On Running F.A.S.T and Easy
Slow is the opposite of fast. Slow is negative. “I ran ‘slow’ today”. Easy is the opposite of hard. Hard is negative. “It was a ‘hard’ run”. Runs should be either ‘easy’ or ‘fast’. If you are training correctly, your fast runs should actually feel easy.
Do not confuse ‘easy’ with ‘slow’. Slow is a measure of speed and is only used in comparison to running fast. I would never call a workout ‘long slow distance’ (LSD); it implies you did not go as fast as you wished. Running should not be ‘hard’ or ‘slow’.
If you look at the training diaries of Kenyans (see Toby Tanser’s new book More Fire, 2009), you will see most runs are ‘easy’ with only a couple of very fast running workouts per week. Nowhere are the words ‘slow’ or ‘hard’ written in their diary.
You can still train hard. By train hard I mean train smart. But that’s another story.
So how do you run F.A.S.T.?
F. Focus + Functional Flexibility
A. Alignment
S. Stability + Strength
T. Timing + Training + Tempo + Technique
The system used by Brother Colm O'Connell, coach at St. Patrick's High School in Iten, Kenya who has produced more world records, world champions, and Olympic champions than any other coach in any sport.
Call to schedule an appointment to learn more at New Jersey Sports Medicine and Performance
Center 908-647-6464.
