We are just weeks away from the start of spring, but who knows if it will really feel like spring. (After the mild winter we had I wouldn’t be surprised if we had a March or April snowstorm this year.) As the days get longer and the temperatures warm up, many runners start to sign up for races or get back outside after a winter on the treadmill. Others may want to get back into faster and longer runs following the off-season from running. If you haven’t kept up your speed this winter, now can be the perfect time to start working on getting into racing mode. Here are 5 workouts that will get you ready for speedy spring running this season.
5 Workouts for Speedy Spring Running
1. Fartlek Workouts
“Fartlek” is Swedish for “speed play”, and it’s a way to incorporate some faster-paced running without jumping right into a hard speed workout. These runs are unstructured, so you can play around with the paces and intervals. When I do these runs I usually plan to run for a certain amount of time “hard” or “easy” but those paces will be based on effort and not speed. Here are a few fartlek workouts to try this spring:
Fartlek Run for the Base-Building Phase
2. Tempo Runs
A tempo run should focus on maintaining a challenging pace that you can hold for a few miles. Early in the season you can even start with short tempo runs that allow for breaks (such a 3 x 1.5 miles at tempo pace with .5 mile recovery in between). Then you can work up to doing 3 miles at tempo pace, and increase from there. Tempo pace is somewhere around your 10k to half-marathon pace.
3. Hill Repeats
Hills are a great way to build strength and get in a workout without having to run too long or too hard as you ease back into faster spring running. Any hill will work, just adjust your workout based on the incline and length of the hill. You can do short and steep hills or longer stretches with less of an incline. Start with about 4 repeats and build from there. Make sure to give yourself a chance to recover between sets.
4. Strides/Drills
Strides and drills are great ways to get your body prepared for faster spring running. By adding a few sets of strides after an easy run, or working on some running drills a few days a week, you can improve your form and to get ready for speed work and races.
5.Plyometrics
Plyometrics are explosive movements that help to improve power and speed.
From Breaking Muscle:
“Plyometric exercise, by definition, is any exercise that involves a stretch immediately before an action. This is called the stretch shortening cycle. During this stretch, a few things happen, but one of the most important is the storage of energy. Think of a rubber band. Before shooting a rubber band at a friend, you pull its ends apart – you stretch it – to build up energy in the band. The rubber band is then released – takes action – and it hits your friend. The body works the same. Each muscle is connected to a bone by a tendon. The muscle, and especially the tendon, store energy when stretched. When the resulting action occurs, it happens with more force or speed or explosiveness than normal.”
Try this Plyometric Strength Workout if you are looking to include some plyos into your routine this spring!
Hopefully these workouts will be a fun way to start doing some faster spring running!
You may also like:
How To Transition To Running Outside This Spring
5 Ways to “Spring Clean” Your Running
5 Tips for Choosing a Spring Racing Goal
Have you been training hard all winter or are you starting to build speed and distance now?
What is your favorite workout to help you get ready for faster spring running?
Now it’s time for the Runners’ Roundup! Link up your running and fitness posts below! Join myself, Coach Debbie Runs, Confessions of a Mother Runner, and Runs with Pugs. Post your favorite running tips, experiences, race and training recaps, workouts, gear, and coaching ideas!
Oh, plyometrics. One workout guaranteed to make me very sore indeed! But so effective!
So true. I always see the benefits when I do them consistently, but it can be a lot of work to build up to that.
I end up doing fartleks and tempo runs mostly by accident. I could certainly be a little more strategic on planning them out
Haha, well at least you get them done! I like fartleks because they really can be done without any planning.
oh boy do I hope spring really arrives fast! I have really had enough of the bitter cold and bad weather we have been having lately.
Same here!
I loathe hill repeats but I know that they are essential. I didnt do enough hill repeats when I trained for my marathon last year so I will be sure to add them in this year!
I feel the same way about hills! I know they are so important though, especially before a hilly race.
I have done all of these in some form…I definitely LOVE variety! I hope spring is officially here…I’m SO done with winter LOL
Spring has to arrive for good soon, right? Fingers crossed!
Rather than just thinking of speed day, I like thinking about all the varieties that speedwork could incorporate. Happy St. Patricks Day!
That’s a great way to think of it! Hope you had a good St. Patrick’s day!
I am starting to add plyometrics into my routine after reading how much they benefit distance runners. Winter was part of my “on” season and once it’s summer I’ll be taking my off-season – so I have had lots of speed in my plan recently!
I’ll be interested to see how you incorporate plyos! I was really good about them last year but with all the injury stuff I have fallen out of the habit.
This winter I really focused on building up my base mileage. It’s time to start bringing in a little bit more speed and variety to my workouts now that spring races are coming!
Great plan! Winter is a great time for building mileage and that will set you up with a solid base before getting into harder workouts.
I’ve not been training hard all winter (unless you count the bike/swim) and I’m just starting to build back now. The water fowl is all back in the water here and even the Blue Herons are sitting on their nests. Not sure how they felt about our 10″ of snow.
