For eight long years, I had a running problem. Every August, I became utterly and completely antsy. My legs twitched, my energy was heightened, and my desire to run fast grew day by day. This restlessness always came at the end of my cross country summer base training, which was mostly made of up of running in Zone 2 miles. After months of running steadily and slowly, I was bored and aching to push the RPM’s higher.
Perhaps you’ve felt the same way. After a prolonged period of easy running, you can sometimes start to feel stale. Each run feels the same and you may actually experience a reduction in certain elements of your fitness like coordination, athleticism, and power.
RELATED: Yes, Zone 2 Training Is Important. (Just Don’t Forget the Other Stuff.)
That’s because even long distance runners aren’t meant to only run slow. If you’re an ultrarunner, speed training offers so many developmental benefits that it can be a disservice to your growth as an athlete to eliminate it entirely.
Below I highlight why long distance runners should incorporate speed workouts even if their goal race doesn’t require…
