6 Smart Ways to Add Run SPEED Whilst Avoiding Injury - This Messy Happy

Aug 13, 2025

Intro: This is a quick summary of 6 Smart Ways to Add Run SPEED Whilst Avoiding Injury from This Messy Happy. It’s a great watch — we’re breaking it down so you can try the workout today. Be sure to check out the full video for all the details.

Key Points:

Speed can be added safely by using six progressive methods: Hot Spots, Fastest Last km, Strides, Tempo runs, Fartlek (speed‑play), and a structured kilometer‑repeat session.
The core repeat workout is a 6 × 1 km session that ramps pace: first 2 km at marathon pace, next 2 km at 10 k pace, final 2 km at 3 k pace, with 1 min 30 sec recovery between each kilometer.
Practical, low‑impact ways to add speed on easy runs: insert a short “hot spot” (a faster kilometer) or finish with a “fastest last km”; add 4‑5 200‑m strides after a non‑taxing run; run tempo runs at a “7‑8/10 effort” for 20‑30 min; and use fartlek to vary effort whenever you feel a song chorus or a landmark.

Workout Example (kilometer repeats):

Warm‑up 10‑15 min easy jog.
2 km @ marathon pace – about 4:00 / km.
2 km @ 10 k pace – about 3:45 / km.
2 km @ 3 k pace – about 3:30 / km.
Rest 1 min 30 sec between each kilometer.
Cool‑down 5‑10 min easy jog. All distances are in kilometers; adjust paces to match your current fitness (e.g., if your marathon pace is 4:30 / km, keep the same relative effort for each segment.)

Closing Note: Try the 6‑km repeat or one of the easy‑run speed tricks today, and feel free to customize the paces in the Pacing app to fit your own training. Adding speed safely will keep you faster and injury‑free – keep it fun and keep it moving!