Running News Daily

Test your speed during this short interval cutdown workout

The key to improving your speed over middle and long distances is to find a balance between building your anaerobic strength and your endurance. Many athletes will use interval training as a tool to improve their speed over a short period. Intervals are essential in getting your body comfortable with being uncomfortable, which can help you adjust to a quicker pace on race day.

An interval workout can be exhausting, depending on the set pace during the reps and the rest between intervals; the goal of this interval workout is to develop your speed by getting your body to feel relaxed at a faster-than-usual pace.

Workout

Before the workout, do a light, 10-15 minute warm-up jog to get your blood flowing.

90-90-90-60-60-60-30-30-30 — all with two minutes walk/jog rest between

The paces on 90-second reps should be around your 5K goal pace. The 60s should be around 90 per cent of your all-out, or one-mile pace, and the 30-second reps should be done at near all-out, or 800m pace. 

This progression interval workout is designed for any middle-distance runner up to 10K. This session can be done on the road, treadmill or track. 

Example for a 25-minute 5K runner:

The 90s @ 4:50-5:00/km, 60s @ 4:10-4:15/km, and 30s @ 4:00/km or faster.

The short two minutes of rest off high-intensity interval training improves your lactate threshold and pain tolerance.

Be sure to push yourself, and maintain proper form when running hard. The workout won’t be a breeze, but it will give you an idea of your middle-distance potential from the mile to the 5K.