Both have their benefits. Essentially, short, fast runs build speed, while long, slow runs build endurance. "The only reason to go short and fast is to get faster," says Mindy Solkin, owner of The Running Center in New York City. "If you're running just for general fitness and health, I don't think you need to run short and fast."

Even so, running for speed, Solkin says, can be a good way to break up monotony and focus on your biomechanics (your form tends to improve when you run faster). Remember, however, that even when you speed up, you should still be running aerobically-that is, at roughly 70 to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate. Run faster than that, and you're exercising anaerobically. Your body's working too hard to process oxygen efficiently. You'll know you're running anaerobically because you won't be able to maintain that speed for more than a minute or two, and you'll be out of breath.

If you're running to lose weight, however, stick to LSD: long, slow distance. "You burn more calories from fat when you go slower," Solkin says. At faster paces, you burn more calories overall, but more of those come from carbohydrate, your main energy source, she says.

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