on improving flexibility. We often hear about the role of stride length in speed development. And it makes sense that, all other things being equal, if Athlete A has a longer stride length than Athlete B, than Athlete A will always beat Athlete B. Thus a more flexible athlete will clearly cover more distance with each step, but without exerting any extra effort. The benefits to this are clear. If athletes cover more ground with each step, not only will they get to where they want to go quicker, but it will also take less steps to get there.

The three elements that I have discussed so far are all important supplements to any speed training program. However, at the end of the day, improving any athlete’s ability to run as fast as they can is dependent on one thing: training fast. The only way to run faster is to practice running at full speed.

As obvious as this seems, many programs confuse what real speed development actually is. Sprints with short rest periods (less than 2 minutes, minimum), interval training at medium intensities (less than 95-100% intensity) and runs lasting longer than approximately 8 seconds are all common training components that will not improve any athlete’s top speed. As long as your intent is to increase running speed, you must make these training elements an active part of your program, especially the final point regarding how I defined true speed training.

Train hard, work smart, get fast!

Patrick is the owner of Athletes’ Acceleration Inc., your final resource for developing the fastest athletes. To learn more about speed training and to access Patrick’s free Speed Training Report - Secrets to Developing Dominant Speed - go to http://www.CompleteSpeedTraining.com.

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Increase Your Running Speed - an effective program to help you improve your times through a focus on pure running speed.

Here is a little experiment for your next run when you are running in an area that is frequented by many runners. Do a little count of how many people have headphones in their ears and are listening to an iPod or other music device. I did this last Monday and approximately 75% of runners and walkers had one on. That is amazing - what did people used to do before mp3 players - or the old Sony Walkman tape players for that matter?

I run with my iPod every time I head out. I enjoy it because of the escape I get from it. It also lets me pass the time as we all know that sometimes it can get lonely out there. I am not always an active listener to what I am hearing because I may be thinking about how to go about something I have been trying to figure out for some time.

I often wonder what it is runners are listening to. I thought I should ask my readers to tell me. Please use the comment to tell me what you most often listen to - I personally hope to get some listening ideas from you.

What do I listen to you might be asking? It varies a bit, but here is an overview:

1. Podcast: This Week in Tech
2. Podcast:: Macbreak Weekly
3. Anything Metallica
4. Bright Eyes - the number 4 spot can change a lot, depending on my mood (anything from Slayer to John Denver)

That is mine - now show me yours in the comments.

Guest post: A while ago you may remember me writing about my wife not being a runner. Well it turns out I spoke too soon and she has successfully completed 2 runs in the past two weeks. Good for her I say. I have asked her to write a guest post on my blog - this is her account of the experience…

First things first. I AM NOT a runner. I decided this the minute I fulfilled my physical education requirement in high school. I was done with track & field, done with volleyball, done with basketball and floor hockey. I know what you’re thinking…but I am not and was not a large girl. I just didn’t enjoy the traditional gym class sports. My body favored a more delicate sport. Figure skating, dancing, yoga, pilates and the like. So I told myself. And to this day, those beliefs stuck.

Until, two weeks ago when my good friend decided to jump start her post baby weight loss with running. Can you help me, she said. Can you run with me?

My first run effectively defeated me. It was a warm day. My lululemon pants and I made it through a grueling 20 minutes of 3 minutes running, 1 minute walking. And after it was done I couldn’t decide if my shins & inner thighs or my chest hurt more…my chest won out (way too obvious joke) and I spent the day wanting to vomit. Runners are crazy I thought. How do people do this?

But, as the days past, I found I had the urge to pound the pavement again. Such a strange feeling. Fight it, I told myself. Don’t do it, it’s not your thing. But the run day came and out I went. And as I ran faster, and as I ran longer, my resolve was dwindling. Maybe I could be a runner. Maybe a decade old fear of P.E. could finally be kicked to the curb. Running, it seems, isn’t just for the tough girls. Running could be, in fact, for me!

Just don’t get me started on floor hockey. I am not a floor hockey player.

To be continued…..

After my lunch hour run on Monday there was a discussion happening amongst a couple of guys about one individual who is running the next Boston Marathon. The discussion was of course about the training program for such a race and the time and toll it takes to train
properly. This one individual made an interesting comment about running in general and the “perfect” distance to train for.

He said that the perfect distance to train for is the half marathon. The reason for this was two-fold:

1. It is easier on the body than a marathon is and the training is less “severe”.

2. The fitness level provided by being truly ready for a half marathon is perfect, and if you train for one half per year you will be in pretty good shape. It is a great trade off - the training program is not too intrusive and the fitness benefits are huge.

Thinking back on my own experience, I would have to agree. I have found a half-marathon training program pretty easy to integrate into my super busy life, and I have been in the best shape when training for one. More so than for the marathon - it was so demanding on my body I did not feel as “in shape”. Interesting outcome. However, I can still say I have run a marathon and I would not trade that for the world.

I had a bad running week and there were two reasons for it. First, was the bit of a hip problem that seemed to have reared its ugly hip. I had this slow throbbing pain in my hip joint that would not go away. When I tried to run, it was worse.

The second reason was work was getting in the way of a lot of what I wanted to do this week, especially running. Given, I would not have been able to run anyway, but looking back it would not have happened anyway - I guess I picked a good week to be injured. This was one of those weeks where I was back-to-back meetings, every time I got to my desk I had another 10 voice mails and 20-30 emails. Everyone wanted something from me. I take comfort in the fact that I suspect I do my job well and people feel comfortable come to me for help.

