As a self admitted turtle interval runner – and I am good with that, like just about every other runner I know, I would love to have a faster pace time. While I don’t ever expect myself to move up to the first start wave of any race and I doubt I would ever place in a race, I can always improve my time. There are proven methods for speeding up pace to improve your race times.
I came across this article on fix.com which covers 19 ways to Shave Down Your Race Time. Hey guess, what, you have to get out there and work at it, and look at ALL areas of your life. Its great stuff from Nicole McDermott a fitness enthusiast whose work has been featured in USA Today, Men’s Fitness and the Huffington Post. It was too good NOT to share and I want to thank the folks at fix.com for letting me share the graphics with y’all.
I was drawn to the two F’s of the 19 way: Foam Rolling and Fartleks. Whether looking to shave seconds off our time to achieve a new race PR or to have more time for photos at a runDisney Race – yes motivation for many to #GetAllThePhotos, here are a couple ways to cross the finish line sooner.
Foam Rolling:
Invest in a foam roller, it really makes a difference. Mr RWR uses our roller for his volleyball and biking recovery, I use it to try to stave off those pesky injuries always lurking in my shins and feet. As stated in Nicole’s post, when using a foam roller you are actually loosening tight muscles, improving flexibility, and increasing range of motion. Here are some tips and how to’s – don’t be intimidated, it works!
Source: Fix.com
FARTLEKS (Its Swedish for Speed Play):
Speed play is a GREAT way to not only get faster, but for me it breaks up what I can find in straight out running: monotony. I have found one workout a week on the treadmill is beneficial to speed, since its either keep up with the pace you set, fall off or slow down. For shorter periods its amazing how fast I can go and I look forward to those recover intervals. Definitely pays off on long runs! The infographic above shows various ways to incorporate speed play into your workouts – whether structured by time, or just motivated to get to the next landmark outside, it will pay off.
I encourage you all to check out the other ways to improve your pace at fix.com. You might be surprised at how the little things you do in life DO affect your health and fitness levels.
Are you looking to improve your race pace? What are you doing about it and what has worked for you?
For MORE ideas, check out this week’s linkup with Tuesdays On The Run, where the topic is yep, SPEEDWORK. You can go to My No Guilt Life’s Post on “Just Run Faster” to see more ideas, read other posts from running bloggers and link up your posts on speed work.
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