ARE YOU CONFUSED ABOUT WHAT WORKOUTS TO DO AND HOW TO DO THEM?

Types of Workouts

By Coach Ken Sayles, author of Coach Run Win

When I was beginning my running career and then as a new coach, I was unsure of what workouts to do and when to do them.

In this article I am going to help you understand the different types of workouts you can do to improve your running and racing. I’ll explain how and when to do them in your training cycle or plan.

Long Run:

This run is typically done once a week and constitutes the longest distance done by a runner during a week. The distance itself varies depending on the experience, skill level, and week of the training cycle. For beginners, early in training, it could be three to five miles, and for more experienced runners, it may be six to seven miles. The distances go up a mile or two each week over the first half to two-thirds of a training cycle. The long run becomes deemphasized when peaking and tapering begins. The length of the longest run depends on the race being trained for.

The pace varies, of course, by experience and goals. The simplest explanation of pace is that a runner should be able to carry on a conversation for the duration of the run and not lose their breath. If out of breath, especially early, they are going too fast.

The purpose of the long run is twofold. Physically, it builds more mitochondria cells, which transport oxygen and blood to the muscles. More mitochondria mean more oxygen and more endurance. This physical build-up is a necessary steppingstone to other workouts and other phases. Mentally, it develops toughness and confidence in runners. The longer they go past the racing distance whether 5k or half-marathon, the more confident runners can be in being able to complete that distance.

Medium Distance Run:

As the name suggests, this run is more in the four-to-seven-mile range with a time of thirty-five to fifty-five minutes. The pace is like the long run. It could be a bit faster as long as it remains conversational for the runner. The purpose is also like the long run, both mentally and physically. This run is often done midweek, especially early in the training cycle.

Recovery Run

This run is done in the minutes immediately after the completion of a hard effort, often a speed or tempo workout. The day after a long run can also be a recovery run. These runs can vary from two to four miles and are also at conversational pace. The reality is that right after a particularly hard effort, the ideal pace might be a challenge. I always felt that if athletes could stay within fifteen to thirty seconds of the ideal recovery pace, they were doing fine. The times here may range from fifteen to thirty-five minutes.

Tempo Run:

This is the run in my training cycle. I attribute much of my success as a coach to this one workout! Tempo Runs occur weekly for six to ten weeks, depending on experience and race being trained for. You may see this workout done in a variety of ways: two-mile intervals, continuous twenty-to-thirty-minute runs, one-mile intervals, or 1200 meters. I prefer 1000 meters. It is a very manageable distance both physically and mentally. It can be done in a confined area. Runners can start out with three or four x 1000 with between 1:00- and 1:30-minute rests, depending on ability and background (more on calculating this later). Eventually, runners advanced to eight to ten x1000.

The pace is key. The paces are twenty-four to thirty seconds a mile over three mile/5k race pace over 82–87 percent of max heart rate. The rest between each 1000-meter interval is short to prevent full recovery, which is the desired training effect. The purpose of the workout is to increase the anaerobic or lactate threshold of the runners. Done at correct paces over two months, this workout allows runners to race faster and longer and do shorter speed workouts with less rest and more volume at higher paces.

Traditional Race Pace Workouts

Here, I am referring to a variety of workouts characterized by working at, or under, three-mile/5k race pace. Examples include 4×1 mile, 6×800 and 12×400, with equal rests. These workouts are hard and a couple of days of rest/recovery are necessary afterward. I have come to believe from research and experience that these workouts are productive for five to seven weeks but probably not much more, especially if you race frequently. They become too tiring.

In conclusion, you now know the key types of workouts to incorporate into your plans and when and how to do them.

For more detail on how to create a training plan and to calculate paces see my website, www.trainrunwin.com and my award-winning book, Coach Run Win.