Mediocre Miles: From Beginner to Race Ready- 3 Essential Running Workouts
I’m still new to this running thing, but one thing is for certain. I like planned workouts.
When I first started running it was pretty common for running coaches and my running friends to say “go do an easy run for _ miles” or “go run for ___ minutes at zone 2”. Now, they weren’t wrong, but I feel like that is the equivalent to me telling someone to “go do a total body workout”. There’s just a lot of detail missing.
So your boy likes a little extra structure to his runs. Nothing wrong with that.
In the second installment of ‘mediocre miles’ I want to share with you my 3 favorite running workouts that have helped me build my weekly milage, train for longer runs, and also shave some time.
1) The ‘Couch to 5k’ Workout
This workout was what I did on repeat for the first 3 weeks I started running. I had a good aerobic system from erg and bike work, but my skill of running was very underdeveloped.
The workout:
Perform a movement based warm up and then walk for 5-10 minutes trying to get your heart rate up to 100 beats per minute,
After the warm up, perform 5 minute rounds consisting of 1 minute running and then 4 minutes of walking.
Repeat this 5 minute effort for 5 rounds so that you have accumulated a total workout time of 30 minutes.
Why it works: The goal is to milk the 5 minute interval from 1 minute of running up to 3 minutes of running and then eventually building up to 15-20 minutes of continuous running. This was the workout I did to find my zone 2 pacing and start to get ‘reps’ on my feet.
2) “3+3+3+3”
This is the workout I’ve done on repeat once my easy and long runs started to eclipse 5 miles. I needed something to help increase the miles but also keep me engaged with the workout…because sometimes running is boring…
The workout:
Perform a 3 mile warm up at an easy pace. After the warm up, perform 3 sets of a fast 3 minute run - normally I am running at :30-:60 seconds faster than my upcoming race pace (as I write this I am currently training for an 8.5 mile race, and am running it what the real runners dub their ‘half marathon pace’). Then perform 3 minutes back down at a recovery pace…which tends to be your warm up pace. The goal is to not stop moving…even if you walk…just keep the legs going.
After your 3 sets of 3 minutes on and 3 minutes off, cool down with another 3 miles at an easy pace. The total workout is somewhere around 7-7.5 miles and is a nice ‘sandwich’ style workout to keep you engaged, add some speed, but keep the volume up. I do this workout once a week and enjoy it every time.
3) 1K Repeats
Full disclosure, if you look up ‘running workouts’ this is one of the most common that show up. So I gave it a go and enjoyed it.
The workout:
Perform your usual warm up…then get in to a 1K run (.62 miles) at slightly faster than your (upcoming) race pace. After the 1K is complete. Rest. Literally, either stop moving or walk. I love this workout because you get a true rest period. The true rest is important because you are actively trying to run the 1K interval faster than your race pace.
Here’s the secret: Rest half as long as it takes you to run the 1K. If you look up these workouts, a lot of time they will suggest 1 minute to 90 seconds of rest. That’s great if you’re a sub 3-minute 1K runner….which I am not. My 1K intervals are a touch below 5 minutes per kilometer so I am resting 2:30 between efforts. I typically stop for a minute…hydrate…then walk for 90 seconds.
As far as volume goes on these, I think you can (and should…) customize how many intervals you do based on the distance of your race and where your training volume is currently at. I’ve see people do as many as 18 rounds and as few as 3…I don’t think you can mess it up, aim conservative and increase the interval volume as you continue to train.
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