re: OT Runners: How did you get faster?

quote:

---

I was told the best way to get faster is run really fast 1/4 miles and stop for 1-2 minutes and do again for 6-7 times. Most 1/4 miles should be 1:20-1:34

---

yeh thats not really fast

quote:

---

I want to run my first competitive race in Dec. (Rocket City Marathon). Bad idea by not starting with a 5 or 10k first?

---

If you have three months under your belt then a December marathon is doable. Your current pacing is very good for only 3 months. There are training schedules for this on the web but you want to be emphasizing distance running over speed training. One very long run per week is the basic idea. And plenty of miles the other days with a rest day thrown in.

For speed in shorter races what worked best for me was shorter intervals of 100% effort, maybe 1.0 - 1.5 minutes followed by a 2 - 3 minute recovery segment. And I found a hill and ran up it repeatedly. That training made a huge difference in my 5k/10k time. I guess it wouldn't hurt your marathon training as long as you do the distance you need too.

Shave your body.

I'm 36 years old and have a large athletic frame. If I can finish a 5k in less than 23 minutes I consider that to be really solid.

Zappa knows what he's talking about. There all sorts of programs out there and they are all different.

Remember one thing once u get into ur marathon training cycle - every run has a purpose. Your long runs need to be slow and easy. Your recovery runs even more so. Your speed work is where you push hard. I usually have 2 speed workouts per week (one tempo run and one track session). A couple easy/recovery runs. And a good long steady run.

Maybe so but I know people who used this program last race season and all hit their goals. One guy even got 2:59 marathon which isn't fricking easy.