Why marathoners should do sprint work, sprinting isn't just for short-distance racers

Whether you’re running a 100m dash, a 5K road race or a marathon, you should incorporate speedwork into your weekly schedule. We know that the saying is, “It’s a marathon, not a sprint,” but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do some sprinting in training. Here are a few reasons why you need to add sprints to your repertoire, and a few ways to do so. 

Sprinting helps your speed 

Sprinting makes you faster. Well, duh, right? If it’s so obvious, then why haven’t you been doing sprint work forever? Sprinting in training, even when working toward a marathon, will help you get faster, not just in short bursts, but overall. If you incorporate a sprint workout into your schedule even once a week, you’ll likely see your average marathon pace improve over time. 

Sprinting increases endurance 

This one sounds a bit counterintuitive. After all, “sprint” and “endurance” seem like polar opposites. You’re not going to be able to sprint for very long, no matter how hard you train (there’s a reason Usain Bolt and Andre De Grasse only do it for 100m or 200m) but in doing so, you’ll improve your overall running form, which will help you run more efficiently, thereby improving your endurance (at least in theory). You’ll even notice your endurance improve in the sprints themselves, as you’ll be able to go fast for longer in training. 

This newfound speed and improved endurance could come in handy in competitive situations when you’re trying to drop someone mid-race. If you have the speed to throw down a quick surge, you’ll lose them, and your endurance will help you stay ahead of them until you reach the finish.

The best way to start is to introduce hill sprints to your training schedule. You don’t even have to do that many, maybe five to eight short hills (20 to 30 seconds of uphill sprinting) per session, but the benefits will be huge. You’ll be used to running fast in tiring situations, which will take you far in racing. 

Improve your sprint finish

Everyone wants to finish strong in races. If you practice sprint training, your body will know how to react when you want to kick to the finish line. To practice this, add a few strides (short sprints of 100 m or so on flat ground) to the end of your workouts. You’ll be running on tired legs, and in doing so, you’ll grow accustomed to sprinting after 20K, 30K or even a full marathon. Try six to eight strides at the end of your next long run, gradually picking up the pace until you hit about 80 per cent of your maximum speed.

posted Wednesday February 8th
by Ben Snider-McGrath