I started running about a year ago and I really enjoy it. Most of the time I run on treadmills before my workout, but when I can I love to run at parks. My roommate and I had a race my last semester and he zoomed away as soon as I reached my limit. Would appreciate any recommendations.
Edit: Thank you everyone for your responses!
Do you want to increase your burst potential over a shirt period, say 30s-1m, or your potential for longer stretches, say 30m-1h?
I was thinking of a short run for a short race. I really want to impress my roommate the next time I see him. I could run for longer, but that’s for another time when I start being serious about running marathons.
Not a fitness expert by any means, just an enjoyer. But from what you are telling here you need to improve your explosiveness/power. That will make you jumpstart faster to your highest speed. Maintaining it is another issue, but could be done by many means.
To improve your power, I would go with what another user suggested. Do some kettlebell exercises. You can also do some thrusters with dumbbells, or power cleans.
To maintain your speed, I don’t know. I’m not an expert, least in running. But I noticed that the more I lift (in terms of raw weight) the easier is for me to run.
Of course, this is disregarding technique, which is key. You can have the best legs in the world, that without proper technique you’ll get so far. Conversely, if you have the proper technique you don’t need to improve your fitness THAT much.
Is a short race 200m, 400m or 800m+?