Running faster is no mystery. The past century has seen the sport of footracing progress from an unscientific betting game for the few to a serious mass-participation activity whose principles are increasingly understood. From a theoretical perspective, then, it is getting easier to reach one's maximum potential physical effort. What follows are some of my thoughts on how to run faster races for the person who has been running for a year or more, but never engaged in a specific program to achieve the best possible result. This brief discussion will focus on the principles of faster running.

To begin, you should have two important prerequisites: (1) an aerobic base, and (2) some realistic goals. Your aerobic base depends upon where you find yourself in your running career, but in general, it should be at least 20 to 30 miles per week for three to six months. Some people can run very fast on just a few weeks or months of training, but most cannot. Setting goals is also a key to achieving faster running. For most of us, setting a goal of improving our times by 5% over the short term is a reasonable expectation. If your 10K is 41 minutes, it is realistic to expect to lower it to 39 with appropriate training. With a best 10K of 50 minutes and a sufficient aerobic base, you might expect to run a 47 minute race after a few months.

I emphasize the 10K here not only because it is a standard distance we have all run, but also because I believe it is a key to running faster at other distances. If you improve your 10K it is highly likely that you will significantly improve your marathon and 5K times. The 10K race embodies a blend of endurance and speed, and developing this combination will only help you at other distances. In addition, since there are many more 10K races and they are less physically taxing than longer events, they are a good way to measure your progress.

Once you have your aerobic base and have set your 10K goals, you need to think about 'peaking." Nobody can run PR's every week. Much research and years of experience by the world's top performers have shown that runners can sustain PR races for only a few weeks at a time. I once ran with Peter Snell shortly after his 800 meter victory in the 1960 Olympics. To my surprise, he told me that he and his fellow runners would only do intensive 'speed work' for six weeks before the year's one or two biggest competitions. Since that time, the notion of peaking (and timing that peak) has become an accepted principle in successful training.

Given the climate and racing schedule in Washington D.C., the most opportune times of the year to peak are in April and May, and again from mid-September to mid-November. So look over the past and current WRR calendars, and pick out several races where you would like to do well, and where conditions (i.e. flat and/or certified courses, competitive fields, team races, etc.) favor good performances. Now you can move to the next step of developing a plan.

In devising a plan, you need to think about how it is that people become faster runners. In a few cases, runners can gain speed by training over longer distances, e.g. "Putting in more miles," or by racing every weekend. But for the majority of runners, the most efficient way to become faster is by running faster in practice, and by using select races to develop and test speed and endurance. You can reach a peak over a period of four to eight weeks, depending on your personal conditioning characteristics, and you can realistically expect to sustain that peak condition for a month or a bit longer. Here in the D.C. area, the summer and winter are the logical seasons to 'maintain' your fitness as you await the next peaking period.

Peaking programs differ from runner to runner, but the principles underlying individual plans are similar. If you are relatively free of injury, you can do up to two "hard" workouts per week with an "easy" day in between. If you are prone to injury, one "hard" workout a week is probably enough, especially if you race on the weekend. The principle to apply here is to always have one or two "easy" days in between your fast practice run or races during the peaking season.

"Easy" runs are simple to define. They are runs that are steady and evenly paced at speeds of about one to two minutes per mile slower than your desired 10K pace. If you run 10K's at six minutes per mile, your easy runs could be at a seven to eight minute pace. Similarly, if you run an eight minute 10K pace, then your easy days will be runs at a nine to 10 minute pace.

Your "hard" runs can be of an endless variety, but generally, they will encompass three types of training:

1. Interval runs. This means that during the course of a relatively flat run, you will speed up for predetermined distances or time periods, and you will use a uniform rest or interval period in between. Usually the rest period is spent jogging. Here is an example of an interval run: during an easy six mile run, you run eight 40-second fast intervals with a minute or two jog in between (this can be written 8 X 40 sec. 2/90 sec. interval in your log). By fast, I mean a pace that is faster than your desired 10K pace, but not a 100% all-out sprint. If your desired 10K pace is seven minutes per mile, you should do these runs at about 6:20 speed. This should be a nice fast feeling stride with which you feel totally in control and which does not hurt.

