How to Track Your Speed Training Progress Like a Pro

What’s good people!

Welcome to today’s Speed Brief, where we dive into the essentials of athletic performance, helping you run faster, train smarter, and stay injury-free.

In today’s newsletter:

• On Your Marks: We explore the metrics of speed training that most athletes overlook—and why they matter more than you think.

• Set: Discover the four key metrics you should be tracking in your speed training and how to use them to improve performance.

• Go: Learn how to create your own Training Progress Journal and start tracking your speed progress today. Plus, grab a free Training Progress Tracker to make it even easier!

🏁 On Your Marks: The Hidden Metrics of Speed—Are You Tracking the Right Progress?

When measuring speed training, most athletes reach for one tool: the stopwatch. But relying solely on race times can leave you blind to real progress happening beneath the surface. The truth is, speed development is about much more than just faster finishes—it’s about the efficiency of your running, how well you recover, and how consistently you maintain your pace.

Why should you care? Because speed is a complex combination of factors that all feed into your race-day performance. If your split times are improving but your overall race time hasn’t budged, this signals that your ability to maintain high speeds over longer distances is increasing. Similarly, if your recovery time between intervals is shortening, it means your body is adapting and getting more resilient. These improvements are the building blocks for faster race times down the road.

Tracking these metrics also serves as a roadmap for guiding your training. If you notice that your split times are slowing down over longer runs, it could mean your endurance or ability to maintain top speed is declining, which tells you where to focus your efforts. Whether it’s increasing your stamina or refining your stride, identifying weaknesses in these areas allows you to make targeted improvements instead of guessing.

This continuous tracking helps you compare where you are now to where you’ve been in the past. Imagine you're a 200m runner, and you see that your split times today are slower than they were last season. That’s a red flag that your ability to sustain speed has decreased. Armed with this knowledge, you and your coach can pinpoint the reason and adjust your training accordingly. Speed progress isn’t one-size-fits-all—it’s about constantly measuring, adjusting, and optimizing based on what the data is telling you.

In the next section, we’ll dive into the four key metrics you should be tracking and how to implement them in your training.

⚡ Set: The 4 Metrics That Matter Most for Speed Progress

Now that you know why tracking more than just race times is crucial, let's look at the four key metrics you should focus on to measure and improve your speed training. Each of these will give you a deeper insight into your performance and help guide your training adjustments for better results.

1. Split Times

Split times reveal how fast you’re running specific sections of your workout or race. Tracking these over multiple intervals or distances helps you see whether you’re improving your ability to maintain speed. If your splits are consistent, it’s a sign that your pacing and endurance are strong. On the other hand, if they drop off significantly, it could indicate you need to focus on improving your stamina or pacing strategy.

How to track: During interval sessions, log the time for each rep and analyse how your times change as the workout progresses. Consistent splits mean your endurance is solid, while a sharp decline may signal areas to work on.

Example: If you’re running 6x400m intervals and your first few are all under 1:30, but your last two drop to 1:40, it’s a sign that fatigue is affecting your ability to maintain speed. This could suggest a need for more endurance work or better pacing.

2. Recovery Time

Recovery isn’t just about rest; it’s a key indicator of how well your body adapts to training. Shorter recovery times between intense efforts indicate improved conditioning and resilience. If you notice you’re recovering faster between sprints or intervals, it’s a sign that your body is becoming more efficient at clearing lactic acid and recharging energy stores. However, recovery time is heavily influenced by the intensity and duration of the sprint. For example, full-out sprints at max effort will naturally require longer recovery periods, while sub-maximal or percentage-based efforts will require less.

How to track: Time how long it takes for your heart rate or perceived effort to drop back to a normal range between hard efforts. Over time, aim for faster recovery, showing improved conditioning. Be sure to account for the intensity of each sprint when analyzing recovery times.

Example: If after a set of 100m sprints run at 80% effort, it used to take you 2 minutes to feel ready for the next rep, but now you’re recovered and ready in 1:30, it’s a strong indicator that your conditioning is improving. Just remember, the higher the effort level, the longer the recovery should be.

3. Stride Length and Cadence

Your running form plays a major role in speed, and two of the most important metrics are stride length (how far you cover with each step) and cadence (steps per minute). Increasing your stride length while maintaining or even increasing your cadence means you’re covering more ground without losing efficiency. It’s a sign of improved speed and power.

How to track: If you don’t have access to GPS watches or stride analysis tools, try recording your runs with a smartphone or camera. Watching your form over time can help you spot changes in stride and cadence. Look for smoother strides and quicker turnover.

Example: By filming your sprints and comparing them over a few months, you might notice your stride has become more fluid and your turnover quicker. This would show that your running form and power have improved, contributing to better speed without needing fancy tools.

4. Perceived Effort

Sometimes the best metric is how hard the workout feels. Tracking your perceived effort, especially during speed workouts, can reveal if you’re becoming more efficient. For instance, running the same pace at a lower perceived effort means you’ve improved your running economy—your body is using less energy to maintain the same speed. Naturally, individual sprints may feel harder as the session progresses, so logging perceived effort for each can provide deeper insight.

How to track: Rate each sprint on a scale of 1 to 10 based on how difficult it feels. Compare these ratings against your pace to see if you’re getting faster with less effort. Also, track your perceived effort over the course of a workout to monitor how fatigue builds.

Example: If your first 400m sprint feels like a 6/10 effort and your last one feels like an 8/10, but the pace remains consistent, it’s a sign you’re maintaining speed as fatigue builds. If the same effort level starts producing faster times over time, it shows increased efficiency.

Bringing It All Together: Tracking these metrics over time will give you a clearer, more complete picture of your progress. By consistently monitoring split times, recovery, stride length, cadence, and perceived effort, you’ll know exactly where you’re improving and where your training might need adjusting. Instead of waiting for race day to evaluate your progress, you can make small, targeted changes throughout your training cycle.

🚀 Go: Create Your Training Progress Journal in 5 Minutes

Now that you know which metrics to track and why they matter, it’s time to put this into action. A great way to start is by creating a simple Training Progress Journal where you can record these key data points after each session. It doesn’t need to be fancy—just a notepad, a document on your phone, or even a spreadsheet will work.

Here’s how to set it up:

1. Set up a column for each metric: Make separate columns for split times, recovery time, stride length (if possible), and perceived effort. If you’re recording runs, add a space for notes on stride/cadence so you can document any changes you notice when watching the video.

2. Log data during and after your workout: During your rest periods, jot down key metrics like how hard each sprint felt (perceived effort) and your split times. You can even tell your coach immediately after a sprint if you prefer. This helps ensure the details are still fresh. Once the workout is over, make additional notes on overall performance, recovery time, and any changes you noticed in form or cadence.

3. Review your progress weekly: At the end of the week, take 10 minutes to look over your journal. Compare your times and recovery rates to see where you’re improving. Are your split times more consistent? Is your perceived effort decreasing at the same pace? Use this information to adjust your next week’s training, focusing on weak areas.

By continuously tracking these metrics, you'll see a fuller picture of your speed development and know exactly where you need to focus your efforts. The best part? This method is entirely customizable, so you can track what matters most to your specific goals.

Bonus: To help you get started, I’ve created a free Training Progress Tracker spreadsheet! You can click here to make a copy and start using it to track your workouts today.

That’s it for today’s Speed Brief.

If you found this email helpful, please share it. I’ll be back with another edition of this newsletter next week.

Have a great weekend.

Liam

TSP

www.thespeedproject.com