Workouts To Try This Week and Beyond

Hey everyone,

Drew popping on here to write a quick newsletter to chat about some new workouts to try in your upcoming training. I am in the middle of my competitive season and things are heating up with races. Racing time can be stressful for lots of people figuring out what and when to do sessions. And we will talk a little about that. But, sometimes more important, it’s about how to structure the workouts you actually do. Because for most of us, we are training to race! That means, most of our training should be structured to help us run fast.

So, in today’s newsletter I am gonna outline a few different workouts and when/where you can add them into your training. Note— obviously one off workouts will never replace a solid training plan or working with a coach over the long run (shameless plug— haxtraining.com.) However, these are solid workouts you can always come back to.

1. Threshold Repeats.

   1. Double Threshold is in vogue these days and especially after the new release of “The Norwegian Method Applied” by Marius Bakken aka the God Father of double threshold training. However, for most runners reading this newsletter, a single threshold session is plenty and appropriate for all times of the year. But, it is most important in base training, when you are starting back up and trying to get in shape again. Keep in mind, most runners run threshold workouts too fast. Here is a simple breakdown of a threshold workout to try:

      1. 4-5xmile with 60-75 second rest.

         This shouldn’t feel that hard, maybe around 6/10. Most of us don’t have a lactate meter to make sure were in the right zone so the best thing to do is follow these two rules: you can speak a sentence during the rep if you had to and you could hold this pace for 60 minutes if you were racing. Keep in mind Terrain, weather, how you’re feeling, and where you are at fitness wise.

2. Hill repeats.

   1. I love hill repeats, so maybe I am biased but I think most runners should be getting in hills. The hard part about hills is well, it’s hard! So, I recommend adding hill repeat sessions in once every 10-14 days or so. Here is a session that is simple and repeatable:

      1. 10-15×200m hill repeats with jog down rest.

         The reason I like 200m hills is you can still run decently fast, maybe around 3k/5k race pace for most of us. However, this won’t absolutely destroy you for days on end if we were to say, do longer hill repeats that build up lots of lactic acid in the legs and leave you tired coming off of it. These hills are great at the end of your base phase before you start to transition to specific track workouts. I do these a lot in the fall before indoor and outdoor track and they make getting back on the track easier and safer.

3. Long Run workout.

   1. 30-30-30. 

      We do these a ton in the fall and I think they really help me get back into shape. Basically it’s a long progression but how we break it up is: 30 minutes easy, 30 minutes moderate (think slower than marathon pace but not easy run pace, 30 minutes marathon pace or tempo pace. I would use this as an early marathon builder workout or someone in base training getting ready for longer road races or cross country training. These are tough on the body, so once every 10-14 days is appropriate for most runners and experienced runners can do this once a week.

4. Threshold Blend workout.

   1. Sets of (1k at threshold, followed by faster race pace repeat 400s.)

      I think one of the biggest mistakes runners make is they drop all their casework too early and then feel cooked after a few weeks of hard sessions. One way to avoid this is to continue to sprinkle in threshold on those harder workout days. So, you could do something like 3-4×1k at threshold, short rest (30-45 seconds) harder 400 at 5k race pace, followed by a bigger break of 2 minutes. Repeat a few times. You can get crazy with the combinations and don’t be afraid to mix things up. What’s cool about this workout is you’ll learn to recover at threshold pace and then the gear change of running faster is a good skill to have come race day. This workout is best done when you are gearing up for harder track races or short road races. Should only be done once a week.

5. Hilly Easy runs.

   1. I am gonna guess this wasn’t on your bingo card for one of the workouts. However, it’s something I’ve been adding back into my training this spring and I love it! The key on this is you need to slow down. you shouldn’t be running the same pace you do on flat easy runs as hilly ones and don’t be afraid of some downhills in your running too. I think overall this makes me feel like a stronger runner and more versatile runner and since it’s an easy day, the pace doens’t matter. I think this is especially important for people who run road races and elevation is a factor in those competitions. I am not saying run up a mountain, but maybe you choose the route once a week that has the big hill in it! But, don’t take it from me, Gold Medalist Frank Shorter used to say “Hills are speed work in disguise.”

       

As always, consult with your coach before trying any of these and use caution. Remember, I am just a random dude on the internet so question everything as they say!!

Finally, we added a coaching quiz to our website for those who are looking to hire a coach, but don’t know where to start. I suggest looking into that if you really want to take your running to the next level. We have USA champions, sub 2:10 marathoners, and sub 13:20 5k runners on our staff. They know what they’re doing and would love to help you reach your next running goal. Check out the quiz here.

If you just want some solid structure added to your life, you can purchase one of handwritten (no AI garbage) training plans too.