You should concentrate on keeping your upper body loose during these runs. Later you can extend interval runs to longer distances and do runs like 6 X two minutes with a two minute jog in between. You will also want to do some shorter and faster intervals, such as 10 X 15 seconds with a 30 to 60 second jog. Long and short interval running will help your oxygen uptake capacity, train your legs to work smoothly at a faster face, and make you feel more comfortable in your PR attempts.

2. Hill runs. These can be very important in improving your race pace, but should only be undertaken by runners who do not have chronic shin, knee, hip or back problems. If you have any of these problems, disregard this section.

Hill running can be done in two main ways. If you have a nice, smooth, relatively short hill (100-200 meters) with a slight gradient (but not too steep!) nearby, you can use it to do occasional interval runs. You will run these emphasizing a smooth, powerful swing, raising your knees a bit higher than on the flat, and bending slightly forward at the hips. The pace will be slower than your faster interval runs on the flat. The rest period is a very slow jog down the hill to where you began.

Running hills can also be done over longer distances at slower paces. If you have local courses that include stretches of uphill (a half mile to a mile), add them to your running schedule every week or two. Run these longer stretches at a pace that is 30-60 seconds slower than your desired per mile race pace. Hill running in these ways will build strength in your legs, increase endurance, and make those dreaded hills in races more manageable.

3. Sustained Runs. If you want to run a 10K at a six or seven minute per mile pace, you must adapt, or become relatively comfortable at that pace. You can't go out and run a 10K time trial every Wednesday or Thursday because it would eventually exhaust you. You can, however, run a portion of that distance at desired race pace or slightly less and receive considerable benefit. To do this, you need a course that has some accurate mile markers on it. The canal is a good place, as is Hains Point. The bikepath that runs past National Airport toward Mt. Vernon also has mile markers.

Sustained runs for the 10K runner are usually two, three or four miles. You can put them in the middle of a longer run of six to eight miles using at least a mile to warm up. If your goal is a 10K at seven minutes per mile, then do your sustained runs at around the following paces: for two miles, 6:50 pace; for three miles, 7:00 pace; and for four miles, 7:10 pace.

If you can run three miles in practice at race pace, you can usually do it in a race of six miles. Sustained runs help you to learn to run at your new pace, they build endurance and confidence, and they will help you keep your form in a race.

Here is a quick summary with a few more principles thrown in:

1. Have a good aerobic base of 20 to 30 miles per week;

2. Set realistic goals;

3. Make a written plan that incorporates at least one hard run and at least one long run per week (the long run can be about 25% of your total weekly mileage). This plan should cover a period of eight to 12 weeks. You will begin to see results after about five weeks;

4. Train with friends who are as good or better runners than you. If you do your 'hard' runs with friends, they will be psychologically easier and you will generally run better than you would by yourself;

5. Pick your races carefully. It is better to shoot for a PR on the flat Hains Point course than on a hilly course such as Georgetown.

6. Do not do "hard" training runs if you are injured or if you feel like you have an injury coming on;

7. When you make your weekly plans at the beginning of your training period, pick a three or four "peaking" period. Make a training plan that becomes incrementally more difficult (i.e. if in week 4 you have a three mile training run at a seven minute per mile pace, by week 6 you should be doing the same run at a 6:50 pace, and so on). This three or four week peaking period should coincide with your scheduled races, and should net you a couple of PR's.

Good Luck!

Harry Cross, 55, has been running 29 years. He discovered and coached the silver medal winner in the 1967 PanAmerican Games marathon. More recently, he has coached members of the Rock Creek Running Club, including Kathy Hibbert, the DCRRC Outstanding Runner for 1984. Since becoming a Masters runner, Cross has recorded times of 4:34 for the mile, 16:20 for 5K and 35:04 for 10K. He has a Ph.D in economic history and works for the Agency for International Development as a social science analyst.