Next week I am going to start fresh and begin a 5-k training program. The run I was going to do in September is not going to happen as I need to be somewhere else that weekend (wow - it seems I am making a lot of excuses in this post). I have not trained for a 5-K in a long time so it should be a nice change of pace, pardon the pun.

Let me start off by saying that running shoes are the most important investment a runner must purchase. Choosing the wrong pair or a pair of cross trainers is the worst decision a runner can make. As well, going too long on the same pair of running shoes can be bad. I for one have run too long on one pair of shoes and paid the price in terms of a heal injury. Or so I think that is why I injured my heal. I beleive I may have been “sold” the notion that my 400 mile old shoes were in need of replacement and that is why I was injured.

My point is that I am starting to see a bit of a trend in shoe marketing that is suggesting runners should be replacing their shoes earlier and earlier. I love the feeling of getting new shoes - it validates the miles I have been putting on. However, it is friggin’ expensive and I have been starting to question the accelerated replacement more and more. There is a lot to be gained by the shoe companies if we all diligently replace out shoes every 400 miles.

I think a good comparison to the running shoe sales game is the new car business. Do we really need a new car every 3 years or is this just clever marketing on behalf of the auto makers? I would suggest that it is good marketing and that we don’t need a new car at this frequency.

I am struggling with this though. On one hand, I don’t want to risk a serious IT or ankle injury over the hundred bucks it costs to buy the new shoes. On the other hand, I also don’t like getting worked over and convinced to buy something I don’t need. What do I do?

I therefore need to leave this post unanswered and continue to ponder it. I would like to hear suggestions form my readers on their views. Please “argue” away and help me decide by using the comment section. Thanks in advance for your input.

It inevitably comes 4 times per year - the changing of the seasons. The most dramatic of those changes in my opinion is the switch from summer to winter. I know I am a bit ahead of schedule on this change, but up here in Calgary, Alberta we need to be ready for anything at this time of year. The snow can come at any time - mind you it usually doesn’t stick around but it can fall nonetheless. I was doing some thinking about the changing of seasons and the impacts it has on my own training program. I came up with 5 things that I need to consider:

1. Obviously, the running clothes need to change. Away go the shorts and out come the running tights or pants. Head gear is also an important consideration.
2. You need to be more diligent in telling your spouse where it is you are going to run to - with colder weather come a higher risk of injury and you don’t want to be stranded in the cold with a wrecked knee.
3. Your route needs to be considered more carefully - some routes don’t lend themselves to winter running due to ice or snow pack. It is no longer just a go out the door and run wherever your heart point you to.
4. It will take longer to warm up because of the cooler temperatures, so more caution is required during the initial stages of the run.
5. The change of scenery and environment will be a welcome change - I love to watch the seasons change as it can feel like you are running in a new environment!

I am sure there are tonnes of other things to consider, but this is what I came up with. Let me hear your considerations. Please use the comments to chime in.

There is one thing all runners have in common. That thing is the initial struggle and uncomfortable feeling we all get during the first few minutes or mile(s) into the run before we hit our running groove. You know the feeling, you head out the door and you legs feel like they are 150 pounds each, you heart rate spikes, and your breathing is labored. Not the most comfortable feeling in the world! Sometimes it is amazing that any of us run through it.

I know I am making some broad generalizations here that everyone goes through the same feelings. I know this is not the case. In my conversations with other runners, I have found that everyone experiences something different. Most interesting is the distance or time that each runner needs to get through before they hit the “groove”. Some runners found that it was at about the mile point when they felt better, other said it was more at the 15 minute point, regardless of their pace on that day. For me, I find that it is the 10 minute mark when I usually hit my groove.

I would like to hear from you on when you hit your running groove. Please use the comments to let me know.

I love my wife more than anything in the world. She is the glue that keeps our family functioning and progressing forward. She is not a runner - and I am. Over the years she has talked about potentially starting a running program, but like many people (men and women) she does not beleive that she could ever be a runner. She feels she does not have the body or athletic ability to do it. Even though I tell her that was me 2 years ago, she just has not found the urge to try for an extended period of time. I wouldn’t say that this difference between us creates any issues in our relationship, only that it is something we need to understand each other on.

As I was digging around the internet for articles about this topic, I came across a very interesting quote in an artcile titled, The Moderating Effect of Spouse Support on the Relation Between Serious Leisure and Spouses’ Perceived Leisure-Family Conflict:

Glover and Schuder (1988) reported the divorce rate among New York Marathon runners was 3.5 times the national average and cited a poll taken in the Boston area that found forty percent of married runners who run more than 70 miles a week got divorced.

Well that is pretty damn scary. Although my wife and I were not anywhere near divorce when I was training for my marathon a year ago, I can say that it did put a pretty good strain on our relationship. The large number of miles that I was running had me spending 4 hours on a Sunday morning running while she had to deal with the kids, just as she did everyday while I was at work. Then there was the miles I had to put in before or after the kids went to bed during the weekday. It was a lot and our time together suffered. She is a very supportive wife, but this would test even the most loving of spouses!

What the above quote tells me is that these people put their running before their families, which is something I am unwilling to do. My family is too important to me. As such, I have decided that I am going to hold off running marathons until my kids are older and our lives are not as hectic. When this will be, I do not know but I can still cure my running bug by training for 10-Ks and half-marathons.