Types of Running Workouts

Warm Up and Cool Down

Warm Ups: 

  • Start off with an easy 1 mile - 2 mile warm up or 10 - 15 minutes.
  • Proceed to do anywhere between 4-8 drills form and lite speed drills (examples to follow:)
    • A skips
    • B skips
    • High Knees
    • Butt Kicks
    • Side to Sides, etc.
  • Proceed to do Dynamic Stretches
    • ​Forward leg swings
    • Standing let swings
    • Upright scissor kicks
  • Followed by jumps or strides
  • Commence workout at this point.

 

Cool Down:

  • Between 800 meters to 2 miles or 8-15 minutes. In rare cases, 4-6 miles.
  • Proceed to follow with easy dynamic stretches
  • Proceed with static stretching, holding each stretch for about 30 seconds up to a minutes.
  • Follow immediately with recovery food or drink to replenish fuel source.

 

Threshold: 30-60 seconds slower than race pace.

Do on flat surfaces if possible, avoiding hills. Primary goal is to build consistent extended speed and endurance at your Aerobic Threshold. For example: Your race pace is 5:30 for a 3 Mile course, you will perform your threshold at 6:00-6:30 pace. Best recommended to start at the slower pace (ex. 6:30) and progressively build up to the faster pace within the workout (ex. 6:15) to allow yourself to further stimulate your Aerobic Threshold.

Workouts will run for the given amount of miles/time. You will generally start between 2 miles or 15 min and progressively build up to 8-10 Miles or 60min.

  • Example: 8 Miles at 6:30-6:15 pace.

 

Tempo: 15-30 seconds slower than race pace. Tempo runs aim to increase metabolic fitness. The high intensity helps build lactic acid threshold similar to those conditions in race day.

Generally start at 2 miles or 15 minutes and progressively build up to 4-5 Miles or 28-35 min.

  • Example: 4 Miles at 6:00min pace with the run ending at 24:00 minutes.

 

Intervals: Characterized by bursts of high-intensity running followed by short recovery based on time or distance. The goal is to increase leg speed, allowing muscles to work through their full range of motion, improving elasticity, coordination, and increasing your stride efficiency. 

  • Example: 400 meters with 200-400 meter jog recovery OR 1-2 minute recovery. Usually for 8-12 repeats.

 

Long Intervals: Repeats based on long-intensity followed by recovery based on time or distance. Goal is controlled extended and race speed to simulated race pace intensity cut into small manageable intervals. The goal is to teach the body pacing. The total mileage usually adds up to the race distance (training for 3 miles will equate to intervals adding up to 3 miles)

  • Example: If Race pace is 18:00 for a 5k
    • Example 1: Mile repeats - 3 Times at 6:00 each - Recovery: 2-4 minutes
    • Example 2: 800 meter repeats - 6 times each at 2:55-3:00 minutes each - Recovery: 2-3 minutes

 

Fartleks: Swedish term for "speed play". Vary in speed and intensity in an unstructured manner. Can be done for distance or time by means of marking points, such as cones, trees, the end of the street, etc. The goal is to train the body to recruit muscle fibers when fatigued.

Each intense burst is followed by a short recovery.

  • Example: 3 minutes hard followed by 3 minutes easy (3 on 3 off), 5 times. Meaning the end time would be at 24 minutes.

 

Progressive Runs: Runs that build endurance and strength. Measured by starting out at a firm but controlled pace and progressively getting faster with each lap, mile, or a set time frame. These runs aim to teach the body how to push through discomfort within a stage of fatigue. It also teaches the runner to go out controlled, because if you start out too fast it becomes more difficult to hit your required times.

feel discomfort within the race and helps 

  • Examples if your mile personal record is 5:45 for 1 mile or 19:30 for 3 miles.
    • ​7,7,7 workout 
      • First 7 minutes at 65% (7:45 pace)
      • Second 7 minutes at 85% (6:30 pace)
      • Third 7 minutes at 85%+ (6:30-6:00 or or faster pace)
    • 3 Mile Run
      • First mile at 65% (7:45 pace)
      • Second mile at 85% (6:30 pace)
      • Third mile at 85%+ (6:30-6:00 or or faster pace)
  • For the stronger runners, they would proceed to do a second set of the workout with the goal to match or surpass the first set.

 

Easy Run: 1:30-2:30min slower than race pace.

***MOST IMPORTANT RUNS OF ALL****

They allow your muscles to repair and rebuild, preventing the buildup of lactic acid and keep muscles from stiffening, delaying onset muscle soreness (DOMS).

The goal is to teach the body to actively recover in addition to flushing out and stimulating oxygen and blood flow. 

Give yourself the option to run according to how you feel: If you feel confident and strong feel free to pick up the pace and if you feel tired feel free to back off. However keep the following rules in mind:

  • Exhausting yourself on easy days may lead to further fatigue and injury, ultimately affecting your hard days and ruining the purpose of easy days.
  • You also do not want to go TOO slow. Remember: if you practice running slow, you might get good at it!
  • Sometimes the best recovery is a day off, so don't be afraid to do so if needed.
  • REMEMBER; It's okay to listen to your body. Do not push your body to hit any fast times or mileage on these days. Coach Renato Canova once said: "The training plan should always follow the runner, not the other way around."

 

 

RACE: Races guidelines are simple; while the goal is the race, we cannot neglect our training. Warm up 30min before your race. Normal training race procedures as follows:

  • Warm up = 1M - 2M
  • Event = 600m-5000m OR respective relay legs.
  • Cool Down = 1M – 2M
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