Why do Speedwork?

Speedwork is integral if you want to put the heat on your training friends next Spring. The function of speedwork is often misunderstood. Most think that speedwork is meant to make you faster but really it makes you less fatigued at speed. Maintaining your top-end longer is going to give you a big leg-up on your first group ride/run of the season. Speedwork also gives a boost to your VO2 max which is the amount of oxygen that your body can use in a given time. More oxygen yields better performance. Speedwork also builds the fast-twitch muscle fibers needed to keep a high speed and adapt to eccentric muscle contractions. These adaptations will pay off as the season goes on.

So, what is speedwork and how do we practice it? There are many ways to practice speedwork but not all of them work for everyone. The thing about going fast is this, it’s hard. It is hard to sustain for extended periods of time, it is hard to do consistently, and it is very hard on the body. Speedwork must be practiced safely or you could find yourself with a pulled muscle or even a stress fracture. I’ll use myself as an example. I spent some time this past summer experimenting with integrating sprints into my runs throughout the week. I found pretty quickly that I did not have the conditioning or the proper technique to do so when the quadriceps tendons above my right knee started acting up as a consequence of overstriding. I was conflicted because all of the reading and research I had done said that you have to practice running fast in order to run fast. While that is true overall, I realized that there is no one right solution to speedwork for everyone. The needs of each body are different and that is why I do my speedwork in the form of High Intensity Interval Training or H.I.I.T on a stationary bike. Using a stationary bike eliminates the impact while still activating the fast-twitch muscles and connective tissue. We will discuss some of the technical aspects of H.I.I.T later.

Popular forms of speedwork are track repeats of usually 400m (one lap) or 800m (two laps) that are done in sets with recovery periods in between. The number of repetitions done and the speed at which they are done is best determined by your own fitness and level of comfort. Strides and Fartleks are also effective methods of training speed but without the repetition of a track. Strides are done by increasing speed by about 20% for ten seconds up to a minute again depending on your fitness and comfort level. These strides are more manageable than full-out sprint training. Fartleks (Swedish for Speed-Play) are measured runs that integrate timed sections at specific intensities. These are a more intense way to practice speed off of a track. The High Intensity Interval Training (from here H.I.I.T) that I mentioned earlier is most commonly practiced on a stationary bike. An interval session will involve extremely high intensity for usually thirty or forty-five seconds with recovery breaks of one minute in between. The trick is to make the intensity portions really count by giving it all you have. Stationary bikes are particularly good for H.I.I.T because you can usually see your RPM and your power output which makes gauging your effort much easier than doing so “by feel” alone. Perhaps the coolest benefit of H.I.I.T is the so called “afterburner” effect. This afterburner is known formally as Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption. This means that after an H.I.I.T session, you will continue to burn calories for a number of hours after you finish.

However you choose to integrate speedwork into your training, start slow and don’t go at it harder than you can handle. When I was first trying H.I.I.T I needed a full 48 hours rest because I was so sore. Now that I have been training H.I.I.T consistently with my running, I can feel a difference when I run fast. It is not as jarring or as difficult to sustain. Let your body adapt and the benefits of speed training will shine through even though you might be absolutely wiped after your first session.