Interval Training

Benefits
On Track
First Timers
Getting Started
Your Watch is your Friend
Pace Intervals

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Calculating your Pace
Fast Intervals
Recovery
How Many Intervals?
How Often?
Running Together
Making Adjustments
Finishing Up

Benefits of Interval Training

• Teaches you pace - Timing your intervals helps you get a feel for your speed. Your body gets to know different paces and how to maintain a rhythm.
• Increases your speed - It's no mystery. You'll get faster by running faster.
• Raises your anaerobic limit - This is the point where your muscles fatigue at a faster rate. Increase the limit with this speed training and you'll run faster for longer.
• Improves your form - Your body learns to run more efficiently and relaxed while running faster.
• Adds to your endurance - This training also builds your strength and stamina.
• Throws in variety - Mixing some speed with easy runs, long runs and hills rounds out your training.
• Monitors your progress - Record your number of intervals, times and recovery in your running log. Over time you'll see improvements e.g. more reps, faster reps, shorter recoveries, etc
• Boosts your confidence - It's a challenge to pace yourself, run faster or just finish a speed workout. Feel good that you're putting in the effort.
• Prepares you for racing - Learning pace, completing a workout when you're tired all helps you mentally and physically for racing.
• Sharpens your competitive skills - Speed training with others teaches you how to run in a group, when to lead, how to tuck behind and when to hold back. All good skills for your next race.

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Try to do your intervals (also known as repetitions or reps) on a track so you'll know exactly how far you're running. Run your easy laps in the outside lanes and your speed work on the inside lane.

Be mindful of other runners, work together so you're not getting in each others way. When you finish your speed laps move quickly from lane one to the outer lanes or the in field.

If you can't get to the track measure a course on the road or trail.

First Timers to Interval Training

Working out on the track can seem a little scary at first, out there in the open. You might think it's only for speedsters. Not true as everyone's chasing their own goals. Maybe running around in circles seems boring. However, knowing the exact distance and how fast you're running can make your speed training easier. Give it go and work at your pace.

Getting Started

You'll begin with some warm up exercises followed by some easy running (1 to 2 miles). Then run 4-6 x 100 meter strides to get your heart rate up and legs moving quicker. Run them relaxed with good running form and without straining. Walk between each one. Gradually increase the pace of your strides.

Your Watch is your Friend

Your sports watch is a great training partner. Especially if you're working out on your own. Use the timer on your watch to learn what pace you're running for each lap. You'll also need it to track your recovery between reps.

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You run these at a controlled pace. Learning how to pace your intervals takes practice. Finding a balance between running fast but not so fast that you can't finish your workout takes time. You'll get the hang of it as you do more interval training.

You're aiming to run your reps all around the same time (give or take a few seconds). Just like racing you want to maintain a good steady pace for your whole workout. The speed of your reps is near your race pace for 5K or 10K.

Calculating your Pace

To work out your pace you can use your previous training times, races or your goal time. Adjust your pace for each workout to suit how you're feeling, the conditions and how you're progressing. Some days it'll be hit or miss. Relax, you're not a robot. As you improve you may change your pace to a new goal.

Here's an example. Let's say you've run a 5K in 28:00. Minus a minute to get your 3 mile pace (27:00). Divide by 3 to get your mile pace (9:00). Then divide again by 4 to get a pace for 400m (2:25).

Fast Intervals

You'll also run some fast intervals. These are quicker than your race pace but aren't sprints. You'll have quick leg turn over and be breathing hard.

This speed work trains your body to run in oxygen debt raising your anaerobic limit (refer to benefits above).

You'll run fewer of these reps and they are shorter (usually 200, 400 or 800m).

Run them at your 1 mile (or 1500m) pace or as fast as you can keeping the time for each interval similar.

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Recovery

The rest between each repetition is called the recovery. You want to keep moving so your muscles stay warm and loose. Walk, jog easy or do a combination of both.

Generally, you have less recovery for shorter reps, slower paced reps or fewer reps. For fast or long intervals you'll need more rest. Give yourself more recovery if you're a beginner, coming back from injury or a long layoff.

For example, after your 400m intervals walk and/or jog an easy lap to recover. For your longer intervals (>400m) recover with an easy walk and/or jog for at least the same amount of time as it took to run the distance.

How Many Intervals?

The number of intervals you run depends on your fitness and training goals. As a beginner you'll run fewer. If you're experienced and training for a 10K race or longer you'll run more. To prevent injuries avoid increasing the number of intervals as well as your speed. Drop the quantity if you want to pick up the pace.

How Often?

Only do one interval training session a week, especially if you're new to this. It'll help you stay injury free. This speed training places stress on your body and not many runners can tolerate more than this. Experienced runners need to include more easy or rest days if adding another interval workout.

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Joining others for your interval training is a fun way to workout. Have a chat while warming up and encourage each other to keep going. Congratulate your running friends on finishing another workout.

Adapt the training so you're all working at your own pace and not racing. You might begin the rep 5-20 seconds early and let your friend chase you down. Your training partner might run the first 400m of your 800m. Working together somehow makes your speed training easier.

Making Adjustments to your Interval Training

There are days you feel great, others when you're tired. Sometimes the wind is howling, it's raining or very hot. Take advantage of the good days and go for it.

On tougher days make adjustments, cut the number of reps, the length of reps or take more recovery. It's no good beating yourself up if your times aren't great. Think of every interval training session as money in the bank. Getting you closer to your goals.

Finishing Up

Ideally you want to end your interval training feeling that you've worked hard but could do a bit more. If you're dragging yourself off the track you've over done it. When your last rep is much slower than the others you'll need to reduce your early pace next time.

Cool down with some easy running and/or walking. Include some stretching to loosen your muscles and prevent soreness.

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