By Steve Pyle

Here are some training tips that I use, and they've served me well. I've learned them while using my delicate body as the metaphorical guinea pig during 25 years of endurance sport experimentation... and from competitors that go a heck of a lot faster than I do!

n Always follow a hard workout or race with one or two easy training days.

Use a hard day, easy day, training sequence. Always follow a hard workout or race with one or two easy training days. Hard days include a speedwork/interval day, a long run, or a race. Unfortunately, a runner's thought process often goes like this: I had a great day today so I'm psyched to go out and hammer again tomorrow. DON'T DO IT! Your body makes its actual gains in strength and fitness on your easy days or rest days, when you're not applying significant stress. On these days the building process has time to "catch-up" with the demands of the previous tough efforts. Here's a definition of an easy day: Take your best 5k race pace and add 2 minutes per mile, or @ 70% maximum by pulse (Karvonen method). In other words if your 5k race personal record is 18:36, your easy days should be run at about 8:00 minutes per mile.

When you combine the effects of increased intensity and over-distance training, your top end pace will improve. Here are the two essential components which must be integrated into a weekly program for athletes who are looking to improve their race pace:

n Speed

n Endurance

Every 2nd or 3rd training day do a workout that's slightly more difficult than you usually run, The following are several workouts that are stressful enough to coerce your body to adapt to the stress of a new, faster pace:

n Participate in the Weeknight Track Series workout every Tuesday night!

n Run a favorite course at a steady pace 15 to 30 seconds per mile faster than your "average" training pace on the specific course. Allow a sufficient warm-up and cool-down period as you should for any tough workout.

n Do random sections of a route at a faster pace. The fast parts can be any distance from 200 meters to 1 mile. Follow each fast stretch with a recovery at your easy pace. This is what's known as "Fartlek." Record your time on the fast parts by landmarks and look for long term improvement. Always start and finish at an easy pace.

n Stop during a short to mid-distance run and sprint a few hill repeats up a steady grade that will last 30-40 seconds at race pace. Jog very easily back down; repeat when you feel recovered. Run home at a comfortable pace.

n Do a long run weekly, or at least once every two weeks. The long run should be approximately twice the distance of your 'average' run, farther if you are preparing for half-marathon or longer. Your pace for long runs should be 5k PR race pace pace plus about 1.5 minutes per mile. Long runs seem to fit best into a weekly schedule on weekends when you don't have a race to compete in.

n Taper thoroughly for peak performances in important races:

Take 1 or 2 easy days before any race that you're taking seriously. The longer the race distance, the longer your pre-race taper duration must be. Also, give yourself ample recovery time after an especially hard effort before you get back into hard training. And wait until all post-race aches and pains are gone before resuming speedwork or any other fast running.

Here are two important tips for injury prevention:

n Try to do some of your running on soft surfaces like level dirt or grass.Pavement has virtually no shock absorbing quality, so it subjects your body to a lot more long-term wear and tear. Off-road soft surfaces demand more concentration as well as balance. But, any training that improves your kinesthetic sense and coordination is a plus. Your stride will also improve with the higher knee lift demands of trail running, and critical stabilizing muscles will be strengthened. Off-road running may feel awkward at first but stick with it and after a few weeks it will become much more comfortable and natural.

n Make stretching before training, and relaxation during your runs, a priority. The most common cause of muscle tears and other serious injuries are short, tight muscle groups. I often see this problem hit hard in runners over 30 who don't take the time to stretch; keeping their muscles long and supple. Tight muscles also make for a short choppy stride. Try not to carry your daily stress along with you during your runs. Give yourself ample time to stretch and relax before heading out to train!