If you're struggling to smash your personal best why not take the Ultra Fit six weeks personal best challenge? Our programmes are guaranteed to boost your training, get you running faster and give you a new approach to running - whatever your level of fitness. We've got schedules for beginners, intermediate and advanced runners that will have you running faster to help break your personal best.

B y Liz Champion

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Including speedworkmyoui training is one of tfie best ways to improve your fitness, get you running faster and lielp you run harder for longer. Regular sessions w i l l help to increase the range of movement in your joints and help speed up your running action. You should soon see a transfonnation i n your running, especially if you are new to speed training.

By r u n n i n g faster i n t ra ining your regular running pace w i l l seem easier and more comfortable. Speedwork w i l l also help i n races w h e n you need a final push to overtake another runner or increase your speed i n the final stages of a race. W i t h regular t ra ining you should notice that you are running faster and feeling stronger w i t h less effort.

Don't think a few sessions w i l l transform you into a better runner - you w i l l need to work hard to achieve your goal and break your personal best. Speedwork is difficult and you w i l l need to work out of your comfort zone if you are to notice a real Improvement i n your fitness. Wi th the right

"Speedwork is diffioult and you wi need to work out o your oomfort zone i' you are to notioe a real innprovement in your fitness attitude and the right training there is no reasons w h y you can't run and race quicker

Try these sessions for six weeks and you should soon be feeling fitter and faster and hopefully on your w a y to smashing your personal best. Please w r i t e to Ultra Fit to let us k n o w h o w you get on. Remember that you w i l l need to train sensibly and use these t ra ining sessions as a guide. For more detailed informat ion you should consult an athletics coach w h o w i l l design a t ra ining programme specifically for you.

Speedwork increases your chance of injury so i t is important to train sensibly and don' t do too m u c h too soon. Make sure you bui ld up gradually and l imit the number of repetitions. Train at an intensity that you feel comfortable w i t h and don't try to race other athletes dur ing training You should increase the intensity very slowly and listen to your b o d y If you are f inding i t diff icult dur ing a session and don' t feel one hundred percent, i t may be better to take a rest or postpone the speed tra ining t i l l another day

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"When you are planning your speed training make sure you take your ourrent fitness leve and running experience into oonsideration and be realistio"

Warming up and d o w n properly is also essential to reduce the risk of p ick ing up an injury. In winter when it is m u c h colder you wil l need to take more t ime to w a r m up than you did in summer Do a gentle jog for ten minutes to raise your body teraperature, increase bloodflow to your muscles and get your body ready for exercise When you are w a r m i n g d o w n jog gently for five to ten minutes to get rid of any lactic acid and return your body to its pre-exercise state

Tip to s u c c e s s f u l s p e e d tra ining

Build up gradually - don't do too much too soon

i Warm up and d o w n property I Train at an intensity you are

comfortable w i t h • Stretch after training

j • Think about quality rather I than quantity • Listen to your body and take t i m e

to recover • Be realistic w i t h your expectations

Before you start speed t r a i n i n g i t is important that you already have a good fitness base. You should have been running for at least three months and feel comfortable r u n n i n g for long distances. If you are new to speed training, do one session every ten days to start w i t h . When you are p lanning your speed training make sure you take your current fitness level and r u n n i n g experience in to consideration and be realistic. If you are in doubt you should consult an athletics coach or other fitness professionals. Training w i t h a partner w i l l also help you to keep motivated and if the person y o u run wi th is quicker than you, this w i l l help make you r u n quicker.

Remember that speedwork is not about spnnting unt i l you can't run anymore. The sessions are about control and improving your ability to run quicker for longer distances. You should fit i n speed sessions around your usual training and they should not make up most of your training.

Pacing Newcomers to speedwork m i g h t f ind i t difficult to judge pace w h e n they first start the training sessions. It's useful to train with other runners w h o w i l l already have a good idea about what pace to run for each different type of speed training. If you have already completed a 5km or 10km race you will have more of an idea about your target pace for each.

You w i l l need to run quicker and train at a higher intensity that for your normal runs but you should also t ry to run consistently for each repetition. For your first session ease yourself into the training - if you train too hard from the start you w i l l struggle and dislike speed t ra in ing It's m u c h better

to have an enjoyable first session and then increase the intensity d u r i n g the next speed session.

I V p e s of s p e e d w o r k

Fartiek This is Swedish for 'speed-play' and is one of the most popular types of speed training. You simply incorporate different speeds of running into your normal run . This can include short sprints, faster harder runs and easier slower jogging. You can do these sessions on grass, road or country. I t can include fast 30-second bursts at a faster pace then a timed recovery W i t h fartiek you can have fun w i t h your t ra ining and chose an intensity that you are comfortable wnth. Training i n groups can be a very beneficial and fun w a y of he lping to improve your fitness and speed. I t also takes away the monotony of training and gives you something to focus on dur ing the run.

