Ask the Experts - Fitness

Answers from John Shepherd:

Q.My son is 13 years old and likes running, he will soon start his x- country season. The average race distance will be about 2.1 miles. His pb in the mile is 5:19, but his strength is his endurance. He would like to get faster, for his strength is his stamina

Click here to - View all questions for John Shepherd

Answer: Speed is an important for x-country running and middle and long distance track running as it is for the 100m sprinter, although this may at first seem less obvious.

Research indicates that the faster a distance runner is over a short distance, the faster they will be over their race distance. This is because faster distance runners will have the ability to:
Produce greater in-race kicks;
Produce a killer sprint finish;
And crucially have more in reserve at cruising speeds which will conserve energy.

So, how do you improve speed for endurance?

I would recommend given that your son is tackling relatively short race distances that he emphasises faster training workouts. I have provided three ideal workouts for him for a typical week’s training:

1) Sprint training:

I recommend that he joins an athletics club and trains with the young sprinters once a week. By doing this he will learn good sprint technique, through drills and fun practices that will improve the speed required of runners of all distances. Note: due to his age tough short recovery (anaerobic) intervals should be avoided.

2) Speed play:

These workouts are performed individually preferably on grass. Your son would simply run for 30 minutes at different speeds, as he felt. To make this clearer: Slow 5 minutes to warm up; 300m at three quarter pace; 1 minute jog recovery; 50m sprint, slow down and repeat, 4 minutes at half pace; 600m half pace effort; 1 minute walk recovery and so on. If suitable terrain exists some hill efforts should be included. This type of workout will develop speed and endurance.

3) Steady 15-20 minute medium to fast run

These three workouts will develop speed and endurance.

At your son’s age his physiological capabilities will be developing naturally. His aerobic capacity and energy levels will naturally be high. He will also be approaching a time when his body is ripe for speed improvement. However, the emphasis should always be on fun in training at this time in an athlete’s career (to reiterate tough short recovery intervals should be avoided, until he 15/16). If your son plays other sports then he should be encouraged to do so; one of the workouts above should be dropped accordingly.