Last Updated on June 28, 2017 by Kimberly Stroh
Disclaimer: I received the Disney Pixar x New Balance Cars 3 for review. All opinions are my own.
“Speed. I am Speed” is the infamous line from Disney Pixar’s Cars movies. Everyone loves the rush of going fast and it’s no different for runners. We love the wind in our hair as we run down a hill, a race photo with both feet off the ground and a new PR. The Disney Pixar x New Balance limited edition collection embodies everything we love about the movies through design.
The shoes pay homage to the fast hot rods in Cars 3 and the Vazee Pace model is an award – winning light weight trainer. My Husband loves the “bounce like” feeling that the performance shoe provides. The upper mesh provides stability through the arch and toes without any constriction. New Balance provides great cushion, in the Vazee Pace v2 model, plus durability to outrun the competition for distance training.
My son’s favorite features of the Disney Pixar x New Balance Cars 3 collection is the designs. There are several design touches that nod back to the Cars 3 inspiration. There’s race check details, a flame stripe on the side of the sole and hot rod colors. As a Mom, I feel confident that these will stand the test of time as he runs and plays. Plus, it’s great to know he has the support his foot needs as he grows.
Since Lightening McQueen loves to go fast, I rounded up the BEST running tips for speed training. There’s an old saying in the running world, “if you want to run fast, you have to train fast” and that’s exactly what Lightening McQueen does in Disney Pixar Cars 3.
3 Basic Speed Training Tips
Engage Your Fast – Twitch Muscle Fibers
Practicing a stride workout is an easy way to fire up fast-twitch muscle fibers. They power your speed workouts. After one or two of your regular old runs during the week, find a flat stretch of road and accelerate for 15-20 seconds. Once you approach top speed, gradually decelerate back down to a jog. I love to use a stop watch to time my speed duration.
Practice Fartleks
Essentially, a fartlek is a series of faster pickups with a recovery interval in between. It literally means “speed play” in Swedish. I practice this in my neighborhood. Try picking a mailbox that is a few houses away and run at a quicker pace to it. Then you can recover for a short period before repeating multiple times. Grab your kids and let them join in. They love picking an object and “racing” you there.
Go Up Hill
Hills. Not my favorite. As much as runners loathe hills, if you practice running up a hill you’ll be faster on flat ground. Hill repeats are a great way to cross train for speed. You’ll get stronger going up hill and that will directly translate to your normal training sessions. It seems so simple, but you have to find the motivation to run hills. That requires some mental fortitude.
If you start adding a few of these basic speed drills into your regular training sessions, you’ll be faster in no time. My son loves to run fast and he’s an awesome training partner to keep me on my toes.
Visit the New Balance site to purchase shoes from Disney Pixar x New Balance Cars 3 collection. Then, lace up with your new shoes and head to the movies. Disney Pixar Cars 3 is now playing, in a theater near you, at US theater locations.