This may be one of the most important running articles I will write

This may be one of the most important articles I will write in this series of running content.

I will try to be as direct and clear as possible, but before we begin, I need you to understand five essential training concepts if you want to have some success in improving your pace and becoming faster, whatever distance you are aiming to run your best time over.

• Lactate threshold workouts: responsible for giving you race pace.

• VO2 max workouts: responsible for giving you speed.

• Tempo runs: running sessions done at race pace.

• Easy runs: sessions that help you complete your weekly volume, recover, and build your aerobic base.

• Specific strength training: responsible for injury prevention and improving movement quality and performance.

Now let’s imagine that you want to improve your 10K time.

• Lactate threshold: interval sessions of 1K to 1.5K, with recovery periods ranging from 2 to 4 minutes.

• VO2 max workouts: we should work on 400m intervals with 1 to 2 minutes of recovery, since the goal is to complete strong and intense repetitions. (800m intervals also fit here, but that is a conversation for another time.)

• Tempo run: the goal is to improve your rhythm at your desired race pace. To do that, we introduce blocks within the long run that can range from 10 to 20 minutes, where you run at your target race pace.

• Easy run: running at a slower pace will give you the aerobic base you need to be able to race faster and more efficiently.

• Specific strength training: the goal is to work on mobility, stability, motor control, glute activation, and unilateral exercises so that your joints and muscles can handle the weekly training load while reducing the risk of injury.

If you follow what is written here, and combine it with training that is adapted to your lifestyle, you will most likely get closer to your goal of improving your 10K time.

Happy training, and see you soon!