***Warning
– Do not use these workouts if you are already in full time summer running
program. Please listen to your coach.
***
There
are several ways to safely increase your intensity over the summer. During the summer, runners should not only be
increasing their endurance base, but they should be preparing their bodies for
quality running during the season. It is
not enough to show up for the season, runners should be capable of doing long
repeats at race pace. It is not unusual
for cross country teams to start the season with mile and ¾ mile repeats. 8 mile long runs will not prepare you to
train at race pace.
The
problem with doing more intense, faster running over the summer is that you are
also increasing the probability of injuries.
Most coaches look forward to getting a healthy team in the beginning of
the season. Keep in mind, while you are
planning your summer workouts you are also trying to stay healthy.
Over
the summer, I don’t think runners should do more than two intense workouts per
week. I would recommend postponing any
intense workout if you have any meaningful pain, especially lower leg
pain. I have stated in a prior article
that hard working runners should not feel pressured to run through pain over
the summer. If you have done your job
the whole summer, taking a few days off to recover from injuries should not
hurt your season.
Ways
to increase the pace over the summer:
Racing – I would not recommend racing more that twice a
month over the summer. I recommend
racing over the summer because it keeps athletes motivated. So often, athletes forget why they are
training over the summer. Track races,
road races and the occasional cross country race can be found throughout the summer. With the help of the internet, you should
have no problem finding them.
Fartleks – Fartleks are runs where you alternate the pace
that you are running at. This workout
can be custom fitted to the athlete’s specific training requirements. For example, an 800 runner can do 200 (Race
pace), 200 (recovery) for an entire 2 mile run.
A 5k runner can do (800 race pace, 400 recovery) for 4.5 miles. If you can’t run that long, then cut it down
(600 with 400 recovery) for 2.5 miles.
The point is to increase your leg turnover and simulate some of the
conditions of a race, i.e., the heavy breathing, the lactic acid build-up in
the legs and the pacing. I often see
beginners go out too fast for their first run and then not having enough energy
to finish the workout. I would prefer
the athlete go a little slower in the beginning until he or she gets the feel
for this type of workout. A couple of
times over the summer I would get bored and change this workout to “tree to
tree”. Every time I would run by a tree,
I would alternate the pace. It’s not
much, but it would take away some of the monotony of running.
Tempo Runs – My introduction to tempo runs happened in
college. Let me inform you that tempo
runs suck. They are not fun. Tempo runs typically last 20 to 25 minutes at
pace of (30 to 45) seconds slower than your race pace. A 17 minute 5K runner would run about 6:00 to
6:15 pace for about 22 minutes. If you
do it right, you should be pretty tired after that.
Intervals or Repeats – The bread and butter of training! Interval training is part of most successful
training programs. Not only is it used
in running, but also in other endurance sports such as swimming, speed skating
and rowing. Everyone and their mother has
an opinion on the pace, the amount of rest and the amount of intervals you
should do. I love 800s and 400s, but
remember you are just trying to get ready for the beginning of the season. Long repeats with medium rest are
traditionally associated with summer interval training. Both my high school and college coaches
believed in mile repeats early in the season.
I believe in long intervals over the summer but I understand that they
are hard to do if you are on your own.
If you feel you can’t do long intervals, do 800s until you find someone
to workout with or until you can work your way up to ¾ or mile repeats.
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