Running for Speed: Part 3

Know How Fast You're Running

There are a range of ways to estimate how fast you're actually running, while you do it:

Knowing the distance and time regularly such as on a 400m track, 500m or 1km marks on a flat footpath. All you'll then need is a stopwatch and a good mathmatics brain/calculator.

Pedometer based systems which calculate speeds based on a pre-entered stride length multiplied by stride frequency which is recorded each time your foot lands.

A GPS training system which calculates your speed depending on how far you travel every second or so. 

Treadmills turn the conveyor belt at the speed you input, meaning you just need to keep up.

Each system has it's advantages and disadvantages which I'll discuss in this post. I'll also discuss my preferred methods and where i see the future of speed analysis going.

Distance Track with Stop Watch

Using a track can be boring if you're not used to running in such an environment. Even a 1km track can get monotinous if you're running more than 6km. If you're a numbers person and can keep your focus on pace and running technique then the time can fly by but that also depends whether you're doing even paced or interval training. 

Using a basic stopwatch and a track as described above is by far the cheapest option as the most tracking devices rarely come for less than $300NZ.

It is harder to know whether you're going at the right speed until you're approaching the next marker/lap as you can only see how much time you have to get to the next marker. This can often leave you speeding up or slowing down to a walk in order to stick to the correct average speeds. 

If you're using the most basic stopwatch you'll need to print out your split times or record them on your hand every workout. If you have a lap timer then you only need to know how much time you're allowed on each fast and slow lap which means no comparing pen to watch. If you don't keep an eye on the overall time it's easy to get away from the overall average speed of the workout, even if you're only missing the prescrided time by a few seconds each lap.

GPS Training Devices

GPS is the most accurate distance running speed analysis tool i have used next to a cycle speedometer. The ones i have used fluctuate a lot at slower instantaneous running speeds but level off at average speeds over 100m+. As a result i set the display to average lap speed so i know i just need to keep the speed as close to that prescribed as possible until the next marker/split. 

If you can set an auto lap then you can run anywhere flat and with relatively little wind. Having used the Garmin Forerunner series of devices i struggle to go for a run without one now as i just can't stand not knowing my average speeds and heart rates. When you can download your speeds, heart rates, elevation and distances into a graph and chart it doesn't take long to figure out why you got that stitch, muscle cramp or simply started feeling empty. It will also become obvious why you had such a good run that you just wanted to pick up the pace over the final 2km to use what was left in the tank! This is the best feeling you can get in traininer and part of the reasons we runners run. 

GPS Application on your Smartphone
There are now hundreds of Applications such as RunKeeper and Map My Run which are gaining popularity and I suspect it won't be long before the wireless watch and heart rate monitor are made available to make it easier to monitor speed and heart rate while you run.

RunKeeper allows your iphone's built in GPS system to display your current speed, distance and time. I am yet to use one as i don't have an iphone, but i've had a few NZ friends report that the GPS keeps loosing signal so i'd be interested to hear from anyone who has tried this app overseas. I've read good things on the website so i'm sure the GPS signal will improve as will the application. As technology advances, i doubt the training aids will be able to keep up with the cell phones although i haven't run with an iphone strapped to my upper arm yet. 

Foot Pods/Pedometers

My experiences with top of the line polar pedometers are not great when compared to cycle speedo and gps in the same session. Due to this i do not use them but if you've paid out for one and do not want to switch to a gps device then try to recalibrate it to match the speed of a cycle speedo over 1km at around 80% max. Even if it's not spot on it will at least give you an idea of when you're slowing down or going too fast relative to what you were at the start of the session. You can still compare how long it took you to run the total distance to the prescribed time to determine whether you went too fast or slow.

Treadmills

Treadmills are very good at keeping us at the correct speeds but how much they help our outdoor running is up for discussion. I suggest using a 1-2degree incline to make up for the fact you're not actually propelling yourself forward so much as you are propelling yourself vertically. I'll use a treadmill if it's no good outside but you need to find out how much easier you find the same workout on a flat treadmill so you can figure out the amount of incline to use. 

In Summary

• It's not good enough to be prescribed workouts based on time running at perceived intensities 
• You can get a program which sets the speeds for you to run at 
• You can run at those speeds, knowing that you're doing the best to make optimal improvements to your running.

