For one, “fast” is relative. So I respond with the question: What do you define as fast? This shifts the perception of fast, making it more about the individual and less about a certain pace. While this may seem simple, it took me many years and countless different strategies to find my own personal definition. But now, I have a simple and effective way for you to define your fast and achieve it: FAST is a method I created and use regularly. With four simple steps—Focus, Assess, Strengthen, and Train—it will help you reach your full potential and satisfy your need for speed this summer. Here’s how.
FOCUS // Zero in on a measurable goal. This will shift over the years, and it will continue to evolve and change as you do. My “fast” in high school revolved around the 200- and 400-meter distances. Now, my focus has shifted primarily to the marathon, and maybe someday, I’ll work on improving my 5K. Having a specific, quantifiable goal—a distance, a pace, negative splits, hillwork— is your first step toward a big dose of speed.̇
This story is from the Issue 4, 2021 edition of Runner's World.
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This story is from the Issue 4, 2021 edition of Runner's World.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
TO RUN 26.2 IS TO FEEL ALIVE
THE SUN IS rising from the east, and the waves of the Pacific crash below to the west.
LEAVE IT UP TO A PIECE OF PAPER TO TEACH YOU TO RUN EASY
BEFORE I FELL for running, I thought the hardest thing about the sport was the fast stuff: the speedwork, the sprints, and the intervals.
WHY-AND HOW-YOU SHOULD RUN DOUBLES
Those are just a few of the titles entered into my training log for the second run of a day.
FIND YOUR RUNNING COMMUNITY, ONLINE OR IN PERSON
I SIGNED UP for my first marathon while sobbing in the back of a rideshare, on my way to the airport to fly to my uncle's funeral.
FUEL WITH WHAT YOU WANT TO EAT
AS AN ULTRARUNNER, I'm all too familiar with the saying that long-distance running is an \"eating contest with a running component.\"
AT THE FERTILITY CLINIC, MY PAST CAUGHT UP WITH ME
I SAT IN the fertility doctor's office white walls, bare wooden desk, opaque window-alone.
THIS IS NOT AN ESCAPE STORY
AT 15, DARLENE STUBBS WALKED AWAY FROM A POLYGAMOUS CULT-THEN DISCOVERED A NEW LIFE AND COMMUNITY THROUGH RUNNING.
RUNNING WITH HANK
How my daughter's rambunctious mutt saved my sanity while she was lost to the darkness.
WHEN I FOUND OUT I HAD MS.I THOUGHT I'D NEVER RUN AGAIN.
I checked the pins on my bib, shimmied my spandex shorts into place, and teed up the stopwatch on my wrist.
A RUNNER'S GUIDE to sleep
Nike rocked the running world in 2018 when it released the Vaporfly 4%, claiming that the shoe could boost a runner's efficiency by that amount.
