Interval training ?

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Removed User 16 May 2020

I've been doing some interval work lately - a lap around a field takes about a minute and a half, rest one minute and repeat, usually do about 4

I don't know anything about how to progress with this, what would be the likely benefit of cutting the rest period, doing more reps, varying the work distance etc? 

Looking to build up speed over a short distance and improve recovery

 SouthernSteve 16 May 2020
In reply to Removed User:

For 5K and presuming you are running about 6 minutes / mile you are doing 400m repeats. Here is some information from McMillan. I think hill repeats are easier to get done than track or field work for me.

https://www.mcmillanrunning.com/5k-race-week-workouts-fine-tuning-for-your-...

 wbo2 16 May 2020
In reply to Removed User: define your short distance?  If that means 5K what you're doing is ok , but you're only doing about 6 minutes of work and you need to build that up.    Maybe jog a lap slowly (3,4 mins) and do again? 

Hill training is also good but won't teach you to actually run fast.. you need to do both.

I looked at those Macmillan workouts and they're nice workouts and very 'classic' - a short workout for 5k, and an endurance workout for 1500 .  If you were really into 5k though youd need to do some longer stuff.  This can seem complicated,  but it really isnt

Post edited at 08:06
 andyflem 16 May 2020
In reply to Removed User:

Don’t rest as such, by which I mean actually stop running. Run at a sustainable pace then periodically raise it to a sprint, either flat out or somewhere close. Following the sprint drop back down to the sustainable pace and having to recover on the go is where the good work is done.

Run the field and sprint one leg and recover on the other three, assuming its square. You have to tweak the whole thing instinctively as you improve. 

Hill reps work the same. Find a suitable incline. Power up and jog back down, as soon as you get to the bottom turn and power back up. Do ten or whatever suits as a goal.

There is no actual rest as such until it’s all done. This absolutely works for me and gives very noticeable results

 StefanB 16 May 2020
In reply to Removed User:

There are different types of interval training. You can do what you do (short distances on a track + rest), or you can do slightly longer intervals interspersed with some slower recovery running (I find this works best away from a track). Or you can mix it up completely, Fartlek style. Then there are many other options, like hill repeats, or pyramid sessions in which you increase the distance of each interval and then go down again (like, 200, 400, 600, 800, 600, 400, 200). I find it best to mix things up a bit, otherwise, I tire quickly (mentally). 

There is something about going to a track that makes it all feel more serious and makes me work harder. 

If you do track style repeats (say 400s or 800s), it's important to work at a pace that you can maintain. I.e. if you do the first repeat in 1:20 and the last one in 1:45, than you have set of to fast. I like to do time it so that the last one is the fastest but not by much. Get enough rest between intervals to recover, but not too get cold. If it's a cool day keep moving, never sit down at rest.

Always make sure to warm up and cool down properly. The actual work part is fairly short but intense. 

Roadrunner6 16 May 2020
In reply to Removed User:

Vdot calc O2 app will give you pace guides and explains the terminology.

re rest it dependS what you want.

classic threshold work is the pace you can run hard for 1 hour, so for me my 10 mile race pace, and efforts are 25-30 minutes with about 1 min rest per mile. 
 

its all semantics. But for work around your 5k pace or quicker you need matched rest. 
 

here’s the VDot terminology explained: https://vdoto2.com/LearnMore/TrainingDefinitions

Post edited at 12:50
 wbo2 16 May 2020
In reply to Roadrunner6: For reference Jack Daniels advocates more rest between intervals than most other successful coaches I've dealt with i.e. for 5 times 3 minutes he advocates 2 min recovery, most would advocate 1.  But lets not derail this thread .

I'm curious as to the OP's definition of short distance , but am assuming he's out for blood at a parkrun

Roadrunner6 16 May 2020
In reply to wbo2:

Isn’t that the type of workout you are doing?

I generally do LT workouts but have started doing faster shorter stuff. 
 

I read about one in Podium Runner, 600 breakdowns, 600, 400,300,200 with 300m jog recovery, x 2-3. It’s a lot of recovery but I think it’s important for me to run faster than 5k pace. I only do that sort of session occasionally though. I’m only 40 but I’m definitely already losing that top end pace that I never had anyway.. 

 wbo2 16 May 2020
In reply to Roadrunner6: No, it's circa twice the recovery.  If we look at Daniels interval pace , that's for a 10-12 minute race - so kind of between 3 and 4 km... then he's looking at an example of 3 min on, 2 min rest..   He doesn't really do the longer efforts with low rest time, he goes up to threshold running, but I tihnk you know I don't tihnk these are very helpful for most non athletes, dubious for non elite who don't do them on the track and really random for beginners.

Daniels has his own formula - pretty much everyone I've worked with or talked to (and it's a few) has been going for something like , if you're a 5km or 10km racer, based around the premise that if you can't race 5km then you're going to struggle at c-c, 10, road... so....

5-6 * 3 minutes/1 km w/ 1 min rest.  Do it on the track, grass, however, make it hard.  Or similar.. 4 * mile, 2 min rest...

Then alternate weeks something like 3 * (4 *400m), 5 km pace, 100m between 400m's, 400 between sets.

Or 4 - 5 *2km at 10km pace, 200m rest.

So some stuff at race distance, a bit above and a bit below.  I personally could only do 2 proper sessions a week... a third would just be 200m strides

Don't overcomplicate   .  I've spoken to a few <13min 5km runners, they're not fussy, but it needs to be hard.  They don't do many tempo runs tho.....

Removed User 18 May 2020
In reply to wbo2:

sorry should have said I'm training for fast time for say half a mile or less?

 gazhbo 18 May 2020
In reply to Removed User:
 

> sorry should have said I'm training for fast time for say half a mile or less?

Some shorter reps might be better in that case.

 wbo2 18 May 2020
In reply to Removed User:OK! Any idea what you're currently running for 800?  But yes, some shorter reps.   Something like, assuming the field is a square, run 2 sides, jog 2 sides, 4 times.  Jog a lap and do it again.

Before you do this, do a few strides.  They're not sprints, they're like your  1/2 mile running style, 30, 40 metres.  If the hill isn't flat , do them down hill to get your legs used to going fast


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