School’s Out! Yay! The Track is MINE!

I live within a 6 minute run of a high school and its there that I have done my interval training for several years now. Last winter, I was THRILLED to see that the school was putting in a professional grade surface on their track…grand re-opening in the spring.

Well, spring was crazy and it was tough just getting my distance work done, but now, as I prepare for fall racing season I am totally geared up for intervals on the new surface. Best of all, now that school’s out, I can do my interval training in the early mornings during the week, before it gets really hot.

I run about a half-mile warm up before starting. Then, I run hard – just a little bit harder than my target race pace for about a lap, then walk a lap and repeat. Ideally, I try to do 4, 400 meters at near max pace with 1 lap of walking in between. This workout, once a week improves my comfort level at greater distances, allowing me to maintain a faster pace for longer periods of time.

I also LOVE the Alberto Salazar Improve Your Endurance 1 interval training program in iTunes – great music (WARNING: EXPLICIT) and Salazar really keeps me motivated to push the speed – especially near the end of the workout.

BTW, finishing up with a 10 minute walk around the track and stretching afterwards prevents soreness too. Try it! It’s a sure-fire way to increase your speed during distance runs.

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