Break Out Of A Run Speed Rut

I’ve been a runner for years, racing triathlons, but I seem to be stuck in a run speed rut and not getting any faster. I do 3 x 5km and 1 x 15km each week. Any advice?

- Anna Cosgrove

One comment actually answers your issue, Anna: insert higher-intensity intervals into your three 5km sessions per week and you will get faster! But here’s a more detailed reply as to how to add a little spice to your weekly runs. I’ve prescribed two ways to make your 5ks more interesting and provided a pace-change suggestion for your long run.

ANAEROBIC ENDURANCE REPEATS

First off, session one. 5km. Do your usual warm-up for 8-12 mins and then add in what I like to call ‘anaerobic endurance repeats’. These are typically 25secs to 2mins, and should be very, very, hard, very fast! But they can vary in length. My suggestion is 2-3 sets, one at the beginning and one at the end, with some easy aerobic jogging in between. The return on this is that it really enhances that energy power house, the mitochondria, which proliferate around the muscle cells and improve the quality and functionality of your performance. You’ve got to have better mitochondria to be fast, basically! What kills mitochondria over time is long, slow distance as they become dysfunctional, and we don’t want that. When we do these short anaerobic efforts, the magical return on this high-intensity effort is huge!

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