Increasing Your Running Speed For A Marathon
Posted on: 6 August 2015
Running a marathon is never an easy task. It does not matter if it is your first or your one hundredth marathon, it will be a great challenge. When running a marathon you may have a goal to beat your last marathon time, just finish the race at a decent pace or perhaps qualify for a big race such as the Boston Marathon. Increasing your running speed is crucial to achieve your marathon running goals. Just because you are running several times a week does not mean that you are increasing your speed. There are specific things that you will need to do to increase your pace.
- Mental Toughness. Running is not easy. Trying to run faster is even harder. In order to increase your speed, you have to embrace the fact that you are going to be uncomfortable while running. You may want to join a group of runners that run faster than you. They will push you both physically and mentally. Knowing that you are going to be very fatigued and uncomfortable but pushing through it is one of the most important ways to increase your speed. It can be easy to stop or begin to walk but you will not attain your goals if you do not overcome your mental blocks.
- Vary Running. Many people fall into the trap of running the same each time they run. They run at an even pace for a certain amount of miles. While this can help to increase your endurance, it does very little to increase your overall speed. Instead, you should implement a running plan that includes speed training that consists of shorter sprints, tempo training where you are running faster for longer periods of time and even hill training. When you push yourself and vary the types of running that you are doing, your will become a faster runner and your marathon times will get better.
- Healthy Diet. Many people can forget how a healthy diet increases marathon performance. Eating healthy foods before and during a run can give you the extra energy that is needed. Eating to recover after a run will make sure that your body recovers and becomes stronger after each running session. Seeds, fruits, vegetables, lean meats and whole grains are all food items that will help you to be healthy and run at a more elite level.
Running a faster marathon is something that everyone can achieve. It takes mental toughness, proper training, and a healthy diet but can be achieved by those who are willing to make the sacrifices.
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