How Fast Should I Run on Fast Days

by Confused Runner
(California)

When I run on fast days I never know how fast I should start the run.
I like to run an even pace but find the first mile sometimes to be hard. So should I go slower the first mile? And if so how much? And when should I pick up the pace?

Confused Runner from California




Answer by Dominique:


Hi there,
Thanks for your excellent running training question.

I definitely recommend doing a proper warm up before starting your faster paced training. You can do this by doing some easy pace running for about 5-10 minutes. This will help your legs to warm up and will not only make it easier to do your faster running, but it will also greatly reduce the risk of injuries.

A warm up will already help a lot. An extra little thing you can do, and what I do quite often, are some short strides at the end of the warm up. These are short runs of 50-100 metres in which you run quickly initially, using a quick leg turnover and slow down towards the end. That usually gets me really ready for faster running.

As to how fast your faster paced running should be, I refer to my running training section in which you will find articles about interval running, tempo running, fartlek etc.

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I hope this helps.
Best of luck.
Kind regards,
Dominique