Challenging Interval Track Workout to Increase Speed

Welcome to latest edition of workout Wednesday when each week I share a running or strength training for runners workout. This week we are heading out to the track for a challenging but fun interval track workout! Let's go!

INTERVAL TRACK WORKOUT

A track is like a highway, the left lane is the fast lane. If you are not running fast, yield to the faster runners and move over to the outside lanes. A standard track is 400 meters or a 1/4 mile from the inside lane. Four times around the track in that lane is one mile. This workout will challenge you through 2.25 miles including a warm up and cool down.

I recommend this dynamic warm up before beginning any running workout. 

Use the rate of perceived exertion chart to determine your effort level as you complete the workout. The intensity goes up as the distance of the interval goes down. The shorter the distance, the harder you are working. Recover with a brisk walk or jog for the same distance as the work interval.

400 meters around the track one time with a light jog to get warmed up
400 meters around the track one time with a hard effort, but not so hard you can't maintain it
400 meters around the track one time with a light jog or brisk walk to recover
200 meters halfway around the track at an extremely hard effort
200 meters halfway around the track with a light jog or brisk walk to recover

That's one mile. Congratulations. 

100 meters 1/4 of the track at an all-out effort on the straights
100 meters 1/4 of the track at a walk to recover on the bends
100 meters 1/4 of the track at an all-out effort on the straights
100 meters 1/4 of the track at a walk to recover on the bends

200 meters halfway around the track at an extremely hard effort
200 meters halfway around the track with a light jog or brisk walk to recover
400 meters around the track one time with a hard effort.
400 meters around the track one time with a light jog or brisk walk to recover

Two miles. Done and done. 

Go ahead and take a victory recovery lap. You're done!

Hard workouts like this one should be followed by a day or two of recovery days or easy runs. Never attempt interval workouts on back to back days. Remember that you get stronger and faster during recovery, not during the workout. For maximum results, always allow your body time to recover and rebuild from tough workouts. Most athletes will benefit from just one or two hard effort workouts per week. 

Give it a whirl around the track and let me know how it goes!

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Coach Lea

Run with Purpose to Reach Your Running Goals

I told one of my running coach clients that we were going to build a running plan so that each run had a purpose. My client said, "But Lea, I already have a purpose for every run: not to die." She's funny, isn't she? While that is a noble objective, if you want to reach your running goals, each of your weekly runs should have a specific purpose. Spoiler alert: The purpose of every run is not to run harder and faster. 

Why do we need a purpose for every run? Because if we don't know what we're trying to achieve, we will never get there. if you aimlessly hit the road every other day for the rest of your life, you will probably improve a little in the beginning (the infamous newbie gains) then level off and never quite get anywhere, running the same paces and distances over and over again. 

Let's talk about the purpose of different types of running workouts.

PURPOSE: TO RUN FASTER

If you want to run faster, it is important to vary your paces. Long and short interval workouts are great for this purpose. Longer intervals (between 3 to 15 minutes or 1/4 to 2 miles) help your body learn to run more efficiently at faster paces. Shorter intervals (30 seconds to 1 minute or 100 -200 meters) helps improve your leg speed. 

Any type of intervals are best for experienced runners who have built a running base of consistent milage for 4-6 weeks. Work at your own fitness levels, do not attempt to hit arbitrary paces from the internet. You will know what 'hard' feels like for you based on how you are breathing and the talk-test. Work at your own level. Coach rant over. 

PURPOSE: TO RUN LONGER

If you are training to run an endurance race, you can start including long runs into your training plan to prepare your body to run long distances. A long run is any run that is one hour and beyond. A long run pace should be a minute or two slower than your 5K pace. You should plan to go slow as you build your endurance. You can work on speed once your body adapts to the longer distances, but to avoid injury, never increase pace (intensity) and distance in the same week. 

I often have to remind myself to go slower in the beginning than I feel I need. You remember that old Beastie Boys song? "Slow and low that is the tempo." Repeat that mantra in your head as you hit the road for your long run. Try to run a negative split, this means that you run the second half of your run faster than the first. Start out slow, if you still feel great at the halfway mark, feel free to pick up the pace a bit and finish strong. 

