Coaches Corner: Track Time

It’s Track Time!

By Megan O’Brien Duerring

Now that you have declared yourself a runner, you want to do things that runners do! You’ve probably heard other runners talking about track or interval workouts- and think that you would like to try them, but aren’t sure what they entail or why you should do them.

Before we get into the specifics, keep in mind that while there are certain basics to running track workouts, each person approaches and responds to them differently. Take your progress and measure it against yourself. A little competitiveness can certainly go a long way, but you need not compare yourself to anyone else.

Track workouts, intervals or repeats all refer to the same thing and they take place at, well, a track! The purpose of track work is to prepare your body to run faster during races. It trains your body and mind to hold a quicker pace with less effort. Think about it: if you want you want your body to go faster during races, you have to train at a faster pace during your training cycles.

A track workout consists of a series of laps (also called repeats or intervals) at a pace that is quicker than your normal training pace. One lap is 400 meters or about ¼ mile, while 4 full laps is 1600 meters, or almost one mile. (Side note: a GPS will not measure accurately going in circles. I was training a friend for her first marathon, and she set her Garmin while starting her first mile repeat. She stopped about 50 meters shy of the finish line because her Garmin read one mile. It’s best to use the track’s analog markings.)

You need to warm up before your workout. Jog easily for 5-15 minutes to allow for the body and mind to prepare for a faster and more taxing pace. You can either visualize your workout – or disengage entirely – whichever will get you ready to pick up the pace.

How fast should you run? There are definite heart rate measurements to go by, but most runners go by perceived effort. Your intervals should be hard, but not so hard that you cannot complete all your repeats without slowing down. You should not be able to hold a conversation during each interval but you should not go all out either. For most runners, your workout pace will be between your 10k race pace and a little faster than your 5k pace.

You should recover between your repeats. You can do a few different things: walk or jog one brisk lap, rest at the starting line for about 2-3 minutes, or pick a point to pace to and from while waiting to start your next repeat.

Now for the actual workout. The length of your repeat, number of repetitions and pace depend on what distance you are preparing for. A good workout for any race distance is 800 meter repeats. This distance of two laps is short enough to target a 5K and long enough to prepare for a half marathon. For either distance, your goal is to increase your tolerance for speed. Aim to complete 3-4 800-meter repeats. After your warm up, run 800 meters, rest for 2-3 minutes then repeat this sequence a total of 3-4 times.

Timing your intervals is a good way to stay honest and measure your progress from workout to workout. After completing an 800-meter repeat, simply double your time to determine your pace per mile.

As you progress, you can add more repeats to your workout, or you can try a slightly faster pace. Or you can make them longer or shorter. It’s up to you.

Just as important as the warm up is the cool down: 5-15 minutes of easy jogging after your repeats. Pace is not important. Your goal is to bring your heart rate down and mentally evaluate your workout. Think about how you felt, how you were able to hold a faster pace, and what you might want to tweak with your next set of intervals.

Interval workouts can be grueling. If you are just starting out, do only one per week and make sure to take a recovery day the next day with some light running or even cross training. You may also experience some soreness. After all, your body is adjusting to a speedier you! Each time your body recovers from a workout, it becomes a little bit stronger. And your mind becomes a little more confident. Together, they’ll lead you to the finish line faster than ever before.

In addition to some coaching stints, Megan O’Brien Duerring is a much-accomplished runner. She twice won the Lehigh Valley Half-Marathon and in 2005 won the Steamtown Marathon in 2 hours, 47 minutes.