The Run!

At this point in our training, we should be doing at least 2 runs/week (a long run and a shorter interval run to focus on building strength/speed). For the Olympic folks, the interval run should be about 30 minutes long, and your long runs should be around 50-60 minutes.

Here's what we've been doing on our interval runs:
last week:
warm up (1 Bellomy Field lap, .43 miles)
light stretching if needed
interval set (2 min easy, 3 min race pace) x 5
drills (10 m: high knees, butt kicks, bounds for height, bounds for distance) x 3
builds (25 m: start easy, build to 75% speed) x 3
cool down (1/2 to 1 Bellomy Field lap, .43 miles)

summary: 15 minutes at race pace! Total run of 25 minutes!

this week:
warm up (1 Bellomy Field lap, .43 miles)
light stretching if needed
interval set (2 min easy, 4 min race pace) x 5
drills (10 m: high knees, butt kicks, bounds for height, bounds for distance) x 3
builds (25 m: start easy, build to 75% speed) x 3
cool down (1/2 Bellomy Field lap, .43 miles)

Summary: 20 minutes at race pace! Total run of 30 minutes!

The "race pace" speed is what you'd like to do your race at, or a little faster. This trains your body to run at this speed. Don't sprint or push super hard during these intervals. You need to be able to do all of them equally strong!

For your long runs, find a buddy to jog with - it's much more fun with a friend! This pace should allow for conversation. You're not pushing too hard on these runs... just an easy jog to cover the distance. We have a few more weeks to build your strength with the interval runs. And you should see your long run pace improve!