It's a good idea to increase your long run distance by 10% every two weeks then back off the milage on the 5th week. (Yes, I know may plans do it much faster than this, but it's better not to rush progress in order to avoid injuries.)

PURPOSE: TO RECOVER

Not every run should be fast and long. There is a benefit to running easy runs on a consistent basis. An easy run is one that is less than an hour and can be done at conversational pace. You should be able to run and chat with your running buddy without gasping for air between words or sentences. (My running buddy has four legs, but I still talk to him.)

Recovery runs should be done between hard workouts. If you run intervals or hills on Monday, do at least one recovery run and then a rest day before attempting another hard-effort workout. Recovery runs helps build a running base for overall strength and economy. 

Remember that our bodies adapt (get stronger and faster) during rest, not during the hard workouts. These types of recovery runs (and actual rest and sleep) are essential in order to reap the benefits of hard workouts. 

If you are running hard every time you hit the road, it will be very hard for you to reach your full potential without injuries, burnout and overtraining. 

PURPOSE: PROMOTE GOOD RUNNING FORM

Add strides to the end of your runs two to three times a week in order to promote good running form and train your fast twitch muscle fibers. Strides are short bursts of running for about 100 meters. Start at conversational pace, gradually increase speed, then decelerate at the end. It should be smooth relaxed cadence while focusing on form. While it's fast at a point, it is not an all-out sprint. Recover fully between strides until your heart-rate returns to normal. Repeat 6-8 times. 

Do your runs have purpose? What is the purpose of your next run? Have questions? I'd love to help. 

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Coach Lea

Try Aerobic Power Intervals to Improve Your V02MAX

Welcome to the latest edition of workout Wednesday when each week I share a new running or runner-specific strength training workout! Are you new here? Sign up to receive all the running, strength training and nutrition tips right in your email box each week. 

This week I am sharing an effective workout to train your cardiovascular system. I know you already have a big heart, but this workout will train to give you a bigger heart so you can pump more blood and become a more efficient runner. 

WHAT IS V02MAX? 

V02MAX is the size of your aerobic engine, it's the maximum rate in which your muscles can consume oxygen and the best indicator of your aerobic fitness. You can train to improve your V02MAX with aerobic power intervals. 

THE WORKOUT

V02max aerobic power intervals - Pin for later!

This is an intermediate level workout. You should be fairly comfortable with running before attempting this workout. You should have built up a solid running base by running on a regular basis for at least four to six weeks.

WARM UP

Always warm up before a workout. Here is a dynamic warmup to try before your next run. I also recommend this five minute hip strength workout, then jog for 5-10 minutes before you begin the workout. 

3-5 MINUTES MAX HEART-RATE

The first interval is 3-5 minutes at max or near max heart-rate. The pace should be feel hard, a 9 effort on a scale from 1-10. While it should feel hard, it shouldn't be so hard that you can't maintain the pace for 3-5 minutes. If you know your 5K pace from a recent race, run this interval about 15 seconds faster than your 5K pace. You should be able to maintain a consistent pace throughout the interval. It's tough. Hang in there.

3 MINUTES RECOVERY

Recover with a brisk walk or jog to prevent heart-rate from dropping too much.

REPEAT

There is no set numbers or repetitions. You should repeat until you are fatigued. To start you may just do the work interval two times. 

RECOVERY

This is the most important part of the workout. Always allow adequate time for your body to recover from hard workouts. Do not attempt to do this workout on back-to-back days. Take a rest day, an easy run day or an active recovery day on the day following this workout. Our body adapts (gets stronger and faster) during rest, not during the workout. You will not see the full benefit of hard workouts without adequate rest periods. Got it? Good. 

Give it a whirl and let me know how it goes. 

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How To Break Through a Running Plateau

When you first start running, just making it around the block feels like a big accomplishment...and it is one. Then you successfully make it around the block a few times, build up to a mile without stopping, then three, then six miles and maybe even achieve a half or full marathon (or beyond)! It's just amazing what our bodies can do. What once seemed impossible has become a reality.

