Speed Play
From Jeff Galloway's Website: http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/gettingfaster/
Thousands of runners can improve by making simple changes such as:
• Rearranging their schedules
• Adding rest
• Doing speedwork
The first rule is that your goals must be realistic. Setting a goal that is too ambitious will only lead to disappointment and frustration. But if you stage a series of goals that are within your reach, you’ll build your running capacity and your confidence!
NOTE: There is obviously a limit to how much you can improve. You’ll reach plateaus at which your performance will level off and sometimes even drop. A plateau may last a month or so, or even a year. As you get closer to your ultimate potential, the plateaus will tend to occur more often, and last longer.
Speedwork increases injury risk.To improve, time goal runners need to run faster in some workouts, and this means some increase in stride length, greater bounce and foot pushing. By gradually increasing the intensity of the speed training, the feet and legs can adapt (with sufficient rest intervals and rest days betwee). But there is a risk of injury. Be sensitive to your weak links and don’t keep running if there is a chance that you may have the beginnings of an injury. A gentle increase in the beginning of the season can significantly reduce risk.
- See more at: http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/gettingfaster/#sthash.JvOniT7Q.dpuf
Thousands of runners can improve by making simple changes such as:
• Rearranging their schedules
• Adding rest
• Doing speedwork
The first rule is that your goals must be realistic. Setting a goal that is too ambitious will only lead to disappointment and frustration. But if you stage a series of goals that are within your reach, you’ll build your running capacity and your confidence!
NOTE: There is obviously a limit to how much you can improve. You’ll reach plateaus at which your performance will level off and sometimes even drop. A plateau may last a month or so, or even a year. As you get closer to your ultimate potential, the plateaus will tend to occur more often, and last longer.
Speedwork increases injury risk.To improve, time goal runners need to run faster in some workouts, and this means some increase in stride length, greater bounce and foot pushing. By gradually increasing the intensity of the speed training, the feet and legs can adapt (with sufficient rest intervals and rest days betwee). But there is a risk of injury. Be sensitive to your weak links and don’t keep running if there is a chance that you may have the beginnings of an injury. A gentle increase in the beginning of the season can significantly reduce risk.
- See more at: http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/gettingfaster/#sthash.JvOniT7Q.dpuf
Cadenc
e DrillCadence or Turnover Drill
http://jeffgalloway.typepad.com/jeff_galloways_blog/2010/11/cadence-or-turnover-drill.html)
This is an easy drill that makes your running form smoother and easier. By doing it regularly, you pull all the elements of good running form together at the same time. One drill a week will help you step lighter, increasing the number of steps you take per minute. This will help you run faster, with less effort.
1. Warm up by walking for 5 minutes, and running and walking very gently for 10 minutes.
2. Start jogging slowly for 1-2 minutes, and then time yourself for 30 seconds. During this half minute, count the number of times your left foot touches.
3. Walk around for a minute or so.
4. On the second – 30 second drill, increase the count by 1 or 2.
5. Repeat this 3-7 more times, each time trying to increase by 1-2 additional counts.
In the process of improving turnover, the body’s internal monitoring system coordinates a series of adaptions which makes the feet, legs, nerve system and timing mechanism work together as an efficient team:
• Your foot touches more gently
• Extra, inefficient motions of the foot and leg are reduced or eliminated
• Less effort is spent on pushing up or moving forward
• You stay lower to the ground
• The ankle becomes more efficient
• Ache and pain areas are not overused
(From Jeff's Blog:
This is an easy drill that makes your running form smoother and easier. By doing it regularly, you pull all the elements of good running form together at the same time. One drill a week will help you step lighter, increasing the number of steps you take per minute. This will help you run faster, with less effort.
1. Warm up by walking for 5 minutes, and running and walking very gently for 10 minutes.
2. Start jogging slowly for 1-2 minutes, and then time yourself for 30 seconds. During this half minute, count the number of times your left foot touches.
3. Walk around for a minute or so.
4. On the second – 30 second drill, increase the count by 1 or 2.
5. Repeat this 3-7 more times, each time trying to increase by 1-2 additional counts.
In the process of improving turnover, the body’s internal monitoring system coordinates a series of adaptions which makes the feet, legs, nerve system and timing mechanism work together as an efficient team:
• Your foot touches more gently
• Extra, inefficient motions of the foot and leg are reduced or eliminated
• Less effort is spent on pushing up or moving forward
• You stay lower to the ground
• The ankle becomes more efficient
• Ache and pain areas are not overused
(From Jeff's Blog:
Running Form: Acceleration-Gliders
(From Jeff's Blog: http://jeffgalloway.typepad.com/jeff_galloways_blog/2014/06/more-running-form-acceleration-gliders-.html)
To improve running form and efficiency, accelerations can help you greatly. When your form improves, a speed increase will occur naturally.
Benefits of Acceleration-Gliders: They warm up the legs before speed sessions, hills or races; By focusing on these gliders, you teach yourself efficient running form; They help you develop the capacity to glide or “coast” for segments of 50 to 200 meters, resting the major running muscles so that they will perform better later.
Acceleration-Gliders must be done: regularly – at least once a week, with no sprinting – no major effort used, low to the ground to minimize effort and using quick turnover of the feet and legs.
How to do Acceleration-Gliders:
To improve running form and efficiency, accelerations can help you greatly. When your form improves, a speed increase will occur naturally.
Benefits of Acceleration-Gliders: They warm up the legs before speed sessions, hills or races; By focusing on these gliders, you teach yourself efficient running form; They help you develop the capacity to glide or “coast” for segments of 50 to 200 meters, resting the major running muscles so that they will perform better later.
Acceleration-Gliders must be done: regularly – at least once a week, with no sprinting – no major effort used, low to the ground to minimize effort and using quick turnover of the feet and legs.
How to do Acceleration-Gliders:
- It helps to have a slight downhill to get momentum going, using the last 20 to 30 meters of the downhill as momentum to get right into gliding at an increased pace.
- Keep the legs and body relaxed throughout but particularly at the beginning. Start by jogging for about 15 steps then fast jogging for about 15 steps.
- If no downhill is available, pick up your leg rhythm by shortening stride length and gradually increasing the turnover of your feet and legs. (Turnover is simply the number of steps you take per minute.) Gradually increase over 15 steps or so.
- You’re now up to speed so just glide…keeping feet low to the ground, using very little effort.
- Let this gliding continue for 20 to 40 steps. Gradually slow down.
- Rest by jogging between accelerations. You may also take walking breaks as needed.
- Start with two to three gliders and increase by one or two each session to a maximum of eight.
- One of these sessions per week will help to mechanically reinforce form improvements, which will help you in the race itself.
- You can use these as a warm-up before hills, speed sessions or races. You may also do them during your recover/maintenance runs each week.