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Despite what many people might tell you, I think it’s more impressive to run a mile as fast as you can than to run a marathon just for the sake of it. Running a marathon is a feat that should always be lauded, but as distance runs continue to be popularized, I’d like to flip the script. What if we focus on going fast instead of going far?
Let’s set the record straight: The marathon is NOT for everyone. Many people don’t have an interest in grinding for 26.2 miles—plain and simple. Beyond that, many of us aren’t built to withstand the effects that marathon training imposes on our bodies, nor do we have the needed time to adequately train.
Now look, I say this on the tail of completing my sixth official marathon in Chicago, where I set a personal record with a 2:54 finishing time, which is an average of 6:40 per mile. Some people would call that fast, but the world record was broken in the same race by Kelvin Kiptum with a time of 2:35—an average pace of 4:36 per mile—which is blazing fast.
While we can’t all set world records, we can set personal records, regardless of whether we’re taking a mile walk around the neighborhood or competing in a 10K at the local track. As running and walking continue to be some of the most popular forms of fitness worldwide, here are some benefits of running fast instead of running far.
When you’re training for speed, you don’t have to log into Strava or Nike Run Club to track your distance. You can simply focus on finding ways and different types of workouts to help you improve your speed over a given distance—more on that in a minute. You can also focus on more than running, leading to a well-rounded fitness plan that helps you get stronger and move more easily throughout your life.
It’s great to give something your all. When you hold yourself accountable to the clock, you hold yourself accountable to a standard. You can’t come up with a story or an excuse as to why you didn’t make time—you either did or you didn’t. This is why I publicly share the times that I want to beat whenever I do a race. It keeps me honest, and I’ve noticed that mental fortitude extends to other areas of my life.
I want you to feel the pure honesty and vulnerability that comes when you’re trying to meet a goal. If you make it, great. Set another goal. If you don’t make it, learn from it and try again. Don’t go your whole life without actually trying to see how good you can be because you’re afraid that you might not reach a desired goal.
Look, if the marathon happens to be for you, I’m not discouraging you to go for it. Focusing on getting faster, especially at a shorter distance, will still help your marathon time. It has profoundly helped me over the years. Speedwork is one of the foundational components of any quality running plan that most novice runners overlook. Training to beat the clock will not only help your aerobic base, but you’ll also likely get stronger, better metabolic health, and get used to being comfortable running at faster speeds for longer. This will all add up to becoming an improved marathon runner.
To track how much quicker you're becoming, you're going to want to do a benchmarking run that tells you where you're at now so you can see how far you've come. To do this, follow this two-step process.
If this is your first time training for speed, choose a distance that's a half marathon or less. If you prefer power walking over running or that is all you can do at this time, go with that.
Sign up for a race or just pick a date in the future where you will test yourself again. I recommend choosing a date that is at least six weeks away but not more than 12. Tell a friend, your family, or the internet so you actually increase your likelihood of training for it. You can also join a local run club in your area as well so you have people to run with.
Here are a couple of my favorite workouts to get you started. Warm up as necessary before—you can find a guided warm-up by me here specifically for runners.
Start with four minutes at an effort level of eight or nine on a scale of one to 10. Jog or walk three minutes at a recovery effort of three on a scale of one to 10. Repeat four times. This is a simple way to get used to running faster with good form that will improve your speed endurance. Try this out twice a week, with at least one rest day or lower-intensity workout session in between efforts. You’ll notice as the weeks go by that the “effort” gets easier, and the speed you can maintain for this duration will likely increase, allowing you to cover more distance in a shorter period of time.
Find a local hill or set a treadmill to an incline of at least six. Run 30 seconds hard, at eight to nine, on a scale of one to 10. Recover for 60 to 90 seconds. This usually equates to just walking or lightly jogging down to the base of the hill. Repeat for 10 rounds.
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