But sometimes once you build up your endurance to run longer distances, your progress can stall. Maybe you're not getting any faster anymore. It seems you run the same distances at the same paces and are not improving. You want to qualify for a big race, achieve a new PR, beat your husband (just sayin') or just improve your running for your own satisfaction, but it seems you have hit a running plateau.

It happens to the best of us. Why does it happen? Because we are human. Our bodies are adaptation machines. They are built to adapt to the stresses we place upon them. That is why it seemed impossible to run three miles when you started, but now you can run 13. If you challenge your body (in a safe and predictable manner) it will improve, grow stronger and faster. Once your body adapts to the work you are currently doing, if you don't continue to challenge your body in new ways, your progress will stall.

HOW TO BREAK THROUGH A RUNNING PLATEAU

RUN CONSISTENTLY

If you hit a running plateau the first thing to look at is if you are running consistently. It is hard to improve if you aren't running enough to adapt. To continue to improve you need to run regularly over the long term. That means week after week you are putting in the miles. If you run for two weeks, then take a week off, then run for a week before taking another two weeks off, you won't see much improvement over time. Consistency is the key to success (in everything, not just running!). Before you follow any of the other tips in this post, make sure you have built up a solid running base by running on a regular basis for four to six weeks. If you haven't been doing this, you'll likely see improvements by just running more consistently.

VARY YOUR PACE

Once you are running on a regular basis for a period of time, most people will be ready to start varying their paces. If you run the same paces at every workout, your body will adapt and you will cease to improve. There are two ways I recommend my runners to add in faster paces into their routine. Varying your paces during your workouts can help you break through a plateau.

1. TEMPO RUNS

Tempos are run at a pace often described as "comfortably hard." Notice I am not telling you what pace you should run. Only you know (and your coach if you are working with one) knows what a comfortably hard pace feels like to you. It is just what it sounds like, it should feel hard, but not so hard that you can't maintain it over 3-5 miles. Most people are not able to hold ongoing conversations at this pace (maybe just a few words or a sentence between breaths). It is not a sprint. It is a faster pace than a comfortable pace, not so fast that you are gassed after 500 meters. Play with it. Experiment. Find the pace for you. You may find that you go out too fast and can't maintain it. Slow down, catch your breath and try again. Tempo runs help train your body to run faster with less effort. 

2. FARTLEKS

Fart...what? Fartlek is a swedish word that means speed play. I like Fartleks because they are unstructured and fun! You don't have to try to hit certain paces for a predetermined amount of time. Leave the GPS watch at home at hit the streets for a fun and unstructured interval session. Always warm up before your workout, run at an easy pace for five or ten minutes, then pick up the pace when you hit a landmark, choose another landmark ahead and sprint until you get there.

For example, you may increase your pace as you run from the bottom to the top of a hill. You may start running faster at the park bench and keep going until you reach the red truck. You'll speed up at the brick mailbox and slow down to recover once you hit the stop sign. See how that works? It's unstructured, you pick up the pace based on what feels good, you run slower to recover for as long as you need. You work within your own limits and abilities without trying to hit predetermined paces or distances. It is an ideal for a runner who wants to introduce running intervals into their training plan.

HILL REPEATS

Hill repeats are an excellent way to build running strength and break through a plateau. Find a hill on a moderate incline for about 1/4 mile or one that takes about one minute to climb. Warm up before your begin your workout and run on a flat surface for 5-10 minutes before beginning your hill repeats.

Start at a relaxed pace slowly increasing speed as you crest the hill. Be sure to keep your chest and head up with your shoulders back, eyes looking forward (not at the ground). Lead with your hips as if a rope was tied around your waist pulling you forward. Once you reach the top of the hill, slow to a jog or walk and return to the bottom. Start with 3-4 repeats and increase the reps over time.

In the beginning, it may be enough to just jog up the hill on repeats to break through a plateau. You can run them faster as you get stronger. Always leave yourself room for improvement. Most athletes will thrive on just one or two hill repeat sessions a week.

