How To Running Faster Without Getting Tired

Goodmorning awesome runner! 🏃🏾‍♀️

In today’s edition:

1. How To Running Faster Without Getting Tired

2. Tips To Stay Relaxed While Running

3. The Story of the Last Runners of the Boston Marathon

4. Road to Sub 1h20 Update & Vertical Race Recap

I do my best to write this newsletter and it takes me a lot of time and effort, I really hope you like it and thanks for being here!

How to Running Faster Without Getting Tired

Whether you're new to running or you've been running for years, you're probably just like me and most other runners in that you'd like to run faster.

Maybe you want to run a faster mile, set a new 5K PB, or improve your marathon time. Whatever your goal, there are three main systems that need to be trained for you to start running faster and improving your speed:

1. Energy systems → how your body produces the energy to run

2. Neuromuscular system → how your brain tells your muscles to work as you run

3. Biomechanics

Now let's go through these one by one.

Energy systems

This is where beginners make the mistake of thinking that they need to run every run as fast as they can to get faster. In fact, that's what will get you injured, and the opposite is actually true. It's actually your level of aerobic fitness that dictates how fast the running pace you can maintain for anything beyond approximately 90 seconds of running.

Your anaerobic energy system can produce energy for shorter, more intense, bouts of exercise, but for anything beyond 90 seconds, your aerobic energy system is the key determining factor in how fast you can continue to run.

So, how do you train aerobic fitness?

Well, it mainly requires lots of easy-paced aerobic running, slow conversational effort runs. In fact, if you're getting out of breath on these runs, you're going too fast. Improving your aerobic fitness with these low intensity runs is all about training volume and frequency.

To run faster, you need to dedicate a 16-20 week block of aerobic training where you run between 80% and 100% of your weekly mileage in your aerobic training zone.

During this training block, aim to gradually increase your weekly mileage, if you're running using a heart rate monitor, you'll notice that as the weeks go by, you'll gradually start to run at a faster pace for the same heart rate.

That's when you know that your aerobic training is working!

Now, please don't get me wrong. There is, of course, an important place for tempo work, interval workouts, and other types of speed training in your program. But these are best saved for a phase when you're preparing for a specific race, once you've already taken the time to build your aerobic base.

Neuromuscular system

You know, there's some truth to the saying that long-slow runs make long-slow runners. As I mentioned a moment ago, you really do need to put in the miles with lots of easy-paced aerobic running to build your aerobic engine.

But if you don't also tune your engine with some faster running, you're building yourself a workhorse, not a racing car.

It's great to develop aerobic endurance, but you also need to train the neuromuscular system, the link between the brain and the muscles, to develop the leg speed and coordination to run efficiently at faster paces.

That's where running regular sets of strides in your weekly training schedule becomes really helpful.

You could even incorporate some low-level plyometrics into your training, like jumping rope. You don't need to smash your body with lots of speed workouts.

Doing regular sets of strides and short bouts of jumping rope each week will help you train your body for the neuromuscular demand of running faster, without putting too much extra stress on your system while you're also building your mileage with all the aerobic running.

Biomechanics

Now we're all slightly different and there's no one-size-fits-all perfect running style, but there are a few aspects of technique that all runners need to work on if they want to run faster.

The two factors that determine your running pace are your stride length, the distance over ground you cover with each stride, and your running cadence.

So if you want to run faster, you need to both increase your stride length and your cadence.

The easiest way to increase your stride length is to focus on lifting both your heel and your knee just that little bit higher than you would do normally as you run it to give them pace.

You should also focus on gently increasing your cadence to make slightly quicker strides as you pick your feet up a little bit more than you're used to and drive your knees up and forwards to lengthen your stride.

It'll feel weird at first, but it will help you lengthen your stride and help you run faster!

Trivia Question: Which country was the first to win four Olympic gold medals in the men’s marathon?

Find the answer at the end of this email.

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Tips To Stay Relaxed While Running

Looking to improve your running speed and become a faster running? Then staying relaxed while running is key.

How come?

Tension compromises your running technique, making your movement less efficient. Anywhere you’d hold under tension, you’re burning up energy could be spent elsewhere.

This may seem counterintuitive since most runners usually focus on increasing their effort when trying to speed up, but tensing up creates more tension in the body.

And the more you tense up, the more energy you waste. And you don’t want that.

Relaxing your body can help you achieve an efficient mile throughout your runs, allowing you to speed up for that finishing kick.

Here are some of my best tips on how to stay relaxed and run faster during your next run/race.

The key step to relieving all of that tension and staying relaxed begins with you catching yourself in the act.

In other words, know your tensions spots!

Arms and Shoulders

As a runner, you’re more likely to carry tension in your upper body, so pay attention to your shoulders and arms.

