The Economy of Speed

As a competitor you are constantly looking for the next edge to improve your performance. Whether it comes from an intrinsic desire to go faster or to improve on the past year’s performances, the question is “How can I get faster?”

In the beginning most novice athletes will benefit and show improvements in performance simply due to increased activity. At some point they will reach a plateau in performances and begin exploring how they can improve their performances. This article should provide a foundation of information that you can begin to work with to breakthrough the plateau and truly tap into your performance potential.

The Economy of Speed: A Primer

Take two runners, A & B, who are of same height, weight, maximum heart rate, VO2 max & threshold, etc., but differ only in economy of movement. If both were to compete in a race such as a 10k, the most efficient runner, runner B, would win the race. Why?

At a similar pace the most efficient runner will be using less energy and be running at a lower percentage of their threshold. This allows him to increase his effort to a faster pace before reaching threshold.

So how does this apply to long course racing? Easy, as the length of the course increases, efficiency of movement becomes exponentially important in order to maintain a given pace through the 8+ hours that you might be racing. Energy management and pacing are vital tools for long course and it pays not to be burning energy any faster than you absolutely need to.

So what are the components of increasing your Economy of Speed?


Muscular Balance

Physical Therapists know well that muscular imbalances are a potential set-up for injury. Strong muscles (read not bulky) tend to be supple and flexible while a weak muscle tends to fatigue early and staying tight and fatigued. For example, when cycling, a weak low back, hip flexors, and glutes will tend to fatigue early in a race and cause excessive wear on the hamstrings. You can guess that’s not the best set-up for a run to shortly follow.

To combat this we have all athletes complete an extensive program focusing on core development and increasing muscular balances.

For example, beginning runners tend to be over-developed in their quads and calves (both supportive muscles), and under developed in their glutes, hip flexors, and hamstrings (the propulsive muscles) in part due to the slower speeds that most runs are completed. A well thought out strength program and specific speed work will assist to correct those weaknesses, and you guessed it, allow them to run faster and farther without fatigue.


Muscular Flexibility

Cycling Guru and Champion, John Howard, presented an article at a past clinic titled, “Breaking Through the Metabolic Barrier.” In it John pointed out the importance of increasing flexibility to break through the performance plateau. This was especially important for aging athletes when flexibility starts to decrease and the athlete has to work harder to maintain the same performance.

To think it through, if an athlete is limited in flexibility, say in the hamstrings (remember - a weaker muscle) then they will be limited when running on how far the foot is able to swing forward in the running stride. This decreased range (stride length) of motion will require the athlete to work at a higher rate (higher cadence) to maintain the same pace.


Speed of Movement

Bottom line, to go fast - train fast. Athletes under SpeedSHOT get accustomed quickly to the inclusion of speed work in every workout, with the exception of pure recovery day. The importance of developing and maintaining patterns of movements at high speed cannot be underestimated.

For example - when practicing single leg drills on the indoor trainer, the beginning to intermediate athlete can maintain good technique with a higher resistance level and more importantly, at a slower pace. When dropping the resistance and increasing the cadence the athlete may fatigue and get choppy within 5-10 seconds. Advanced riders should be able to maintain efficient form for well over a minute at 100+ rpm.

Spending time weekly practicing pedaling mechanics at high cadences will do wonders for improving efficiency and blend very well into increase power output.

For running, treadmills are a great tool to facilitate over-speed training as they require you to move your legs through the faster than normal and develop good core strength. Try the following workout as a primer for the beginning to intermediate level athlete and enjoy!

Warm-Up for 20 minutes at an aerobic pace then complete the following set:
	1x60 seconds	at faster than 5k pace on a 5% incline. Recover with 2’ jogging.
	2x30 seconds	at increasing pace 20-30 second per mile on a 7.5% incline. Recover with 1’ jogging
	3x15 seconds	at pace of 20-30 seconds per mile faster than previous intervals on a 10% incline. (Rather than jogging recovery, step onto the rails of the treadmill for the 30 second recovery.
	3x15 seconds	at 1% incline at pace that is again 20-30 seconds faster per mile. (Also step to treadmill decks to rest for 30 seconds)
Cool-down 10’ jogging lightly.

Mark Kendall holds a BA in Exercise and Sport Science with backgrounds in physical therapy and biofeedback. Additionally he holds certification by NSCA as a “Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS)” and is a licensed coach for USAT and USCF. Currently Mark works with SpeedSHOT Racing and at ClubSport Oregon as a Strength Coach and Masters Swimming Coach.

Mark can be reached at SpeedSHOT Racing by phone (503-332-8710) or by email: mark@speedshotracing.com