Run Build-Ups

Run Build-Ups are controlled sprints where you gradually speed up over a set distance and then slow down. They teach your body to move through every running gear without slamming the gas pedal. Use them as part of a warmup or to finish a session.

Start on flat ground with room to run at least 40 to 60 meters in a straight line. Stand tall with your feet under your hips and your shoulders relaxed. Let your arms hang naturally at your sides.

Begin at a slow jog. Over the next 20 to 30 meters, shift into a run and then into a fast, smooth stride. Hold that top speed for only a few seconds. Then ease back down to a jog and stop. Turn around and repeat.

Breathe through your nose and mouth as you pick up speed, keeping your core gently engaged. To make it easier, shorten the distance or top out at a light run. To make it harder, add more reps or extend the build-up distance.

Fault: You explode to top speed right at the start. Fix: Treat the first few meters like a slow car rolling onto a highway, adding speed smoothly in stages.

Fault: You tense your shoulders and clench your fists. Fix: Keep your shoulders low and your hands loose, as if you are holding a pair of potato chips without crushing them.

Fault: You reach your fastest point and immediately stop or slow to a walk. Fix: Carry the top speed for a few strides, then glide back to a jog so your body has time to absorb the change.