Health and Fitness

To Increase Your Running Speed you need to get out of your comfort zone and force your body to make adaptations. Running the same pace week after week makes you very efficient at that one pace, but not necessarily fast. Increasing your running speed requires weekly speed work so that your body is forced to deal with the new demands. You run faster because your heart gets stronger, your cardiovascular system becomes more efficient, and your muscles are better able to function full out. Net, net, you learn to run fast and enjoy yourself even more.

Below are four types of track workouts that will increase your speed. Make sure you run at a pace that is uncomfortably and keep your recovery short. Theses intervals will quickly improve your leg strength and will make you speedy in on time.

Strides
Strides are a great way to start each speed workout. Run intervals of 15 seconds fast and then 45 seconds easy. You can run down the straightaway at your track, walk back and repeat. You are not sprinting, you are running at a controlled high-speed. They are very effective getting your body used to fast running so your muscles and nervous system are forced to adjust and strengthen.

12 x 400m Repeats
These are great when you first start speed play because they are not too far. Running mile repeats is very taxing so it's best to start with a shorter distance like 400M (1 lap). Warm up and then run 12 x 400 meters with a 30 second recovery. Just as with strides, you will progress to only 15 seconds recovery. Your target speed is a steady 5-K pace.

6 x 800m Repeats
800's are legendary; many runners start with 6 and add a few each week. The thinking is that you can predict your marathon time based on your 800 time. If you run your 8700 in 4 minutes, your marathon time will be 4 hours. After you warm up, run 6 x 800 meter repeats with a 1 minute recovery. You can decrease your recovery time as you feel stronger. 800's will be at your 5-K pace.

3 x 1 Mile Repeats
Mile repeats are hard so you only need three. After you warm up, run 3 x 1600 meter repeats at a 5-K pace. Gradually decrease recovery time between intervals starting at 2 minutes.

To increase your running speed, you need to go to the track once or twice a week and perform speed intervals. They won't feel comfortable when you are doing them but anything worthwhile comes with a price. Trust me the feeling of strength and speed is worth all the effort.

Learn more at http://www.moreprimetime.com/half-training/runner-tipshow-to-increase-your-running-spee#more-408, a site dedicated to sharing fitness and nutrition tips to make you look years younger and have more energy.