Runners

JULY 2018 RUNNERSWORLD.CO.UK 041WORDS: SAM MURPHY. PHOTOGRAPHS: LARSEN& TALBERT. ILLUSTRATIONS: LIZZY THOMASINFORMEDASCENTWant to getfaster? Finda steep hill``````stiffening the lower leg upon impact,thus improving energy storage andreturn,’ says Magness.``````BUILD YOUR BASEIn his book The Science of Running(Origin Press), Magness puts forwardthe concept of building a ‘speed base’before leaping into more specificspeedwork, in the same way thatrunners should look to build an‘aerobic’ or endurance base beforeprogressing to more specific trainingsessions. ‘A base is the foundationon which we build more specificwork,’ he explains. ‘Pure speedworkprovides the foundation on whichto build upwards towards speedendurance and race specificity.’ Theidea makes sense to Alex Hutchinson,author of Endure: Mind, Body andthe Curiously Elastic Limits of HumanPerformance (Harper Collins).``````‘It’s important to build speed in aprogressive way,’ he says. ‘Your muscleshave to be prepared for such demands.’That’s why the first step to a fasteryou is to look for a steep hill. ‘Hillsprints work as a great introduction tosprinting because itis almost impossibleto get hurt doingthem,’ says Magness.Popularised byRenato Canova,the legendaryItalian coach whohas worked withmany elite Kenyanmarathoners, hillsprints are nowprescribed by many coaches as aprecursor to f lat sprinting. ‘Theyintroduce maximal-intensity effort –increasing the pool of muscle fibresavailable to you – with less mechanicalstress than f lat sprinting,’ explains``````Fitzgerald, who is a keen proponent.‘It’s like weight-lifting for your legs,only more running-specific.’``````UP TO SPEEDTo benefit from hill sprints, you needto run them as fast as you can. Thatmeans keeping the volume low andtaking plenty of recovery betweenreps to minimise the risk of overdoingthings (see Unleash your speed, p43).Look for a hill with a gradient offive-to-seven per cent. A treadmill canhelp give you an idea of what thissteepness feels like. If you like, you canperform your session on the treadmillbut make sure it’s one with a top speedof 20kph, and ensure you’re confidentabout jumping your feet out to the sidesof the moving belt to rest betweenintervals; otherwise, stick to outdoors.After a few weeks of hill sprints –capping both the duration (inBetter baselinespeed allows you torun faster and furtherwith less eort