Enhancing your VO2 max by running at a high intensity will pay dividends for your running. This is a great session for all runners and triathletes, especially those running 5km & 10km events.
Each week I will be posting the Friday Fartlek Run Sessions that you can do to enhance your running. Fartlek is a Swedish term that is often used by runners and it means speed-play. See a previous post about training intensity (levels) to know how hard to work.
The inspiration for this post came from an article from McMillan Running that takes you through a session that will develop your 5km running speed. Read the original article here.
McMillan Running Buildup Workout #1
- 10min WU Level II;
- 10-12x 400m Level V, 200-300m Level II RI;
- 10min CD Level II;
- 10min Stretching
Start the workout with a Warm Up (WU) of ten minutes of easy jogging at Level II.
The Main Set involves running ten to twelve reps of 400m at Level V. Between reps jog for 200m to 300m at Level II for your Rest Interval (RI).
The Cool Down (CD) is at a low intensity, jogging (Level II) for a minimum of ten minutes.
Finish with 10 minutes of stretching to assist with the recovery.
The recommendation is that you do a workout of this nature once a fortnight. The temptation is to run the first reps too fast. Target your goal 5km pace and aim to maintain that through ALL reps. Use the below chart to judge your pace.
| Goal 5km Time | 400m Target Time |
| 0:16:00 | 0:01:17 |
| 0:16:30 | 0:01:19 |
| 0:17:00 | 0:01:22 |
| 0:17:30 | 0:01:24 |
| 0:18:00 | 0:01:26 |
| 0:18:30 | 0:01:29 |
| 0:19:00 | 0:01:31 |
| 0:19:30 | 0:01:34 |
| 0:20:00 | 0:01:36 |
| 0:20:30 | 0:01:38 |
| 0:21:00 | 0:01:41 |
| 0:21:30 | 0:01:43 |
| 0:22:00 | 0:01:46 |
| 0:22:30 | 0:01:48 |
| 0:23:00 | 0:01:50 |
| 0:23:30 | 0:01:53 |
| 0:24:00 | 0:01:55 |
| 0:24:30 | 0:01:58 |
| 0:25:00 | 0:02:00 |
| 0:25:30 | 0:02:02 |
| 0:26:00 | 0:02:05 |
| 0:26:30 | 0:02:07 |
| 0:27:00 | 0:02:10 |
| 0:27:30 | 0:02:12 |
| 0:28:00 | 0:02:14 |
| 0:28:30 | 0:02:17 |
| 0:29:00 | 0:02:19 |
| 0:29:30 | 0:02:22 |
| 0:30:00 | 0:02:24 |
| 0:30:30 | 0:02:26 |
| 0:31:00 | 0:02:29 |
| 0:31:30 | 0:02:31 |
| 0:32:00 | 0:02:34 |
| 0:32:30 | 0:02:36 |
| 0:33:00 | 0:02:38 |
I am the Head Coach & Director of Qwik Kiwi – Endurance Sports Consultant.
I specialise in assisting first-timers and recreational athletes to achieve their sporting goals. I can be contacted at coachray@coachray.nz and 021 348 729.
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