Skip to main content

Benefits of Interval Training

Speed work often gets neglected in my training but I can tell when I am at mile 20 if I have done the proper amount of speed work. 

There are some critical things you need to focus on while you are training for a marathon that include tempo runs, strength training, and mileage. There are some classic VO2 max workouts that consists of repeats with a duration of 3-5 minutes. These are awesome to test your fitness and really train how your muscles will feel that last 10 K of the race. 

After you have achieved some goal times and are ready to take it to the next level, do not focus on increasing the length of the workout but focus on shorter distance with sprints as short as 50 meters. Studies have shown that this can change the way your body works on race day. 

There are many different ways that you can incorporate these workouts into your training.

1. Short for Speed Endurance: This is a very important workout because on race day, this will make your feel like you are moving a lot slower than what your workouts consist of. Your body will greatly appreciate the decline in speed.
  • Distance: 150 to 300 meters
  • When: Do these workouts on tired legs. This will help you to run faster when you are really feeling tired at the end of the race
    • Workout options:
      • 8 x 200-meter repeats after a 60-90 minute run
      • Tempo run 4-6 miles then finish at a track 5 x 300- meter repeats with 2 minute rest in between 
      • Effort should be a struggle near the end of each repeat
2. Shorter for Efficiency: Speed = better form & focus on 90% effort and not all out
  • Distance: 80-150 meters
  • When: Do these workouts 1 to 2 times a week after an easy run
    • Workout Options:
      • 6 x 100 meter strides on a flat, even surface
      • Start slower and then accelerate at the finish
      • Walk to recover- you should be out of breath when you start the next set
3. Shortest for Power- Full on sprinting teaches your body to build muscle fibers, including fast-twitch fibers which a lot of long distance runners do not have. These sprints are equivalent to power lifting, so warm up those muscles properly. 
  • Distance: 50-100 meters
  • When: Do the workout once a week
  • How: Start by doing these on hills. They will take some stress off of the legs and reduce the risk of injury 
    • Workout Options:
      • Start with two sprints lasting six to eight seconds up a four- to six-percent grade, taking a full 2:00 between them. Do the workout once a week, adding two reps each time until you hit 10, and gradually lengthening the sprints to 10 to 12 seconds. When that feels comfortable, try less steep hills, and then flat ground.
Happy running,
Kylie

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Strength Training vs Cardio Junkies Debate

As I was pounding away some miles on the boring treadmill, I was thinking. I don’t know about you, but it feels like the fitness world is becoming more and more divided. I get that in life we have different talents and passions. But I feel like there is a war waging and it is getting intense out there. It is a war against weight lifting verses cardio junkies. I feel like these two worlds are growing farther and farther apart. I have a lot of visions, hopes and dreams. One of my aspirations is to merge these two divided groups. I have done a little self-research and I think that it is so interesting the feelings between these two groups. I was talking to some body builders and they pretty much talked about cardio like it was a disease and how they didn’t want anything to do with it. They often expressed their feelings as though people were just wasting their time on those cardio machines. As I talked to some people who only believe in cardio, who said they can go a whole year without

When You Find Yourself in a Failed Workout

I've talked about the marathon a lot before. It is a race that consists of thousands of hours training for, hundreds of miles ran, countless hours of strength training, hill training, speed work, tempo runs, and the list could go on and on. I would like to talk about finding yourself in those rough training days. Whether you are training for a marathon, half marathon, triathlon, or any endurance competition. I know that we have all had them. What do we do? Quit? Give up? Keep pushing through? This can happen on any given training day. Short runs, long runs, speed work or even strength training work. I am a big believer in listening to your body. Do not mistake me here, if you are listening to your body and giving it what it needs, your body will give you more on race day if you respect it during training. There are those training sessions that you need to compete. I usually like to get in three 20-mile runs before a marathon. And some days, you just do not want to run that 20. I

Healthy Treats

Is it just me or does January just stink when it comes to getting back to eating healthy? I feel like I am constantly craving sugar and eating way too many sweets. It is rough getting back on that healthy train. Here are some healthier sweet treats that help me kick that sugar craving. Peanut Butter Rice-Krispies  Ingredients · 4 cups rice Krispies (I like to use Brown Rice Crips ) · ½ cup honey · ½ cup peanut butter Instructions : · Place 4 cups of Rice Krispies in a mixing bowl and set aside · Prepare a baking dish (9X11) and line with parchment paper- set aside · Bring honey to a boil for 1 minute- constantly stirring the honey · Remove honey from heat and stir in peanut butter · You will have a creamy mixture, stir over Rice Krispies until well mixed. · Spread mixture into baking dish and let sit for 1 hour · Cut into squares and enjoy! Snickerdoodle Bites Ingredients : · ½ cup all-natural almond butter · ½ cup pure maple syrup · ¼ tsp vanilla extract · ¼