The track is a runners’ playground – long distance runners included. It isn’t just for sprinters and middle distance runners. In fact, long-distance runners can benefit greatly from track workouts.
In essence, there are 3 ingredients to becoming a great long-distance runner – speed, endurance, and specific endurance. Specific endurance which is the race pace for your event, is the ultimate goal, but this cannot be achieved without speed and endurance. This is why it is beneficial to incorporate speed training into your training.
Here are 4 classic track workouts:-
#1 400m Repeats
400m repeats done at 1500m race pace would mean that you would be running at 110 percent of your VO2 Max. You would be training your anaerobic capacity, however, you won’t be compromising your aerobic capacity. Beginners can start with 4 sets and slowly advance to 10 set and then work your way up to 15 sets. Take a minute rest in between each interval.
#2 800m Repeats
800m repeats done at 3000m race pace would mean that you would be running at 100 percent of your VO2 Max. 800m repeats are said to be the bread and butter of speed training. Take a look at the Yasso 800 workout for instance which is based on 800m repeats. Beginners can start with 4 sets of 800m and slowly work your way up to 8 sets. Take a 2-minute rest in between each set.
#3 1km Repeats
1 km repeats done at 5000m race pace would mean that you would be running at 95 percent of your VO2 Max. 400m and 800m sessions will prepare your body for the demands of the 1 km repeats. Beginners can start with 4 sets of 1000m and work your way up to 8 sets. Take a 3-minute rest in between each set.
#4 1600m Repeats
1600m repeats done at 10 km pace would mean that you would be running at 90 percent of your VO2 Max. The workout is long, which means your heart rate is high for a substantial amount of time. It is a tough workout. Beginners can start with 3 sets and work your way up to 6 sets. Take a 3-minute rest in between each set.
Well, the saying does go, if you want to run fast, you’ve got to train fast. This speed workouts train your speed, lungs, and legs.
