Fast, faster, fastest.... So you want to run

Every fall, I find myself having a new appreciation and love for the outdoors. Perhaps it's the coolness in the air, the leaves changing colors... or just the shift in wardrobe that excites me. For whatever reason it is, I want to run. I sign up (or show up) for local weekend races and I begin incorporating running back into my routine(frankly, I can't stand running when the heat index is 105+).

The ability to run well or fast was not a card I was dealt at birth. There are those that do possess this gift, and I will confess, I secretly hate them....just kidding...not really...whatev!  Anyway, running has and still is a challenge for me. One of my biggest struggles has been pace/speed. For years I could not understand why I couldn't get faster. So I ran more, I ran longer, and I ran farther. Surely the more I ran, the faster I would get. NO change. I maintained the same pace time no matter what. It was probably three or four years ago, that I actually realized what I needed to do to speed up my pace. 

Here is the key:
In order to become faster, you must lengthen your stride. By covering more space with each stride, you will get from point A to point B faster...OK, so how?
                                                  

SPRINT. 

YES, SPRINT.

When sprinting, the knee is pulled up by the hip flexor and the foot is extended out with a much greater range of motion than in the typical 'jog'. By pulling the knee up higher and extending the foot out farther, your stride is lengthened. Boom! Done! Right?

Sprints should be incorporated regularly. Instead of doing the same thing over and over, swap your regular running day with a sprint day. The benefit of doing so: A shorter workout! Warm up for ten or so minutes. Choose whether you are going to sprint for time or distance. For example: (assuming you are outside enjoying fall at it's finest) You may want to count to 20 or 30 in your head as you sprint, or choose a sign, mailbox, tree, or car in the distance, and sprint to it. Don't even think of slowing down until you pass it! Give yourself some recovery time. Depending on your level of fitness you may rest for 10 seconds to a whole minute between each sprint. (Try to get 10 - 20 sprints in) The great thing about sprints....You can finish in 10-15 minutes. That's right. Consider it a quickie! This is a type of  high intensity interval training, and when it comes to sprinting, speed is the goal, not endurance. 

DON'T SKIP STRETCHING!

You want a longer stride, Right?

Then stretch!

(Examples: Quad Stretch, Hamstring Stretch, Hip flexor stretch, IT band stretch)

You may find yourself sore after a Sprint day. That's because you've used these muscles differently and extended them to their max!