Repetitions/intervals These are done at a hard pace for a set time or distance. You could r u n anything from 200m to 2km at 5km or 10km pace. Remember i t is not flat out sprint running, but a hard run that you can complete successfully. You wiU need to push yourself but not so hard that you physically can't r u n anymore Be as consistent as you can w i t h this type of training. You w i l l need to repeat the session inc luding a set recovery t ime between each rep. Beginners should include a long recovery t ime to make sure they don' t overdo the training. A s you progress the length of your recovery time w i l l decrease and the number of reps wiU increase See your coach for specific t ra ining schedules.

Tempo running A tempo r u n is longer than the distance r u n i n repet i t ion training. You w i l l need to r u n harder and faster for longer periods of t i m e and distances. They could be

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reader cha enge anything from 800m to three miles. They should be r u n just slightly slower than your target 5km race pace. You should have to put i n more effort but i t shouldn't be too uncomfortable.

HUls Hill training is one of the best ways to improve your strength and endurance Find a hil l that takes between 30 seconds and five to ten minutes to cUmb, run up it at a harder intensity than usual and jog back d o w n to recover You should repeat the session depending on your cunent level of fitness and running experience Newcomers to hill training need to ease into i t gradually as running up and dowm hi l l places extra strain and pressure on your joints. As w i t h all the sessions make sure your w a r m up properly and don't run at a fast pace that you vnU struggle to maintain.

We've put together some speedwork training sessions to suit beginners, intermediate and advanced runners. The sessions should be used as a guide - w h a t works for one runner w o n ' t necessarily work for another. You should contact an athletics coach if you w a n t a t ra ining programme tailored specifically to your running abi l i ty

T h e s e s s i o n s When you are choosing sessions t t i ink about what you want to achieve. If you want to improve your speed on the track focus on the 200m and 400m sessions but if you want to improve your speed endurance concentrate on the longer repetitions.

B e g i n n e r s Newcomers to speed training should try one of these sessions once a week to start w i t h . If you f ind this diff icult make i t once every ten days - train sensibly and listen to your body

• Fartiek - a gentle introduct ion to 'speed play'. Try a 35-minute r u n w i t h quick bursts. You could t ime this by rtmning quickly for 30 seconds and then recovering w i t h a slow jog for a few minutes or you can pick points along the run. Pick out a landmark i n the distance and increase your pace unt i l you reach the point.

• Find a hi l l and run up it five times at a hard pace wnth a slow jog back d o w n . Try this a few times before gradually increasing unt i l you can comfortably complete ten repetitions.

• 4 x 400m interval training w i t h a t w o to three minute recovery This is best done on the track - run as fast as you can for one lap and then take time to recover. Remember to pace yourself and take a longer recovery if necessary

• Sprints - you could try some fast sprmts on the track - try 2 x 200m sprints and gradually increase the number of repetitions.

i n t e r m e d i a t e r u n n e r s

M Pyramid training You start w i t h a short distance, gradu­ally increase the distance, and then come back d o w n again. These are great for the track. You should try 200m, 300m 400m, 300m, 200m. You could also do pyramid training for longer distances - 1000m, 2000m, 3000m, 2000m, 1000m.

• Out and back tempo - run for 20 minutes out then increase the pace as you return h o m e You can really push yourself on this session.

• Fartiek - r u n hard for five minutes w i t h a f ive-minute recovery - a im to make the session around 40 minutes .

A d v a n c e d r u n n e r s These are intense sessions and sliould only be attempted by experienced runners.

a 16 X 400m w i t h 90-second recovery Break t h e m d o w n in to sets of four w i t h a longer recover be tween each set.

• 8 X 1000m at 10km race pace - to recover you can do a 400m jog of the ttack - take a longer recovery if necessary.

A r a c e to g a u g e y o u r f i t n e s s If you are fee l ing stronger, fitter and faster after six weeks of i n c l u d i n g speed t r a i n i n g i n t o your p r o g r a m m e w h y not take part m a local race? It 's a good w a y to gauge your fitness and y o u w i l l soon k n o w if your speed t r a i n i n g has helped i m p r o v e your r u n n i n g . Pick a local race w i t h a course that y o u are comfortable w i t h . Do y o u w a n t a flat and fast course or a t o u g h and chal lenging hi l ly course? Whatever race y o u decide to enter i t 's a g o o d idea to choose one tha t y o u have r u n before - y o u w i l l k n o w w h a t to expect and w i l l have a personal record to beat. Try to r u n i t faster t h a n before but race sensibly and pace yourself - your hard w o r k w i l l soon be w a s t e d if you set off too quickly.

H o w to s t a y mot i va ted • Keep your training varied - m n at

different speeds and on different surfaces • Run w i t h friends • Set yourself realistic and

achievable goals • Get into a rurming routine - make

t ra in ing part of your daily life • Don' t be afraid to try n e w training

sessions or routes UF

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