Speed is the first layer.
Short, sharp, and honest. The quality that makes every other pace feel lighter underneath it.
§ 01 · What it is
A working definition.
Speed is built from many parts, and there is more than one way to develop it. Combined with care, and never over-done, it is what leaves an athlete bulletproof on the race course.
§ 02 · Ask first
Is your speed functional?
Functionality is partly about being realistic.
Before anything, ask whether the speed you are generating relates to the kind of racing you are preparing for, or whether it is purely imaginary.
When you think about developing speed, you are thinking of sustainable, functional speed. You cannot drag the body kicking and screaming into form by training at speeds you have no business sustaining. Not without the strength or endurance to back them up.
It starts there. Real speed has somewhere to go.
§ 03 · Overspeed
More than one way.
You don’t have to destroy your body to find fast.
Overspeed doesn’t mean lungs on fire and legs on strike. Be creative in how you build it, and enjoy moving fast for minimal effort.
- Swim in a wetsuit and paddles. The boost is real.
- Run short repetitions down a small gradient. Higher cadence, without lactate going red.
- Motor-pace the bike. A weapon we used often in the old squad.
Used sparingly, these methods give the body a memory of what fast actually feels like, without the cost.
Five gears, five speeds.
A swim coach once told me you should have five distinct speeds in your training. It is still the best map of your own capacity I know of. Watch one rep run.
§ 04 · The red zone
If you live there,
you die there.
Touch the threshold. Don’t camp in it.
Athletes have a romantic idea that threshold or FTP means pushing to the top of it. It does not, and it is not wise to try.
If you can touch threshold without ruining yourself, you are developing. Your speed will evolve, and it will hold up. Always zoom out. The question is never what can I do today. It is what can I still do in a year.
§ 05 · Form & cadence
Speed is a by-product.
Form, then efficiency, then speed.
It is not what you do, it is how. And how you do something is effectively your form. Speed is a by-product of form, which is a by-product of efficiency.
You cannot swim, ride, or run fast without it. Swimming wants an absence of tension. The bike wants power and smoothness. The run wants lean angles that let gravity do a little of the work.
Cadence is the partner to form. Your ability to ask the aerobic system to fire, on demand. Without it, there is no speed to draw on.
Use speed like seasoning. Too much and the meal is overwhelmed. The taste is in the restraint.§ Notebook · on the kitchen bench, one Tuesday
§ 06 · Recovery & junk
The shape of a good session.
The best sessions have a clean edge.
One of the key indicators of form is the speed of your recovery. Athletes who recover fast usually race well. So rather than fast/slow, the change point can be fast/medium. A higher aerobic function, better lactate buffering.
And the sessions that don’t serve a purpose, not fast enough for threshold, too fast for aerobic, are the ones to leave alone. Many athletes are guilty of these grey sessions. They leave you with neuromuscular fatigue and a heart that will not fire when asked.
Use speed sparingly, and it earns its place in the meal.
§ Also in Physical