Morning all,

Now, this might be an impossible task, but I'm aiming to run the Bristol Half Marathon (September) in a sub 2 hr time (maybe even 1:45) - big bet on !! . What's the real tip of the trade to increase speed. I'm sure I need a longer stride, is this something that can be learned with training or is it a case of work with what you've got.

Granty.

The best sharpener I've found is 800m intervals. These are best done on the track, but otherwise run three minutes fast with three minutes recovery. Start with four and work up to eight. I use these for sharpening up over 10K but I'm sure it will be just as beneficial over half marathon distance.
Cheers!

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Give me the hills!

definitely only include one lot a of speed work a week once your training starts back up again for the september 1/2 and make sure you have good comfortable runs either side of your speed work sessions.

Interval work like foxy has mentioned, but also try tempo runs for instance over 5 miles do 1 mile slow warm up and then pick up your pace for the next 3 you should only be able to punch words out, then nice and gentle 1 mile warm down.

Best of luck

Sounds like your setting yourself up for a long hard summer Granty.

Best of luck with it.

Is this what they call Fartlek traing ? so, if I was going on a usual run .... say 5 miles then I would run fast for 3 minutes and then recover for 3 minutes.

I'll try it tomorrow when I go out again.

Thanks.

I suppose it could be called 'structured fartlek' - but if you're not on a track find somewhere dead flat so that you can maintain a steady speed. When I'm not on the track I run on the local riverbank: jog a mile from home, do 6 x 3 mins fast with 3 mins recovery, then jog home. If there's any semblance of a hill in your route it will destroy your rhythm and have you struggling so make sure it's dead flat.
Cheers!

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Give me the hills!

I used to do lots of speed work and fartlek... didn't really enjoy it to be honest, and I never gained much speed over long distances from it... so I stopped doing speed work and started doing hill training.

The results of the hill training were incredible...I was taking 8 to 10 minutes off PBs consistently!

Arn't hills great

I'll try both methods and see how I get on, luckily I'm only a mile or so away from Dundry - have you ever run around there Trinity ? (Hilly as you like)

Crikey Trinity that is great, well worth considering, in my last training schedule it only told me to do hill work once, might just stick in a few more when my training kicks back in. Not sure I will enjoy it but it is a challenge none the less :eek: :eek:

One thing I`m not short of where I am is hills.

How would you suggest I use them in my training.

Living on top of the Pennines it's impossible to go out of the house without encountering hills, so most of my regular runs involve many hundreds of feet of ascent - sometimes thousands. It was these hills that gave me strength and endurance to go the distance in marathons and tough fell races. But it was SPEED WORK that gave me sub-three hour marathons and fell championships. It's a matter of getting the balance right. I'd never go into an important race without doing speed work.
Cheers!

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Give me the hills!

Know any good pubs with an upstairs!

My local is at the top of a hill.

But running that way might mean rolling down it a couple of hours later.......

Sounds like a good plan to me Dave...

Make sure you run up and down it a few times.......that will make you really thirsty!