Faster than a Speeding Runner - Intervals

So you've run for several months now, doing a light jog 3-4 times a week. Perhaps you've also run a few races and had a lot of fun. Sounds good to most. But I think you may be more like me. You want more. It may be a faster race time. Perhaps really intense workouts. And maybe you just want to look cool. All very good reasons to start Speed Workouts!

Speed workouts are generally designed to make you faster and to improve your running efficiency. There are many forms of speed training. This post will cover one (I'll post some others as time permits).

Intervals

An interval is where you do a fast, intense run followed by rest. Then repeated many times. Thus the term intervals. Makes sense.

They are a great way to build up your speed over time and can be incorporated into your workout routine. Take note, however, that you should probably only do one speed workout a week. Plus, you want to give yourself a few days rest afterwards to recover (perhaps you can cross train with a low impact sport like swimming or cycling).

Ideally, I like to do my speed work on a track. You can find many schools and universities that have tracks that you can use for free after hours. A typical track is 400 meters in length.

Here is a typical interval session:

• Warm-up: with any speed workout, you want to do some warm-up running to loosen the muscles. I normally do 4-6 laps around the track.
• Run: after you are done with the warm-up, get yourself to the starting line (i.e any starting point) and run a fast run for your desired distance. Note that you are not running to exhaustion! You want to run your distance at a fast pace that pushes you, but remembering you will have more repeats to do shortly.
• Rest: when you complete the first interval, you need to rest. You will likely be tired at this point and will look forward to this. Rest for 2-3 minutes. However, keep walking around to prevent your legs from getting tense.
• Repeat: Like shampoo instructions, repeat is your next step. The question is how many times do you perform the run/rest interval? That is hard to say, but I do less sets when each run in longer, and more sets when they are shorter. More below.
  
• Cool-down: After you've completed all your sets, you want to do an easy job to cool-down your body. I suggest you run as much as you did for your warm-up.

What Distance?

There are various distances you you can run, but here are some typical that I do.

• 200 meter (half track)
• 400 meter (full track)
• 800 meter (2x full track)
  
• 1200 meter (3x full track)
  
• 1600 meter/1 mile (4x full track)

As the distance increases, you average speed will decrease. Remember to start off the at the right speed as you want a constant speed throughout the run and for each interval.

How Many Intervals?

At the beginning of your training season, you want to start off with fewer repeats, build up over the weeks, and then taper them before your race. Usually I would only do 6-8 weeks of intervals during an 18 week training cycle. I often rotate my weekly intervals as follows: 1600, 1200, 800, 400, then repeat ( 8 weeks total). The number you do can vary, but here is a suggested level for various distances:

• 1600 meters - 2 - 5 repeats
• 1200 meters - 3 - 6 repeats
• 800 meters - 4 - 8 repeats
  
• 400 meters - 5 - 9 repeats

Hope this helps you on your road to being a faster runner.


Note: Before you start an exercise program please consult your doctor.