Base/Easy/Long

Purpose: Build aerobic endurance by changing your muscle fiber density, develop long term energy systems, building powerful cardiovascular and pulmonary engines, and strengthening your connective tissues.

Technique: Start with a short, gradual warm up for the first mile or so.  After warming up, keep the pace relatively easy where you can comfortably carry on a conversation.

Recovery

Purpose: Increase fitness by running in a pre-fatigued state.  This workout generally follows a longer, more intense workout.

Technique: Start with a short, gradual warm up for about 10 minutes.  After warming up, keep the pace relatively slow.  If you feel like you are not gaining any benefit by running this pace, you are at the right speed.  There is no such thing as too slow.

Strides

Purpose: Improve neuromuscular coordination

Technique: Towards the end of an easy run, add 2-8 short, fast pick-ups of around 100 meters.  This is generally 15-30 seconds in time.  From an easy pace, accelerate smoothly to 85-90% effort, then hold at this level, focusing on good form.  Return to an easy pace and wait for a full recovery before beginning another.  Strides can also be used after a 10-20 minute warm-up before a race or other speedwork.

Example: 60 min easy + 6 strides

Hill Repeats

Purpose: Build strength and endurance, improve running form

Technique: Start at the base of a longer, moderately steep hill, run up @ an easy to moderate pace similar to long run or slightly faster for 1-3 minutes. Recover back down hill at an easy pace and repeat.

Example: 8 x ¼ mile hill

Hill Springing and Bounding

Purpose: Through the use of plyometric exercise, build muscular strength

Technique: Start at the base of a longer, moderately steep hill, run up @ an easy to moderate pace similar to long run for ½ the length of the incline.  For the remainder of the hill, Spring (up) or Bound (out) while only using enough forward momentum to keep you going.  The pace will slow down, but that is normal.

Fartleks (Swedish for “Speed Play”)

Purpose:  Increase aerobic capacity

Technique: Over the duration of a workout, run varying intervals of a faster running from 30 seconds to 3 minutes and easy paced running of similar Faster paced running to be at VO2max pace or slightly slower.  Easy pace should be slow enough to provide adequate recovery.

Example: 15 min warm up, 6 x 3:00 @ VO2 Pace with 3:00 recovery, 15 min cool down

½ Mile & Mile Repeats (or Intervals)

Purpose Increase aerobic capacity

Technique:  After a 1-2 mile warm up, run segments of ½ mile or 1 mile at VO2max pace or slightly slower.  In between each of these segments, recover for up to the duration of the faster segment.

Example: 6 x Mile @ VO2 Pace with 4:00 recovery

Progression

Purpose:  Become accustomed to running at increasing levels of fatigue

Technique:  Over the duration of a timed run, gradually increase pace 15-30 seconds per mile or can be broken up by segments such as thirds where each segment is a minute or so faster than the previous.  Final mile(s) of progression runs should be in the tempo pace range or slightly slower.

Example: 60min Progression Run

Tempo

Purpose:  Increase lactate/ventilatory threshold

Technique:  Over the duration of a timed run, include 1-2 segments of up to 20 minutes at Threshold pace or slightly slower with 5 minutes or more of recovery between segments.  Tempo runs can also be done in interval form similar to repeats above except done at Threshold pace and with about half the amount of recovery.

Example: 2 x 15min @ Tpace – 5 min recovery between

Race Pace

Purpose:  Increase efficiency of running at goal race pace

Technique: Run at an easy pace, then at race pace for the designated amount of time, generally 2-6 miles in distance.  This may also be included during a long run or as 1 or 2 mile repeats to practice running at race pace with fatigue.

Example: 90 min with 4 mi @ Race Pace