Ken Mierke and Joe Friel write: Imagine racing stride for stride with a runner who is just a bit stronger than you. With heart rate redlined, breathing right on the edge of being out of control, and legs burning, you know you won't last much longer at this speed. The road turns downhill and you squirt forward as if propelled by a rocket-booster, gapping your stunned opponent. By the end of the downhill, you have a 20-yard lead, heart rate and breathing have returned to sustainable levels and your legs feel bouncy again. This doesn't have to remain a fantasy.

Run economy is an often overlooked aspect of a proper training program, mainly due to lack of technical knowledge. Along with VO2 max and lactate threshold, economy is one of the three pillars of running. Utilizing your energy in the most efficient manner possible is the key part of speed progression. Simply put; the more fluid and graceful you are, the less oxygen you will be using as you run.

Despite what most runners and their coaches believe, technique plays an enormous role in sustained fast running. Most runners' subscribe to one of two basic paradigms of propulsion. Unfortunately, both are flawed. One creates more upward propulsion than forward and the other isolates a relatively small, weak muscle group instead of harnessing a number of muscles to work together to produce propulsion. Learning to use large muscle groups to create horizontal propulsion with minimal vertical oscillation will help you run further and faster.

A healthy dose of hill running should be included in your workouts each week. Hill work is some of the most productive training you can perform. There is no doubt that runners who regularly hit the hills get faster. However, you should vary your hill routines, throughout the season just as you should vary your training. Because hill work is more stressful, progression is important.

Ultra-running: Dean Karnazes Transcript
March 4, 2005