Interval Training

Interval Training can help you improve cardiovascular fitness, increase speed, improve overall aerobic power, burn more calories, break-through a plateau, increase workout time, reach new exercise levels, expand your workout options and increase your workout threshold – just to name a few.

Plus, this training method has useful applications for beginners, intermediate exercisers and even conditioned athletes. There are two basic types of Interval Training. For the majority of exercisers (novices and intermediate) Fitness Interval Training methods are recommended. Athletes can choose a more advanced technique known as Performance Interval Training.

You ask what is Interval training?
It is basically short high/higher intensity exercise with alternating periods of recovery.

Example:
(30 min cardio on treadmill)
Warmup 5mins at 2.3 mph at 0% incline
Jog 2 mins at 5-6 mph at 0% incline
Recover 3 mins at 2.5 mph at 0% incline
Jog 4 mins at 5-6 mph at 0% incline
Recover 6 mins at 2.5 mph at 0% incline
Jog 3 mins at 5-6 mph at 0% incline
Recover 4 mins at 2.5 mph at 0% incline
Cool down at 2.0-2.3mph at 0% incline

Continuous training (jogging or walking at one speed for a duration of time) is very effective and should not be eliminated from your weekly workouts. However, it’s recommended that you include both Interval Training and continuous training sessions as part of your fitness regimen.

To begin, choose the type of cardio exercise: walking, jogging, swimming, biking, etc. Next determine your lower-intensity level. This is usually somewhere between 50-65% target heart rate. This will be your baseline, lower-level intensity. Then simply increase the intensity-level up to where you feel like you are working hard to very hard, but avoid reaching a level over 85% target heart rate. If monitoring your heart is not feasible, instead use the RPE (Rating of Percieved Exertion) scale where 1 is basically at rest and 10 is working extremely hard. For example, if you find that when you are exercising at a comfortable level you rank a 5, then bump up to a 7 for the higher-intensity intervals.

Where you take it is up to you!
Good luck and great fun!

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(cross-posted in the General Info, Walking, and Running Sections)

Learning to Pace
Doing some track intervals will help teach you what a reasonable pace is for you to hold. Here are some example sets to help you determine your pace. Do the set after a warm-up similar to the race warm-up above.

For a 5k
Do 8 x 800 w/ 1:00 rest between. Try to hold even pace throughout. You should start out slightly slower than your average. Throw out your fastest and slowest repeat and average the middle 6. That is a pretty close estimate to you goal 5K pace. If you vary by more than 20 seconds you are poor at pacing.

For a 10k
Do 10 x 1K (2-1/2 laps) w/ 1:00-1:30 rest between. Slightly descend in sets of 2. Throw out your fastest and slowest repeat and average the middle 8. That is a pretty close estimate to you goal 10K pace. If you vary by more than 20 seconds you are poor at pacing.

For a half marathon
Do 7-8 x 2k (5 laps) w/ 1:30-2:00 rest between. You should start out slightly slower than your average. Throw out your fastest and slowest repeat and average the middle 5-6. That is a pretty close estimate to you goal Half marathon pace. If you vary by more than 20 seconds you are poor at pacing.

For a marathon
Do 5 x 2 mile repeats w/ 1:30-2:00 rest between. You should start out slightly slower than your average. Throw out your fastest and slowest repeat and average the middle 3. That is a pretty close estimate to you goal marathon pace. If you vary by more than 20 seconds you are poor at pacing.

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Many people are discouraged after a running race because they didn't achieve the time they had hoped for. Sometimes this is due to overestimating the pace they can reasonably hold and sometimes it's because they did a poor job of warming up and pacing properly. Below are some suggestions for running the best race times possible, regardless of your conditioning level, by warming up properly and pacing the race correctly.

Warm-up
The basic idea of "the shorter the race, the longer the warm-up" is a good concept to go by. If it takes you a while to get going, then a longer warm-up may be necessary for a 5 or 10K. For longer races you should look at the first few miles of your race as a continuation of your warm-up and not start out too hot.

Start about 30 minutes to race time
Run 10-15 minutes EZ to elevate HR and warm muscles.
Stretch 10 minutes (possibly in line for the porta-pottie). Do 4-8 x 100m pick-ups. Build EZ leg speed without too much effort. These can be done right in front of the starting line with about 5 minutes to race start. This will keep your HR up near where it will be for the race. It will shock your system if you are standing around for 10 minutes before the race with a HR of 70, and then start the race running at 160+. Try to have the HR around 120-130 for the start so it is an easy transition up to racing HR.

Race Strategies to hit your goal time
Choose a goal time that is reasonable for you to achieve on that particular course and time of season. Be prepared to modify the goal time if conditions are tougher than usual, you are dealing with sickness, or some other issue that may affect peak performance. The goal should be to run the best possible race you can for THAT day, which means it may not necessarily be a PR for you to be happy with it.

5k
Write goal splits on your arm or hand ahead of time or get a pace bracelet. Get out smooth and light. Not Easy Pace should be about 10-15 seconds faster than you goal pace finish time
Example: Goal Time: 21:45 (7:00 mile pace)
Go out 1st mile in 6:45-6:50
2nd mile about 5-10 over goal pace (7:05-7:10)
3rd mile just slightly faster than 2nd mile (7:00-7:05)
.1 finish - Go to Leg Speed & Lengthen stride. Pass someone. Don't get run down. Example of goal splits to write on your arm or hand for 21:45: 6:45
7:10 - 13:55
7:00 - 20:55

10K
Write goal splits on your arm or hand ahead of time or get a pace bracelet. Get out smooth and light. Not too easy Pace should be about 10-15 seconds faster than you goal pace finish time
Example: Goal Time: 42:00 (7:00 mile pace)
Go out 1st mile in 6:45-6:50
2nd & 3rd mile about 5 seconds over goal pace (7:05)
4th & 5th miles right at goal pace (7:00) Don't worry about your HR. Just hold the pace you need. 6th mile. Try to get back under goal pace. should not be more than 10 seconds slower than 1st mile. HR is HIGH! .2 finish - Go to Leg Speed & Lengthen stride. Pass someone. Don't get run down.

