Track Workouts; most people shutter, cringe, cry, shake with fear, flee, build a post-apocalyptic underground bunker and hide, etc. I know that some may think that escalated quickly, but I like to think it’s pretty accurate. May it be the monotony of running laps around a small circle, the intensity, or the constant monitoring of a watch, it just seems like everyone will do almost anything to avoid Track Workouts.
Track Workouts are necessary for runners training for any distance of race: 1 mile, 5k, 10k, half-marathon, marathon, and even ultras.
Track Workouts are very important to building speed, though. Unlike a tempo/LT run, Track Workouts are a type of interval training, a discontinuous series of high and low intensities. This type of training focuses more on pushing muscles to their limits over a shorter period of time before offering a short rest periods. A Track Workout utilizes these basic principles and incorporates them with, you guessed it, a track.
The track provides runners with many benefits: the ability to properly pace, effectively increasing speed, and increasing overall athletic ability. This type of workout is necessary for all runners because of these reasons. It should not be taken lightly, however; Track Workouts require planning, consistency, and perseverance. My high school cross country coach always had a statement that she would share before and during track work.
“I’d rather you be a few seconds slow and hit the same split every time, then miss each split by a different amount.”
Consistency is the most important part of the workout. Running at an elevated pace (usually faster than race pace) for a short period of time over and over trains the body to control the pace at which it runs, while increasing overall speed. Without maintaining the consistency, the body will not learn to control pace, as well as not building speed as effectively.
The intensity, the distance, and the number of repeats that should be run are based on many different things. Questions that must be asked first are: how far is the goal race, what is current race pace, and how much time is given between the workout and the goal race?
Like most workouts, the pace at which repeats should be run are based on the most previous, accurate race pace (if the last race was not an accurate representation of current abilities, then use the most representative race pace that was run recently). The McMillan Running Calculator does a very good job of suggesting appropriate paces for nearly any distance of repeat.
The distance of the repeats are determined by whether speed or pace control is the most desired benefit of the workout. Shorter distances at faster paces will build speed more quickly. However, the further the distance, the better the ability to learn to control the pace. Be careful not to make the distances too far as to make it a tempo/LT run.
After determining these distances and paces, the last thing needed is the rest period. The rest period is nearly as important as the distance and speed. The rest period determines the intensity of the workout by controlling whether or not the heart rate remains high or returns to a lower state. For intervals held at a higher pace, use longer rest periods so that the higher pace can be maintained. For a less intense pace, allow a little less time to maintain the intensity of the workout.
Mixing up distances, paces, and rest periods can get very complicated based on the desires of the runner; however, Track Workouts don’t require a 30-year veteran to design. Here are a few basic Track Workouts that can be used for almost any distance:
400’s
4 x 400 m @ 20-25 seconds under 5k race pace
2:00 Recovery (1:30 AR)
Do 3-4 sets with 5:00 Recovery between each set (4:00 AR)
800’s
3 x 800 m @ 20-25 seconds under 10k race pace
2:30 Recovery (2:00 AR)
Do 2-3 sets with 5:00 Recovery between each set (4:00 AR)
Mile
4 x 1 Mile @ 5-10 seconds under 5k race pace
4:30 Recovery (3:30 AR)
(If there is gas left in the tank, go for one more)
Never forget to warm-up and stretch before doing these workouts. 15 minutes to warm up and 10 to 15 minutes to cool-down.
For more information on other types of speedwork, check out The Many Types of Speedwork – Tempos and LTs
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