STRENGTH TRAINING

Have you been running and not getting faster? Strength training can help. Runners who strength train are stronger, faster and less prone to injury. Just 2-3 full body runner-specific strength training sessions a week or 10 minutes a day after your run will make you a more well-rounded athlete. I saw my biggest running PRs after I started strength training.

REST/RECOVERY/STRESS MANAGEMENT

We don't get stronger and faster during those hard workouts. Our bodies actually adapt and get stronger during rest. If you don't rest, you don't allow your body the time it needs to recover so you can run stronger and faster in your next workout. If you are not seeing improvements in your running, take a good hard look at your rest protocol. Are you resting after hard workouts? Are you allowing your body the time it needs to recover? If you push your body too hard without adequate rest, it will eventually break down on you.

We don't train in a bubble, which just means our whole lifestyle affects our running. Are you getting enough sleep (7-8 hours a night), are you managing stress, keeping alcohol and nutrition under control? If you're not sleeping and fueling properly, your body won't have the resources available to make you stronger and faster. 

HIRE A COACH

Are you still stuck? A running coach can help determine your current fitness level and create the best programming to improve your running and smash through that plateau. They can help make sure you progressing properly (not too soon, not too slow) to avoid injuries and make the most effective use of your training time. A coach will incorporate the above strategies tailored to your unique needs to help you meet your goals. Need help? Have questions? I'd love to help. 

We are limited, to a point, by our genetics. Some of those genetic freaks will out-perform us mere mortals no matter how hard we work. However, there is almost always room for improvement unless you are already performing at the highest level (most of us are not). It's just important not to compare our progress and performance with other runners. That's how runners get injured. Go at your own pace. Push your own limits. Don't compare yourself to anyone else except who you were yesterday.

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BAD RUNNING ADVICE YOU CAN SAFELY IGNORE

We live in a wonderful time when all the answers to our questions are at our fingertips. Who was that actor with the face in the movie with the car? You know, that guy. These days we don't have to know or remember much. We can look up anything we need to know in mere seconds. A far cry from the days when my parents had a 20-book encyclopedia set as our only source of information inside the house. Today, we don't even have to type, our BFF Siri has all the answers. I imagine in the future, we will be able to just ask our questions into the open air as we walk down the street and the answers will be delivered instantly to our brains. 

The problem with so much readily available information is that it is left up to us to determine what is valuable and what is garbage. We all know that there's a lot of bad information out there. Some of it is well-meaning but misguided, some it outdated and some of it outright lies designed to mislead us. I'm here to help you sort through some of the bad running advice. Here is my list of bad running advice that you safely ignore. 

GO HARD OR GO HOME

There seems to be a push lately for hard-core training. Go hard or go home. While hard-core determination or hard-core commitment is to be admired, don't confuse it with the intensity of your training. Your training program should be a mix of high intensity and low intensity workouts. In fact, a schedule of nothing but high intensity workouts will quickly lead to overtraining, burnout or worse, injury. Rest and recovery is as important in your training schedule as those high intensity days. In fact, most athletes will thrive on just one to two high intensity days per week. Be sure to schedule easier, enjoyable, lower intensity runs into your training cycle. A better piece of advice is to run hard on your hard days and run easy on your easy days. Runners often make the mistake of running too hard on easy days and not hard enough on hard days. 

PUSH PAST PAIN

Never ever (ever!) push through physical pain. Physical pain is your body's way of communicating to you that something is wrong. If something hurts, stop running before you make it worse. Sometimes we just need rest to heal, but if you keep pushing through physical pain, you can make it worse and put yourself out of commission for even longer. The important thing is to learn the difference between physical pain and discomfort. Better advice is to push through feeling tired, push through the burning sensation in your muscles, push through heavy breathing and mental discomfort, but never push through physical pain. I wrote a post on how to tell the difference between pain and discomfort. 

RUNNING IS BAD FOR YOUR KNEES

Ahh, my favorite piece of bad running advice. It often comes from well-meaning people who think they are trying to help. When Grandpa or a co-worker offers up this piece of bad advice, I assure them I am taking proper precautions to avoid any problems. The truth is a bad training plan can be bad for your knees. Runners who increase their mileage too quickly, run too fast for their abilities, don't rest enough and don't strength train may have knee (or other) problems. If you train responsibly, increase your mileage and intensity at the proper rate, include strength training and listen to your favorite running coach (that's me), then running is not bad for your knees. Bad training is bad for your knees.

