Speed v. Consistency — Who wins?

Brian Martin
Aug 9, 2017 · 2 min read

Doing my first tempo run this morning in, honestly probably a few years, was very rewarding. Not only was it a great way to spice up my mileage with the marathon, but it gave me the chance to purposely be a little speedy during a training run. But that got me thinking…does it really matter your speed when it comes to the marathon? Or is it about consistency?

The honest answer is that both are important aspects to any training program (and to life really). You want to be as quick as possible, as often as possible. Digging a little deeper though, I think that consistency is the real winner in a long-term goal like a marathon.

It’s great to be fast sure, but if you are not consistently practicing being fast, then on the day of the marathon, it’s going to be pretty difficult for you to be prepared to be fast and consistent throughout the course of the race. That consistency is key, and it is a key to many of the physical changes that take place when adopting a distance-running goal (from the 5k to the ultramarathon). Your body, over time, becomes more fit from a cardiorespiratory perspective. Your resting heart rate typically decreases, and you may feel more tired, but your body is improving at even the cellular level due to increased ability to carry oxygen around to major parts of your body.

Consistency is doing the same thing over and over again until you have established some type of routine. Including a speed aspect to that routine will still help you with getting faster…but if your goal is to go the distance, then speed is not the focus. Rather, being consistent with the mileage and the training you are doing, will ultimately bring you to the finish line the day of your race (or whatever goal it is that you might be attempting to reach).

Keep running —

Brian Martin

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