The recent warm weather has many people setting the cold weather running gear aside. I even heard the word “hot” used a few times this past week. As you read this column today, proper December weather has returned. Runners all have their favorite temperatures, and most like it fairly cool. With cool weather on our minds, chances are that the Resolution 5K at the Forum on Friday, Jan. 1, 2016 will get the 9 a.m. starter’s horn in chilly weather. The run is a partnership between the Salisbury Rowan Runners, the Forum, Novant Health and the City of Salisbury. It is great way to start off the New Year right, especially since all of these previously mentioned groups are chipping in to help Rowan Helping Ministries kick off 2016.

The cheapest entry of the year is just $5 or five canned goods. Forum Manager Rayna Gardner, who will be handling registration, won’t turn down an extra donation from anyone. I forgot to mention previously that any gently used running shoes will be also be greatly appreciated by RHM. Rayna wanted me to add that anyone registering in person can do so on the morning of the race, and she prefers that anyone bringing canned goods only bring them on race morning. Early registration can be done on www.sportoften.com if desired.

Every runner or walker gets a dri-fit shirt and refreshments afterwards. I don’t mention it enough, but every single 5K in the county is open to walkers as well as runners. If walking is your thing, come out, join in the fun and get the year started right by covering the 3.1-mile course. The Butterball 5K course will be used. Due to insurance regulations, no dogs are allowed.

One correction from last week’s story on Trudy Gale was brought to my attention by Trudy herself. She said, “You know how important our best times are. Well, my best 5K was 20 minutes and 31 seconds.” I had mistakenly written 21:31. Now we’ve got that right.

Over my many years and 75,000 miles of running, one of the most asked questions has been “How can I get faster at running? What methods do I add to my training to increase my speed?”

Here are the basics, mostly from my own experience but proven time and again over the years. “To run faster, you have to run faster!” One of my favorite sayings, that sounds simplistic, doesn’t it? It is simple, once runners realize that using intervals, tempo runs and longer runs on a carefully planned schedule can get the job done.

Intervals are sprints and fast running done over a measured distance with a short recovery period before the next sprint. These sprints are commonly done in 200, 400, 600, 800 meter distances, as well as mile and even 2-mile distances. The point is to teach the legs to run faster than they are used to and to exceed the normal race pace in short increments. Intervals done correctly work the cardiovascular system hard, then allow it to recover somewhat but not completely, just before going hard again. The easiest way to do intervals is on a track where the distances are measured and can be easily tabulated. The results are faster legs and a stronger cardiovascular system, just what we need to speed up the pace.

Using the track means that simple distances like one lap, two laps and four laps make good interval distances. The simplest interval is one lap hard and then one lap easy. A beginning interval runner might do this combination six times. I guarantee you that if done right, you will be tired. Just remember to warm up before and cool down (run easy) to finish the workout.

Tempo runs are less hard, but still very challenging. A 5-mile tempo run might go something like this: The first mile is a warm-up, then mile 2 is run at faster than race pace, mile 3 is slightly slower, then mile 4 is fast again, just before an easy mile 5. Basically, we warm up, then run fast, then recover slightly, run fast again, just before an easy pace to finish the workout.

Why add longer runs? Because increasing the distance of at least one run per week can make it easier to run faster at a shorter distance. Marathoners use the weekly long run, often done on Saturday or Sunday because of time needed, as the way to do a slow build-up in distance. The same thing applies to all runners, even those who never want to race farther than a 5K (3.1 miles). I have had running clients who ran 3 miles over and over, maybe four times a week. Then they wondered why they were tired near the end of that same distance every time. Building training distance to 5 or 6 miles occasionally will make a faster 3-mile runner or just build basic stamina.

A few more things come into play. We’ll discuss the importance of overtraining, sleep, proper carbohydrate mix in your diet and much more in a future column. Simple things like monitoring your heart rate when waking in the morning often provides the key to whether a particular day is the best one to train hard or just go for an easy run. More on this next week.

I hope runners and potential runners are enjoying this column. Salisbury and Rowan are certainly known as hotbeds for running and racing and just having fun with my favorite sport. Can’t wait for the first snow, because running in it is hard to beat.

See you next week and Merry Christmas!

 

David Freeze is a nationally certified running coach and president of the Salisbury Rowan Runners. Contact him at david.freeze@ctc.net. Learn more at www.Ulearn2run.com