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Strong Women
Fast v slow twitch muscle fibres: this is why you might not be able to run as fast as your friend, even if you’re as fit
By Anna Bartter
Updated 2 years ago
4 min read
Struggling to keep up with your mates on a run? Here’s why some of us are better at distance than time, writes Anna Bartter.
Have you ever wondered why some people seem to be able to run so fast? I’m definitely more of a plodder than a sprinter; I’d much rather run for hours than have to sprint up a hill, and let’s just say my Parkrun PB isn’t being smashed anytime soon.
Chatting with running pals, we seem to fall into two camps: the long-distance slogger and the short, fast sprinter. And it hasn’t escaped my notice that sprinters are built very differently from marathoners (elite sprinters and marathoners tend to have different body types). So, is there something in the way we are built that predisposes us to being one or the other?
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