Spice Up Your Running Workouts and Get Faster – At the Same Time!

Being an endurance athlete myself I understand the value of variety in a running program.  If you are having difficulty improving your race pace or are getting bored with just going for a jog try some of these workouts.

Adding some interval training and higher speed running to your program will help provide the little extra you need.

1. Intervals

• 10 minute warm-up jog at an easy comfortable pace
• 3 minutes higher intensity running, slow recovery jog for 1 minute.  Repeat 3 times
• 5 minutes easy recovery jog after the first 3 intervals
• 2 minutes higher intensity running, slow recovery jog for 1 minute.  Repeat 3 times
• End with a 10 min easy cool down jog.
• Total run time: 46 minutes
• NOTE: The higher intensity runs should be outside your comfort zone, they should feel slightly uncomfortable, but you should be able to maintain a steady pace over the entire interval, if you can’t slow down a bit.  Slow right down for your 1 minute of rest but continue to jog.

1. Continuous Hills

• Find a hill that takes about 60 seconds to run up
• Run hard up hill and jog back down right away
• Try to keep recovery jog around 75 seconds (no more than 90 seconds) and relax breathing during that time

The Workout:

• 10 minute warm-up jog at an easy comfortable pace
• 12 minutes of Continuous Hills
• *increase by 2 minutes each workout until you are at 20 minutes
• 10 minute cool down jog

1. Change of Pace

• Can be done on the track, grass, turf, trails, or roads
• Run hard for time indicated, followed by very easy running after, until next hard interval begins
• You run easy for the same time that you ran hard for

The Workout:

• 10 min warm up jog
• 90 sec x 2 (i.e. run hard for 90 seconds, run easy for 90 seconds, run hard for 60 seconds….)
• 60 sec x 4
• 45 sec x 4
• 30 sec x 4
• 10 minute cool down jog

Please consult your physician before starting an exercise program of any type.  Incorporating interval training into a running program is great, but the intensity may be higher than you are used to, therefore proceed slowly and initially only add one interval session per week.