Pick up the pace: Training techniques help improve times - Military Off Duty, Army Health, military fitness, army physical fitness - Army Times

Pick up the pace: Training techniques help improve times

Whether you’re aiming for a better run time on your PT test or trying to get an age-division win at your favorite 5K, try these tips to pick up the pace. Focusing on cadence, improved running efficiency and interval training, and adding some longer-distance runs and weightlifting to your routine, can buy you time on the clock.

ChiRunning founder Danny Dreyer cautions that runners may slow down when first using these techniques. He believes technique supports speed, so as your technique improves, so will your times.

Cadence

Cadences work just as well for maintaining a consistent running speed as they do for keeping units moving in formation. Cadence refers to the number of times your feet strike the ground per minute. An ideal running cadence is about 180 footfalls per minute — that’s 90 per foot.

“A high cadence, around 180, makes your body faster by being more efficient,” says Colin Ingram, a certified Good Form trainer for New Balance. “Cadence forces the issue on other good form efficiency points, so proper form comes naturally.”

A cadence of 180 can feel fast until you adjust. Take your time and ease into it. For help sticking to a target cadence, use a metronome. Or get moving to the proper beat with a cadence-appropriate playlist by clicking here.

Improved running efficiency

Running efficiency is a major focus of the Air Force’s Efficient Running Group as well as the Natural, Chi and Pose running programs — and for good reason. Poor form wastes oxygen and energy and slows you down. In addition to cadence, other important aspects of good running form include foot strike, posture and arm motion.

If running with legs reaching far out in front of you has been your strategy for getting faster, it’s time to for a new plan. That outdated theory actually slows you down because it encourages heel striking, which is like putting on the brakes with every step. Instead, aim to have your feet land under you, in the center of your body mass.

For posture, stand tall and lean slightly forward from the ankles. This encourages forward motion with less effort by using the power of gravity. The goal is to keep motion concentrated in the forward plane, minimizing wasted efforts of lateral or vertical movement.

Arms swinging side to side may feel helpful for propulsion, but it creates a speed-zapping lateral motion. To add power, allow arms to swing back to front, like pendulums hanging from relaxed shoulders. A 90-degree bend at the elbow provides the least resistance.

For an in-depth exploration of good form, visit the training page for Freedom’s Run, where Air Force Lt. Col. (Dr.) Mark Cucuzzella shares his experiences and thoughts on running form, click here.

Interval training

Former SEAL and Annapolis, Md.-area fitness trainer and author Stew Smith encourages interval training to build maximal oxygen uptake and foot speed.

“Learning and practicing goal pace is the best way for someone to improve run times,” Smith says. “And breaking it into shorter-distance intervals, like one-quarter mile or half mile, makes it attainable.”

Smith provided the following example. For a goal of running 1.5 miles in nine minutes, you need to run a six-minute mile. Focus on learning to run a quarter mile in 90 seconds or a half mile in three minutes. Do this for multiple sets, over the course of several weeks, until you have the pace nailed and can pace out the 1.5-mile run.

Smith says those new to running should see improvement in six to eight weeks.

Long run

Risking potential injury by going on a 20-mile run will not build your speed. But slightly increasing the length of your long run every two weeks or so will improve your endurance and strengthen your cardiovascular system.

Chris Carmichael of Carmichael Training Systems — coach to Lance Armstrong — stressed the importance of longer distances performed below Armstrong’s maximum target heart rate during his off-season training. Armstrong was able to build a strong base and aerobic system from which he could draw maximum speed during races. Coaches such as former Olympian and Galloway Marathon Training Program founder Jeff Galloway apply the same principles to running.

Weightlifting

A 1999 study in the Journal of Applied Physiology showed that explosive strength training improved 5K run times thanks to enhanced muscle power.

“Explosive” weight training includes Olympic lifting exercises such as snatches and cleans, jumping exercises and dynamic medicine ball workouts. Take a class or consult a coach for proper form and load recommendations.

There is no quick fix to improved running times, but with smart and committed workouts, you can retrain your body for better speed. As Smith puts it, “The best running practice is running.”