Workout Provided By Coach Peyton Hoyal
Target Race Distance- 1500m-10K
Training Period- Use this training in the final 3-6 weeks as you near your goal races of a season.
Purpose- This type of training falls under what British Coach Peter Thompson refers to as “lactate dynamics”, or “new interval training.” Coach Thompson has worked with Olympians and other elite distance runners at numerous training venues, and most recently has been guiding the training of some of America’s top runners in Oregon. The chief idea behind this type of training is to develop the body’s ability to utilize lactate as a valid fuel source during intense exercise. Each of the sessions described under this methodology employs a “roll-on” recovery at a moderate effort rather than a more traditional standing or jogging rest between faster bouts. We’ll refer to these as “floats” for the purposes of this article, as that is what I write for my athletes when employing variations of this training.
These float recoveries follow faster work bouts with the goal of dynamically “shuttling” lactate and hydrogen ions out of the cell at accelerated rates, thereby increasing one’s ability to metabolize these “waste products” efficiently. In short, these workouts make you a faster racer!
Case Study: In the fall of 2013, I had a male high school senior really take-off using this type of training which we employed throughout the cross country season. He implemented the new interval style in one session per 10-15 day cycle in the season. Our goal was to raise his awareness around a practical 5K race pace, develop the ability to surge competitively in races, and hopefully raise his lactic efficiency.
His PR at the time was 18:19, but he came into the season without much of a summer base. We used August as a period of redevelopment, and then moved into this type of training in September with a few fartlek sessions. These evolved into measured interval workouts in October, and he was able to run 16:46 at our region meet on the last Saturday of the month- this obviously demonstrated a marked improvement in 5K fitness that held true for many other runners on the team using this system, as well.
Precede each of the below workouts with a thorough warm-up, and follow with a warm-down.
Beginner Session-
If you are new to faster running, begin implementing “New Interval Training” as fartlek runs on the road, a grass field, or groomed trail. “Intervals” only refer to the bouts of work separated by rest periods, so don’t feel bound to the track with these runs. Use the below workouts to ease in to this type of training, always using a “float” recovery where you decelerate slightly (no jogging!). Always end with a float before your more traditional recovery segment.
3-6 Sets of 4x (40sec ‘Fast’/20sec ‘Float’) w/ 3min Recovery Jogging Between Sets
3-6 Sets of 60sec ‘Fast’/30sec ‘Float’, 45sec ‘Fast’/15sec ‘Float’, 30sec ‘Fast’/60sec ‘Float’ w/ 3min Recovery Jogs Between Sets
A Continuous Run of 20x 30sec ‘Fast’/30sec ‘Float’ (20min Total)
Intermediate and Advanced Sessions-
Once a runner is comfortable with this type of training via fartlek runs, you can move to the track or a measured path. The only difference between the intermediate and advanced sessions will involve the number of sets completed and the speed of each work bout. Note that the race “efforts” mentioned will coincide with how you feel on a particular day, so be fairly lenient with the exact paces and try to run each set as comfortably as the demands of this training will allow. The specifics of this training are up to you or your coach, but just keep the guiding principles of a fast work bout followed by a moderate float, a good variety of training rhythms, and not over-reaching with your paces in place to successfully complete a new interval session.
Sets of (400m @ 5K Effort, 100m ‘Float’, 400m @ 3K Effort, 100m ‘Float’) w/ 3min Recovery Jogs Between Sets
Sets of (400m @ 5K Effort, 200m ‘Float’, 800m @ 10K Effort, 200m ‘Float’, 200m @ 3K Effort, 200m ‘Float’) w/ 4-5min Recovery Jogs Between Sets
16-20x 200m @ 5K Effort/200m ‘Float’ as a Continuous Run (ie- for a 15:30 5K runner, this might be 36-38sec Fast Segments alternated with 43-45sec Floats)
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