How to Increase Your Trail Running Speed

For most people, speed is not important when it comes to trail running. But if you want to enter an off-road race or just want to increase your fitness level, speed training is your ticket to improvement.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Trail Running Shorts
• Trail Running Socks
• Trail-running Shoes
• Running Foods (gels And Bars)

1. Find a steep hill and run 50- to 75-meter repeats on it once a week. Sprint up the hill, lifting your legs high, then jog slowly back to the bottom before repeating the process.
2. Gradually increase the number of repeats you do each week. Begin with a set of three.
3. Run "tempos" - 30 minutes of continuous running at slightly slower than race pace, sandwiched between a 10-minute warm-up and a 10-minute cooldown at jogging speed. Do this once a week on rolling terrain and gradually increase the time during which you run hard.
4. Enter a trail race. The experience will help your speed, and you may find that the competition motivates you to train harder.
5. Hit the track. It's no trail, but it's smooth, flat, fast and a great place to focus on speed while not worrying about obstacles.
6. Work on increasing the length of your stride and on your running form. One of the best ways to do this is by running with someone who races or who has more experience than you do.
7. Join a running club. Clubs often design and schedule speed workouts for those who are interested.
8. Be patient. Unless you were born a cheetah, speed takes time to build.

Tips & Warnings

• To reduce the risk of injury, always warm up and stretch before you begin a speed workout.
• If you don't know your race pace, enter a 10-kilometer race to find out. If racing's not your style, test your speed yourself on a trail of known length.
• Trail running is a physically demanding sport that could result in serious injury. We recommend that you seek proper training and equipment before attempting this activity.