This article is derived from the STS Fitness and Nutrition Website

Running for Speed: Part 2

Knowing the Right Speeds to Train and Race 

What you and your coach really need to know is how fast you should be able to run other distances such as a 5km, 8km, 12km and so on so they can give you at least an approximate idea of how fast you should be running, depending on how far you're going in each session.

The speeds you are asked to train at should take into account the fact that you're not going to be able to run 12km at the same speed as you ran a 10km time trial at 100%. It should also take into account that you're not going to be able to run at your 100% speed, for any given distance, every time you train.

Progressing your Running Fitness

How does your running program progress you? 

If you're asked to do your next run 5% faster than last time do you think you could stick to it?

Even a mind set of increasing speeds by 5% will often be enough for us to increase speed 0.5-1kph, leading to an increased effort intensity of more like 15-20%. What seems like a small increase in speed over 30-90mins often magnifies the intensity effect, leading to lactate buildup and detrimental pacing.

Interval Training
If you're doing interval training, your programme needs to be able to give you faster and slower speeds which take into account the fact that it's going to be much harder, if not impossible to maintain the same average pace (that's average speed of entire run) as you would be able to hold in an even paced run.

Don't agree?

Try running your next race at significantly different speeds each kilometre and see how you get on...it didn't work for the hare when he raced the tortoise!!

The best runners in the world run negative splits (first half of the race slightly slower than the second half) but to most it would look as if they're running the entire race at the exact same speed. Their ability to keep such an even pace is part of what makes them such good runners as they're less likely to go too quick in the first half, putting them into that state discussed in Part 1.

Knowing your Speeds

There are means of finding what speeds you should run at and a few on-to-it running coaches know these means. There are many calculations involved in creating a program, dealing with times, speeds and conversion factors. Many coaches simply don't have time to do the math.

You can see how STS Running uses these methods to create intelligent running program on the STS Website

So assuming you do know how fast to run in k/h or mins/km, how do you then know how fast you're going? Read Part 3 to find out.

Running for Speed: Part 1

The Problem with Running for Time at Perceived Intensities

When our coach or programme tells us to perform a running workout they'll usually give us a type of session, the time we're running for and the approximate percieved intensities we should aim for.

Eg. do a long run for 90mins at around 75%


The problem with this workout description is that 75% at the start of a run is likely to be considerably faster than at the end due to cumulative fatigue and muscle damage. Only the most experienced runners can pace themselves accurately, based on this kind of a workout description but even they can struggle after a couple of weeks of enforced rest due to illness or injury.

The Reality of Running to a % Perceived Intensity

We've all gone out for a run with an idea of preserving ourselves so we can get through the prescribed time only to get carried away due to feeling great over the first 20-30mins. You think you're running 65-70% of your max because you feel so damn good, but you're actually going at 90-130% of your maximal speed for the designated time you're supposed to be running for.

This can only end badly unless you recognise you're going too fast and slow things down. Problem is that by the time you've realised you're working too hard there's a good chance you've already caused enough damage to make the rest of your run painful, no matter how slow you go.

I believe that the number one reason people give up running is not because they find it boring, but that they simply let their speed get too high and spend the rest of the run in pain. You see it all the time, guys looking absolutely broken with another 2-4km to run. Hunched over with a look of complete agony on their face and thinking "why do i do this?".

So Who's to Blame?

If a running coach put you through this workout you'd never use him again, but chances are the workouts your coach or program is giving you has put you into this state many times before. It's not your fault as you thought you were going at the right speed. It's not really the coach's fault because they don't know how to keep you at the pace they have in mind.

There is another problem here though.

How does your coach know how fast you should be running?

If you had your coach cycling next to you with a speedo, what speeds would they be asking you to run at?

Say they've timed you over a 10km race or time trial and found out your average speed. They now know how fast you should be able to run over 10km on similar terain at 100% of your max. This is great if they only plan on having you run 10km time trials in training. No matter what distance you aim to be your best in, you cannot rely on one distance or time to run for each time you train.

So how else can your program describe your workout? Read part 2 of this article to find out or visit the complete 3 part article on our website.