CONSCIOUS EFFORT
If you want to boost your speed, you need to engage your brain as well as your body
RUNNING FAST REQUIRES INTENSE FOCUS AND honing that focus takes ‘deliberate practice’. The term was coined by K. Anders Ericsson, a psychologist at Florida State University and refers to practice that incorporates setting goals, developing skills and correcting mistakes. The effort is as much mental as it is physical. Putting in hours of this type of intense process is what produces great concert pianists, surgeons – and athletes. Speedwork is an obvious form of deliberate practice: you must set pace goals for repeats, monitor your splits and adjust your speed. Deliberate training also includes form and technique drills, strength workouts in the gym and working with a coach. One study found the amount of time middle-distance runners spent on these three activities was a good predictor of how fast they raced. You probably do some of these sessions, but you need to engage your brain, too. The goal isn’t just to increase fitness, but to help you master the skill of running.
Mastering any skill takes great concentration, which limits how long you can do it. One to three sessions of deliberate practice a week is plenty. They won’t be easy, but researchers have found that workouts requiring the most concentration and highest effort level are the ones runners rate as the most satisfying.
1 GEAR SHIFTER A sense of pace is the most important cognitive skill for runners, as it enables you to race on the threshold of your limits. Hone it with interval workouts that require frequent gear changes. Get focused: Do an inverted pyramid of 1,200, 800, 400, 800 and 1200 metres, with a 2:00 rest between each. Run the
2 FORM CHECK Technique drills break your running form into its component parts and develop the strength, balance and movement patterns that translate into smoother running. Even simple moves require focus to avoid ingraining bad habits.
Get focused: Once a month, have a friend record your drills on your mobile phone and check your form. High knees: slight forward lean, back straight, drive thigh up; bum kicks: hips stay squared, knee comes slightly forward as the heel swings back; walking lunges: the lead foot lands flat and both legs form 90-degree angles at the bottom of the lunge.
3 DRESS REHEARSAL Researchers have found that fast runners spend more time ‘associating’ (focusing on their body, pace and competitors) than ‘dissociating’ (letting their mind wander) compared with slower runners. Speedwork develops this skill in bursts, but time trials prepare you to sustain your attention. Get focused: Three weeks before your event, run 50-75 per cent of the race distance at your target pace or slightly slower. Curtail any daydreaming by doing a mental check-in every half-mile – assess your pace, how your legs and lungs feel, and whether you’re maintaining good form. 1,200s at 10K pace, the 800s at 5K pace and the 400 close to full-out. On each lap, aim to get to within two seconds either side of your goal pace.