PERFORM STATIC STRETCHING BEFORE RUNNING

Not long ago it was common practice to recommend static stretching (holding stretch for 30 seconds) before workouts. Today we know that stretching before you workout can actually hinder performance. A more effective use of time before your workout would be to perform a dynamic warm up to move the joints through the full range of motion. Here is a quick dynamic warm up to try before your next run. Better advice is to save the static stretches for after your runs. 

RUN FAST IN THE BEGINNING TO BANK TIME IN THE END WHEN YOU'RE TIRED

This doesn't work. It doesn't work on your long run and it certainly doesn't work on race day. Even if you feel great in the beginning and running faster than usual or planned, it is good idea to slow down in the first half of your run to a sustainable pace. If you feel great after the first half, feel free to pick up the pace and finish strong. It never works the other way around. You can't bank time in the beginning to finish strong. Better advice to always work towards achieving a negative split, this means you run the second half faster than the first. Trust me on this one. 

YOU HAVE TO RUN A CERTAIN PACE TO BE A REAL RUNNER

My personal pet peeve is when someone tells you that you have to run at least a (insert arbitrary pace here) mile in order to be considered a real runner. I call BS! If you strap on a pair of running shoes and hit the road, if you're out there, you're a runner. Period. If you take walk breaks, you're still a runner. The great thing about the running community is that they are largely supportive. I find the jerks and naysayers are often on the sidelines voicing their opinions while not even doing it themselves. Better advice:

““If you run, you are a runner. It doesn’t matter how fast or how far. It doesn’t matter if today is your first day or if you’ve been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run.””

— John Bingham

YOU CAN EAT WHATEVER YOU WANT, YOU'LL JUST RUN IT OFF 

We don't train in a bubble. Everything matters. Your nutrition directly affects your running performance. If you consistently eat like crap, it will catch up with you. That's not to say there isn't room in your diet for treats and indulgences, but if you want to look, feel and perform your best, nutrition matters. The old adage is true, you can't out train a bad diet. Better advice is to eat to perform. I wrote a post about why sometimes you gain weight while marathon training and how to avoid it.

YOU SHOULD CARBO-LOAD BEFORE YOUR 5K

If you're looking for an excuse to eat four servings of pasta, I'm sorry to tell you that your upcoming 5K isn't it. Carbo-loading can be a an effective tool for long distance runners who need to increase their glycogen stores before an endurance race. Even then, a more effective strategy is to slowly increase carbs in the days leading up to race day. Better advice to fuel for a 5K is to eat proper portions of a mix of high quality carbohydrates, fats and protein most of the time to look, feel and perform your best. 

YOU CAN REST WHEN YOU'RE DEAD

Rest is as important in your training cycle as your workouts. You get stronger and faster during rest, not during the workout. If you never rest, you never allow your body the time it needs to repair, recover and build. You will eventually stall your progress if you don't rest. You'll risk overtraining, burnout and injury. Resting isn't laziness, it's an important part of the plan. Better advice is to schedule rest days into your training cycle. You can walk, stretch, foam roll or do other low-intensity activities on rest days, but don't neglect them. 

SAVE MONEY BY BUYING YOUR RUNNING SHOES ONLINE

When you're a new runner your local running store is a valuable resource available to help you start your running journey. The employees at these stores are knowledgeable runners and coaches that can help you choose the correct shoe for your individual needs. You shouldn't buy shoes because of their pretty colors, you need to buy the shoes that will support you in the unique way that you run. You can test out the shoes before you buy them and have access to a coach or knowledgeable associate to ask questions. Choosing the right shoe is an important decision. You will pay a little more at a local store than buying last year's model at a discount website, but by supporting your local running store you help support your community and the businesses and families within them. 

What's the worst running advice you've ever received?

Need help with training or nutrition? I am accepting new in-person clients in Fort Worth and online nutrition clients. Let's chat about your goals and how I can help you achieve them. 

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Coach Lea