I think everyone/everything is really confused by the drastic weather changes these past 2 months!
I’ve started doing hill repeats. I go up and down both ways on the hills, multiple times. Call me crazy, but it’s the first real hill I’ve had in 8 years.
Wow, good of you! Hills are so great for building strength!
These are all great workouts! The tempo runs have really been challenging me. If the snow gets out of here, maybe I can finally get back to doing hill repeats!
Yea the snow is definitely getting in the way of being able to do any harder workouts!
I don’t think I have ever done plyometrics. I’m a very bad girl. We STILL haven’t had any sun. STILL. Can you believe it? And we’re scheduled for snow/rain showers next week. FML. This is hands-down the worst winter weather EVER. Not to be dramatic or anything, but it feels like the end of the world.
I remember last May it rained for like 17 days straight or something. That was awful and it was so hard to stay positive. I couldn’t imagine having no sun for as long as you guys. I feel like I say this all the time but it has to get better soon!!!
Plyometrics can scare me sometimes – I’m nervous about landing weird and tweaking something. I feel like I need to work on some balance exercises to build strength before jumping into plyo. I’m hoping the snow this week is the last of winter we see – I’m ready for spring!
Oh I hear you with the plyos- they definitely make me nervous! Its so important to build up to them slowly and only start with a few at time.
Now that I (hopefully) have my injury under control, perhaps this spring should be time for me to work on my speed! (maybe..lol)
I feel like after an injury it can be so nerve-wracking to add speed work in again. But you have have healthy for a while now, I think you’re ready!
I haven’t run speed work in so long! And my average paces are about 25 seconds slower than normal for my “la la la” runs. I’m sure I will feel like doing speedwork again someday…
Even when I’m not planning to race I find its sometimes nice to add in some speed work just to change things up. But of course it’s not essential, especially if you are jus running for fun!
I love the Breaking Muscle website. So much awesome info on there.
These workouts are all ones I recommend, too. Happy weekend, Lisa!
I love that website too! The info they share definitely gets me thinking different about some things.
I’ve been doing a lot of tempo and fartlek runs this winter and have seen a difference in my speeds up to about a 10K. Now to start building my distance again without losing the speed…
It’s tough to do it all! But great job adding in those workouts this winter and seeing progress!
Plyometrics are great for skaters trying to increase height on jumps, and also good for us women trying to keep our bone strength as we get older! Not sure whether I’m going to be able to tolerate plyometrics going forward, though. I’ll have to just keep gradually building and see where I get.
You are so right about the plyos! They are beneficial…if you can handle them. Right now they make me nervous because I have been injured recently, but I also think they can help build strength to prevent injury.
I know I need to do all these for my marathon training! Great refresher
I’m sure you will be back to doing the speed work before you know it!
When I started running I did Fartleks all the time – I should do them more often now. I don’t mind hill repeats but can’t get my head in the game for tempo workouts.
I find fartleks are the easier to convinced myself to do, because I feel like there is no pressure. Hills and tempos are a different story.
I need to add more plyometrics to my workouts. Just recently started adding intervals to my weekly runs with a run group.
Intervals are a great way to start! I haven’t been doing plyos either…I know I should slowly start building up to them, but they can be a bit intimidating!
These all sound GREAT! I am working on speed, so I pinned this post to refer to!!
Awesome! Good luck with building your speed!
I am just beginning to build a base – I have been a little lazy this winter mostly because it has been so cold and I hate the treadmill- but these are great training tips that I want to incorporate once I get my base up a little. Got to Pin this one for later reference. Thanks so much!
Winter is a good time to take a break! Hope that building your speed and mileage up goes well!
Those are great workouts! I know Coach M has several of these built into my training plan 🙂 Weather? 40 degrees in Florida is not normal.
What is going on with the weather everywhere? 40 is even a little cold for Maryland this time of year…yet we have single digit wind chills earlier this week.
I try to incorporate as many hills into my training as possible, even if I’m training for a race with a flat course. Hill training will also help with both your endurance and your speed.
Hills are definitely a great training tool!
This is an amazing and inspiring post, Lisa! Plyometrics are my favorite kind of technique!
All awesome workouts and are def going I be a
Part of my upcoming training plans.
I love tempo runs and hill repeats! I really don’t mind doing them since they seem to go by so quickly and I LOVE the way I feel after a good workout! Thanks for the reminder that I need to add hill repeats back into my routine soon!
Thanks for the reminder.
At this point I hope I run again.
But in the future these will help.
Now that I’m slowly coming out of my injury, perhaps I should start thinking about speedwork. I love doing intervals!
I love fartlek workouts when I’m first getting back into speed work. It’s an easy transition. Tempo workouts are my favorite overall. There are so many ways to vary them.
I have come to really enjoy tempo runs and striders. They definitely help to mix it up and give some variety
I have done ZERO speed training this past year or so. I’ve spent the last six li the babying my hammy/glute region, and now that things are feeling better I’m ready to up my game. Fartleks have long been my favorite, but I also line hill repeats (and I have lots of options with those).