I have been asked to discuss the concept of speed work for this week’s blog,greater number of muscle fibers get activated and with greater power. I would delve into the fast-twitch, slow-twitch fiber discussion at this juncture, but suffice to say that the greater the recruitment of all fibers, the stronger you can become with each stride you take.

Here is the workout: Try 5 to 6 repeats of 10-15 seconds up a hill (don’t worry about steepness at this point). Run each repeat as fast as you are comfortably able to (there’s an oxymoron in there, I know it). At the end of each repeat, slowly WALK back down the hill, then commence with the next one, etc. The best thing about hills is that they are part a run and not just a workout unto themselves. It is preferable to do them in the middle or end of a run as you are fairly warmed up at that point. Once a week is all that is necessary for this ancillary workout, so give it a try if you’re up for something “speedy”!