Building your top-end speed is important. The best way to do this is to ensure that you have a good rest between reps and can continue to run at that top-end speed. This session is great for runners and triathletes, especially those running 5-10km 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 week’s workout comes from Alan Culpepper’s book Run Like A Champion.
Culpepper’s Long Intervals #2
- 10min WU Level II;
- 4-6x 1 Mile Level IV, 2-3:00min 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 is made up of between four and six reps of one mile (~1,600m) run at Level IV. Take a two to three-minute Rest Interval (RI) between reps.
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.
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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Download the Garmin (.FIT) files for this workout for FREE
If you enjoyed this workout, here is a similar session I published.
I’ve recently launched a new Faster 10km training plan that will improve your 10km running speed, guaranteed. If your goal this year involves improving your running with limited time to train. Complete the form below and get more information about this great plan.
In Run Like a Champion, one of America’s most versatile and accomplished runners, Alan Culpepper, reveals the best practices of the best runners.
Over his 25-year racing career, Culpepper won national titles from 5K to marathon, a span of race distances so wide that just a few runners can claim the same impressive versatility. Culpepper sets out his approach–and the lessons he learned from his competitors–so that all runners can fully realize their potential.
As a two-time Olympic competitor, Culpepper has a unique understanding of what it takes to compete at the highest level. His running career has put him on the start line alongside the world’s best runners, and he has found that despite their many differences, talents, and approaches to training, among them they share a common understanding: the best athletes know that the secret to success in running lies in understanding a bigger picture of training.
Not everyone has the physiology to run at the highest level, but everyone can benefit from implementing an Olympic approach to training. Run Like a Champion shares a big-picture view of running, looking at not only the essential training elements but also other key pieces of the puzzle: identifying motivation; finding a proper work/life/family balance; and understanding complementary aspects of training such as stretching, how much to drink, diet, and how to avoid and treat injuries.
Run Like a Champion reveals all the guidelines, tips and tricks, workouts, mental training, and nutritional practices that Olympic runners use. By making this Olympic approach part of their running, runners of all levels will make their goals achievable from 5K to marathon.