Drop your mile time with this speed development workout

It’s almost summer, and that means track season in Canada. Even if you aren’t planning on doing any track races soon, working on your top-end speed can pay dividends and help you achieve a new personal best in a fall 5K or even a marathon. This easy-to-follow sprint workout is often used by some of the world’s best middle-distance runners early in their season or during a base-building phase to find their legs and start running faster paces.

The workout

• 10-15 mins slow jog warmup with active stretching and drills
• 6 mins uptempo @ 10K pace (take four minutes rest after the tempo)
• Two sets of 200m, 150m, 100m off 90 seconds walk rest, and five minutes between sets
• 10-15 mins slow jog cooldown

The 200m, 150m, and 100m reps should be done at 90 per cent of max effort, with walk-back recovery. The purpose of this workout is to get your body more comfortable with moving at a faster pace than it’s used to. Each rep is supposed to be done fast, but they should also be done with a relaxed effort, where it doesn’t feel like you are overdoing it. (A sign you are overdoing it is if you are exhausted after the first 200m rep, or even the first set.) The goal isn’t to wipe you out mentally or physically, but simply to get your body used to moving faster.

A workout like this simulates the effort of an 800m or one-mile race, where you need to get out fast, stay relaxed and hold your pace for as long as possible. Working on your mechanics at faster paces over shorter distances can also help lower your 5K time.

If you don’t have access to a local track or a 200m loop, here is a modification for the distance intervals: run fast for 45 seconds, 30 seconds, and 15 seconds, with 90 seconds of walking rest between intervals.