Three Reasons Why Ultra-Runners Need Speed Training

Ultras are more than “eating contests with a bit of running thrown in”

As an ultrarunner, you are tough.

You need to be.

Running fifty, one hundred, and more kilometers at a time, most of the time in harsh environmental conditions is not for the faint of heart.

While everyone seems to agree that you need to log a sufficient amount of kilometers during training, the opinions on speed training differ. Some people say that a bit of speedwork is nice but not necessary to complete an ultramarathon successfully. Then you have those who argue that the injury risk of speedwork outweighs the benefits for an ultradistance athlete. And then you have folks like me, who view speedwork as an essential element of ultra-marathon training.

Why Do I Advocate For Speed Training?

Now you may be wondering why you should integrate at least some fast running when preparing for your ultra race. After all, are ultras not run at a relatively slow pace? So slow that you can finish many by power hiking for most of the way?

Fair question.

If you simply want to complete an ultra, then yes, neglect speed work.

However, suppose you want to have a more enjoyable experience and develop your potential as an ultrarunner. In that case, you have to do more than simply logging many miles at a leisurely pace.

Regularly including speedwork in your training yields at least three benefits that will make you an overall more robust and faster ultrarunner:

1. Speed Training Makes You Faster

This is obvious, isn’t it?

Well… there seems to be a growing trend among runners and running coaches to focus on easy running.

Yes, I get it. And I agree. You should do most of your training at a leisurely pace. However, many recreational ultra-marathoners focus almost exclusively on logging long slow mileage. But if you want to spend less time on your feet and finish your race in a shorter amount of time, you need to become an overall faster runner.

And if you want to become faster, you have to include at least some kind of speed work.

This might all be well and good, you might say. But why would you even want to become faster? With many ultras having generous cut-off times, why go through the physical and mental challenges you will face should you take speed training seriously?

Simple.

When you can run fast, slower running will feel more manageable.

2. Slower Running Will Feel Easier

All running paces are connected.

If you can run a fast 5k, you have better chances of running a fast marathon and ultramarathon.

Suppose your 5k time is 20 minutes. That turns out to be a 04:00 min/km pace. If your fastest 5 k time is 30 minutes, your average pace for that run is 06:00 min/km. Logically, running at an average 06:00 min/km pace for 8 hours or more will feel easier if you can run 04:00 min/km than if you already struggle to keep a 06:00 min/km pace.

The best strategy, especially for new ultrarunners, is to start the race at a comfortable pace and avoid slowing down too much as the race continues. When your comfortable pace is relatively slow, you will have a more challenging time staying relaxed and keep running.

You will likely need to walk more. In turn, you will spend more time on your feet, which puts more stress on your body and mind.

Being fast only has advantages, so why not take a chance and build your top-end speed?

3. Speed Training Builds Your Mental Toughness

Let’s face it. Running long distances is not only about physical fitness.

Your mental strength matters just as much, if not more, than your body’s physical limits. Endurance sports are a mental game. Of two athletes with similar physical capabilities, the one with the stronger will is going to win.

Every time you push through a challenging workout, you strengthen not only your lungs and legs but also your mind.

During those tough hill sprint workouts when you think you already gave it your all and feel like going home, you develop the mental fortitude to keep going. Instead of giving in and listening to the voices in your head that scream at you to stop, you take a deep breath, re-focus, and go all out on that 10th hill repeat.

When that speed session your coach designed scares you…and when and you still go out and give it your best… and crush it. Then you gain confidence and self-knowledge. Both of which will get you through the tough spots during an ultra.

How Do You Integrate Speed Training Into Your Training Plan?

As with many things in running, there are no clear-cut rules.

How and when you integrate speed training into your training program depends on your current abilities and level of fitness, where you are at in your training cycle, and your or your coach’s training philosophy.

For example, during my certification as an ultra-running coach, the curriculum advocated a block training type approach for ultra-running. In block training, you try to develop one energy system at a time.

For example, you might have an endurance block where the main focus is on developing endurance. You can still include speed training, but the focus is on aerobic development. On the other hand, in a speed-focused training block, you include more speedwork and less endurance-based workouts.

Many runners follow a general pattern of one speed session, one long run, and the rest of their runs as easy runs — week in and week out.

For many recreational runners, this is an excellent base to build upon.

Pay attention to your body’s signals and how well you recover. Most importantly, don’t increase distance and intensity at the same time. When you are ramping up mileage, you shouldn’t add hill repeats, plus a fartlek and a few tempo runs on top of it.