Disclosure: Newton Running is a sponsor of the 2015 Cabot Fit Team providing a new pair of running shoes for the race. I was not expected to write this post. I was not financially compensated for my time. Opinions are my own.
When was the last time you challenged yourself? Last month I tested my ablilty to run faster. It really wasn’t something I woke up one morning enthusiatic about achieving. But for some time now, my son has suggested the benefits I might gain by training shorter, faster distances. After being invited to join the Cabot Fit Team to participate in the Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race, I decided it was the perfect time to expand my fitness.
So for the month of July, I was going to find out the answer to this
Is it possible to increase your running speed in 4 weeks?
I cut back on my overall distance (25 miles/ week–>15 miles/week) focusing on shorter, faster distances. In July, most of my runs were short (under 2 miles) and I only ran 3 miles or greater distance on occasion. Here’s the single 6.2 miles distance I completed in early July (I consider this my baseline for a 10K or 6.2 mile run)
Most of the month I spent running shorter distances like this
along with some interval training with 1 minute 30 second rest between each mile.
In addition to changing my running routine, there is I one more thing I changed. Again, NOT MY IDEA. In the middle of July, I learned that Newton Running was sponsoring our team; we were all getting new running shoes! What girl isn’t excited about a new pair of shoes? But honestly, I didn’t take trying out a new shoe lightly. Changing shoes is, in my opinion, a BIG deal. Shoes are the most critical equipment a runner owns. They’re the transition between your feet and the pavement. If your feet aren’t comfortable, it’s hard to be fast.
Familiar with the Newton brand as a forefront running shoe, I was glad to hear they had expanded their line with shoes for every runner (because I need a stability shoe). I had been wearing another brand shoe for over 20 years, but was willing to give Newton’s at least one good whirl. I was excited the day UPS delivered my shoes; they looked really fast. When I first laced them up, I immediately noticed lightness in my feet, which I assumed would translate into speed. The next day, it was off to break them in; I felt a perfect match and believed these would only be an advantage in trying to meet my goal, run the Beach 2 Beacon 10 K in a sub 8 minute mile pace.
For the next two weeks I trained in my Newton’s and one week before the race I ran a longer distance (five miles) in them feeling pretty good..
Did I meet my race goal? You bet I did…
with the combination of fast shoes and increased training pace.
If you want to run faster, break away from your comfort zone. Keep in touch as I will have continued updates on my attempt to perform better.
Congrats Diane. You inspire me!!
Right back at ya, Jenna! GO team Bradock!
Wow! You go, girl! Congrats on your race, your time, and that awesome image of you killing it!
So proud of you Diane! I would kill for your “slow” pace from before, but loved seeing how you improved even on that!!
Diane, what an accomplishment! way to go and congrats! Love that photo of you pushing it to the limits. What a rockstar!
Hi Jessica, Ha, yes, the photo shows it wasn’t a walk in the park for me.
You killed that race! All your hard work and dedication truly paid off! Getting faster is one of my goals, but for now I really need to focus on consistency in my running. I am so glad I got to race with you (even though you were light years ahead of me!) I am definitely going to follow your training methods, since obviously it works!!
Thank you Julie! I had to accept that running more was not going to make me faster. I worked on getting the most out of every second I spent training. You can do it!
Wow – Diane, your speed improved so much! I was running faster, shorter distances by accident (I was time crunched) and noticed some speed gains when I went longer – but, thought it was because it was my first long one in awhile – but then today I read your informative post! I will be doing faster shorter runs on purpose now! And thanks for the running show recommendation – I hadn’t heard of Newton Running before!
Hi Shashi, It goes to show, we don’t have to spend long hours training; short, but intense workouts are effective!
Great write up! I am working on adding in sprints to my runs now too. I have noticed that when I am out of it and ready to call a run a quit, I push harder and add intervals. This not only reminds me that the only thing stopping me is – myself – and shows me that there is always more I could be pushing to gain speed and strength. Now, time to put the hammer down on those runs and get my pace up as well! 😀
Great meeting you, fun write up and I can’t wait to see how fast your next race is!
Thank you, Kita. It was terrifice to connect with you as well. So excited to hear you’re adding sprints to your runs. You’ll be amazed how quickly you’re able to improve your times! Keep in touch!!!