UAN: 175 Article type:--All endurance athletes want greater speed – but few get it. The problem is that most runners don’t fully understand the physiological basis of speed and therefore don’t know how to carry out the systematic training required

It’s not so long ago that speed and distance judgement was regarded as a skill acquired by those prepared to invest years in their running. For a substantial investment of a different kind you can now literally have this expertise on your wrist

Being able to see how fast and how far you're going while you're running is one of the best ways to get the most out of your training and keep motivation levels high. Speed and distance monitors come in different shapes, sizes, prices and levels

This much is true: your genetic make up puts a ceiling on your speed. How many "slow" and "fast" twitch fibres you're born with determines whether you will be a Linford Christie clone or a counterfeit Steve Cram, but that doesn’t mean you’re a

If you want to know exactly how far, and fast, you've run, then a speed-and-distance monitoring (SDM) watch is an essential piece of kit. Timex, Garmin and Navman produce SDMs that use satellites to trace your steps. They're pretty good, but if you

Weight 209gEvaluation Think of the Speed Racer as the more basic alternative to Nike’s Air Sock Flame – which is a brutal thing to say, as Reebok perfected the outsole-free technology that both shoes use years ago. Both shoes have cushioning that

, and itscarbon kevlar midsole plate adds a perceptible smoothness and spring to the forefoot feel of the shoes in which it is used. The F1 High Speed is the fourth Fila shoe to use this plate. The good news is that as an everyday neutral trainer it has an above

Ease into faster running with these introductory sessions:1. Easy fartlekFartlek, or speed play, is variable-paced running that emphasises creativity. During a 30-minute run, choose objects to run to – lamp-posts, trees, buildings, other runners

pace – precisely what many runners do when they run intervals of 800-2,400m. Interval training should be the first weapon in your speed arsenal. Paton and Hopkins found that "supramaximal intervals" (fast intervals that last 30 seconds or less) also led