For three days every week, marathon runners take on short jogs that offer an opportunity to branch out from the traditional slow distance trots that are the staple of marathon training regimens.
I’ve been doing 3-mile runs to keep my legs ready for longer, more difficult long-distance jogs on the weekends.
Those long runs need to go by slow, paying special attention to pace. If the first leg of the run goes by too fast, the rest will be very painful. This principle carries over to the marathon too: Run the first 13 miles too quickly, and the last 13 will be nearly impossible to finish.
Shorter runs offer an opportunity to challenge yourself and push the pace of the run. Three miles starts to be an easy distance after a few weeks of training. It almost feels like a warm-up now that I’ve been running for more than a month, and my long runs are topping 7 miles.
To keep those runs productive, there are several different strategies I use to increase running speed and keep short runs a little more interesting. I learned about these different running strategies when I played high school soccer and ran 5-6 miles twice a week.
The most basic way to run any distance is to just jog at a steady pace. When I take on long runs or if I just want an easy day, I aim to keep my split times no longer than 10 minutes per mile.
A slightly more difficult run is the tempo run. In a tempo run, the warm-up and cool-down should be jogged at an easy pace. In between, run at a slightly uncomfortable pace – not so fast that the run is particularly difficult, but quick enough that having a conversation would be hard. For short runs, anything between a seven- and eight- minute mile usually puts me at this pace.
A tempo run can help push your pace and help you find out how fast you can actually run for multiple miles without burning out. Over time, your pace will increase and you’ll be able to run faster for a longer distance. I’m hoping I can maintain a pace just faster than 10 minutes for every mile when I run the race, which will put me across the finish line in about four and a half hours.
Another way to change up a short run is through fartlek training. Fartlek is a Swedish word that means “speed play,” and that’s exactly what the run does: You play around with different speeds as you run.
Most fartleks call for one minute of slow jogging, then one minute of very fast running. The pace should be hard but sustainable for the short amount of time. Think a bit faster than a tempo-run pace, but slower than a sprint. Next, jog slowly for two minutes, followed by two minutes of speedy running. Repeat the process until your run is over.
The third method of running is called interval training. This type of run is very similar to a fartlek, except that instead of running at a difficult but sustainable tempo, the quicker segments of the run should be full-out sprints.
After a warm-up, slowly jog for two minutes. Then sprint at top speed for 10-30 seconds or as long as you can sustain the pace. Then jog for another two minutes while you recover. Repeat the process until you reach your full distance.
To switch up the training ritual every week, runners can combine these different types of runs in any way. I like to work some interval training into most of my short runs. The sprints break up the monotony of running around a perimeter for the 15th time.
Any combination of these runs should help strengthen leg muscles that may not be strengthened during a normal jog, and can improve overall pacing for the big day.