5 Tips to Run Faster

When the woman who just qualified for both the KONA Ironman World Championship and Team USA in London offers you advice about how to run faster, it’s a good idea to listen.

Claudia Spooner is not only a world class athlete and trainer, she is also an ambassador for the Bicycle Sports Shop Triathlon Club, a Premier sponsor of the Twin Creeks Toros Splash-N-Dash (April 7, 2013) and the Toros Tri (June 9, 2013) for kids.  She’s a fascinating woman and I was lucky enough to interview her earlier this week.

Our interview covered the gamut from balancing kids and fitness, to how to run a faster race, to endurance training for women 40 and older, and to lessons triathlons can teach kids (hint: it’s more than just winning.)  Due to the variety of topics, the interview will be divided into several posts coming soon.

If you are Austin local, you can meet her in person at the Splash-N-Dash clinic this weekend; details after the tips.  For now, here’s something for all you runners out there (Did I mention she runs a 5:20 mile?):

5 Tips to Run Faster

1. 

   Run hills.  I run for fun and for freedom.  To me that means being outdoors and not on a treadmill.  Tracks have their place but  on a track there is a greater chance of injury due to the constant circling, especially for older runners.

2. Run sprints.  Do 90 seconds fast followed by 90 seconds easy.
3. Tempo runs on a road or trail.  Tempo runs are when you make a steady, hard effort keeping the same pace.  If my client is running a marathon I’ll have her run a 13 mile tempo run and if she is training for a 1/2 marathon I’ll have her run 7 miles.   It gets the heart pumping and stresses the body just enough to adapt.
4. Make your foot turn over faster.  Foot turn over is how many steps you take, essentially how long your foot is on the ground.  Kenyan Olympic runners take 90-100 food strikes per minutes.  You want to land softly on the ground.
5. Take your body over its tolerance level so it can adapt.  You have to mix up your training to see the best results.  When you finish your race and feel good and not sore that’s when you know you’ve done good training.

FREE Triathlon Clinic for Kids!

Join us for a free clinic to get familiar with triathlon style swim techniques and transitions. You will have a chance to meet and learn from two experts—
• Mark Stohrer—Twin Creek Toros Head Swim Coach
• Claudia Spooner—iRuniTri Multi-sport Coaching/Triathlete

• Understand the swim course, how to start, snake, and exit for the swim
• Techniques for managing each transition of a triathlon and how to set up and be prepared
in your transition
• How to have fun while partaking in a multi-sport event and learn something new
• Meet others interested in the same sport(s)

What – Toros Swim & Transition Clinic for Splash-N-Dash and TorosTri
When – March 23, 2013 from 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Who – Join Mark Stohrer and Claudia Spooner
Where – Pool Deck at Twin Creeks Country Club
3201 Twin Creeks Blvd
Cedar Park, Texas 78613
RSVP – It’s free! Please RSVP to attend so we can make sure to accommodate
everyone interested. Reserve your spot for March 23rd! Click to send RSVP.

Find out more information about the clinic coaches:
• Mark Stohrer
• Claudia Spooner

Lisa

• @sheslosingitnet
• http://www.facebook.com/ShesLosingItnet

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