Are your shoulders hunched? Are your shoulders moving up toward your ears Are your arms bent at a 90-degree angle?

For example, most runners tend to move up their hands toward their shoulders as they get tired or tense.

These are common running technique errors that could create more tension in your body.

The Solution

While logging the miles, regularly check the position of your shoulder to ensure they’re staying relaxed throughout.

Keep your arms swinging at your side and not cross your midsection.

When you’re crossing your arms over your chest, they’ll begin to move up toward your shoes which force you to hunch over. This not only makes it harder to breathe but causes discomfort and pain in your neck, shoulders, and back.

If you notice tension building in your arms, drop and shake them out. Next, re-position the anthem at a 90-degree angle while keeping your shoulders back and loose.

Your Face

The face is another prone area to tension. Pay Attention to your face.

Are you clenching your jaw?

If you notice any of these, you’re not only exerting extra effort but also limiting your oxygen intake.

The Solution

Try opening and closing your mouth a few times—think exaggerated yaw or taking a slow and long inhale and exhale.

Your Neck

Another common tense-prone area in runners is the neck.

How far your chin sticks out as well as your head tile are key to proper posture.

Bad head posture—or what’s known as texting neck—can result in stress in the upper body, which may slow down your stride.

The solution

If you notice that you are straining or tightening up your neck, try rolling it forward for a moment, then backward, then to the sides while taking deep breaths.

Gaze ahead naturally, not down at your feet. Gaze ahead roughly 30 to 60 feet ahead of you’re and only glance down if needed—when encountering an obstacle on the road, for instance.

This should be enough to straighten your back and neck and bring them into proper alignment. Avoid jutting out your chin.

Try these tips on your next run and let me know if they helped! 💪🏻

The Story of the Last Runners on the Boston Marathon

Katherine Beier may get the medal for most guts at Monday’s Boston Marathon. When Runner’s World posted a picture from The Boston Globe of the 85yo making her way through Newton — while wearing a garbage bag to protect herself a little from the pouring rain, no less — readers on social media immediately wanted to know her story.

Despite the near-freezing temps, heavy rain, and furious winds, she crossed the finish line in seven hours, 50 minutes as one of the last runners on the course, according to KPIX.

Katherine is no stranger to the Boston Marathon. She was the oldest finisher of the 2017 race at 84 years and seven months, crossing the line in 6:04:07.

She ran her first marathon in 1984 in Napa, California, and has really taken to the distance — she’s run Boston 14 times now. To prepare for it, she ran about 45 miles per week around Santa Cruz, California, where she lives.

She toed the line this year with her son, who told KPIX she always enjoys a post-race beer – “A beer is my recovery drink!” she added!

Huge Congrats to Katherine!

Road to Sub 1h20 update

Last week's training block was ~55km:

1. Monday: 45’ Easy

2. Tuesday: Rest

3. Wednesday: 7k Vertical Race

4. Thursday: Rest

5. Friday: 45’ Easy

6. Saturday: 45’ Easy + Strides

7. Sunday: Long run 15km (hilly)

It's been a tough week, last Sunday I ran a 10km race and after a few days I ran my first vertical race (Wednesday) plus yesterday I did a hilly 16km workout.

I decided to rest for two days instead of just one to give my body time to recover from all the efforts.

Even though I haven't run many kilometers I'm very satisfied with how this week went!

Now I'm packing my bags, the Canary Islands are waiting for me! 🏝️

In the next months I won't be competing but I will increase my mileage and add some gym sessions, to try to arrive this winter in my best shape!

Thanks for continuing to follow my journey to sub 1:20 Half Marathon!

Vertical Race Recap

On Wednesday I did my first vertical race, 7 km with 300 meters of elevation gain. It was definitely one of the toughest races I've ever done, from start to finish it was all uphill!

The weather was perfect and the race was in the middle of nature so I loved it!

Plus, anyone who has known me the longest knows that I love running uphill and hate running downhill!

I finished the race 15th out of 300 participants, I was very happy with the result!

PS. Tight and singlet I used during the vertical race were supplied by FusionWorld – A Danish brand that has been producing high quality sportswear since 1999.

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Trivia Answer: Ethiopia.

The 1960s was the decade of Ethiopian dominance in the Olympic marathon. Abebe Bikila won the 1960 Rome marathon and the 1964 Tokyo marathon. Mamo Wolde, another truly legendary distance runner, captured the 1968 Olympic Gold medal in Mexico City. Thirty-two years later in Sydney Australia, Ethiopian Gezahegne Abera would become the 4th Ethiopian to win an Olympic Gold medal in the men's marathon.

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Until next week!

I’m incredibly grateful for this little newsletter and community of The Running Week. Thank you.

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Matteo, your new running friend.