Half Marathon
Write goal splits on your arm or hand ahead of time or get a pace bracelet. Get out smooth and light. Should be very comfortable, but not totally holding back. Flow, don't push. Pace can be about 10-20 seconds faster than you goal pace finish time (but no more!)
Example: Goal Time: 1:38.19 (7:30 mile pace)
Go out 1st mile in 7:10-7:15
2nd & 3rd mile about 5 seconds over goal pace (7:35). These should be your slowest miles of the entire race. HR should not be high 4th-10th miles right at goal pace (7:30). It's OK to be about 5 seconds faster than goal pace, but no more, or you are setting yourself up to die later. You will need to make slight adjustments to the pace if the course is rolling. Know the key miles where you may be a little slower than goal pace and where you can make it up on a faster mile with a downhill. 11-13 miles. Try to get slightly under goal pace. Don't worry about your HR. (It should be creeping up) Just go for it.
.1 finish - Leg Speed! Pass someone. Don't get run down.

Marathon
Write goal splits on your arm or hand ahead of time or get a pace bracelet. Get out smooth and light. Should be very comfortable, but not totally holding back. Flow - don't push. Pace can be up to 10-20 seconds faster than you goal pace finish time (but no more!). This is not always possible if it is a very crowded start. Don't freak out and then blast the next few miles to make it up if you are a little behind pace. Chip away at the deficit gradually.
Example: Goal Time: 3:23:12 (7:45 mile pace)
Go out 1st mile in 7:25-7:35
2nd-5th miles about 5-10 seconds over goal pace (7:50-55). These should be your slowest miles of the entire race. HR should not be high. Running cadence should be 90-96 with fairly small stride to prevent leg fatigue (like cycling in your small chain ring) 6th-20th miles right at or slightly below goal pace (7:45). It's OK to be 5-10 seconds faster than goal pace, but no more, or you are setting yourself up to die later. You will need to make slight adjustments to the pace if the course is rolling. Know the key miles where you may be a little slower than goal pace and where you can make it up on a faster mile with a downhill. 20-26 miles. Reality Check time. Hopefully you are feeling good and can maintain the pace or run slightly faster. Don't get too discouraged if you are fading and can't hold your goal pace. There will be many other people out there in the same boat. Try to enjoy the run and don't focus on the pains you may feel (in various places on your body). Good time to focus on proper running form and picking up your cadence. .2 finish - Leg Speed! Pass someone. Don't get run down.

Additional Tips
Try to get your mile splits on your watch. If you wear a Polar HR monitor. Set it to Lap Split Mode on the bottom (larger numbers) and Stopwatch on the top numbers (smaller). Just press the Red Split button at the beginning of the race and at each mile mark as you pass through. The watch will give you your split time, total cumulative time, and average HR for that split and then jump back to a rolling time for the next split.

Evaluating the data after the race will help you set goals and racing strategies for your next event.


Resource: info found on multisports/Fastpack

Would you agree that all of this should be preceded with building an aerobic foundation?

I am heart rate training, where I'll cultivate my physiology to prefer more economical fuels like fat over the faster burning fuels like sugars. I can only do this by keeping my training heart rate below 75% of my maximum at all times. Max. is assumed to be 220 - age = MHR x .75 = target heart rate.

For instance I ran three miles today in 38 minutes and at the end, my heart rate was 144 BPM.

When I stop showing gains in distance at this load I'll begin to work in some speed work. When I no longer show gains doing intervals, it will be time to go back to aerobic training to repeat the cycle.

This was the link that finally got me started believing that slower could be more productive.
http://www.duathlon.com/articles/1460
Cheers! Ian.

Would you agree that all of this should be preceded with building an aerobic foundation?

I am heart rate training, where I'll cultivate my physiology to prefer more economical fuels like fat over the faster burning fuels like sugars. I can only do this by keeping my training heart rate below 75% of my maximum at all times. Max. is assumed to be 220 - age = MHR x .75 = target heart rate.

For instance I ran three miles today in 38 minutes and at the end, my heart rate was 144 BPM.

When I stop showing gains in distance at this load I'll begin to work in some speed work. When I no longer show gains doing intervals, it will be time to go back to aerobic training to repeat the cycle.

This was the link that finally got me started believing that slower could be more productive.
http://www.duathlon.com/articles/1460
Cheers! Ian.
You may want to try the Fartlek method: http://www.stumptuous.com/fartlek.html

Funny name, but it takes the bore out of long runs.

Fartlek, Yasso's, tempos intervals, hills, repeats and strides are all good. Simply running "poles" where you sprint for the distance between hydro poles and then recover for a pole distance is good. There are seemingly infinate varieties of ways to introduce speed work into a running scheme and I'm familiar with most of them.

I've used intervals, hills and repeats at the track and all have their place.

Games to increase ones lactic threshold or aerobic threshold or base is such a complex game. Not that I don't love every minute of it! heheh

I ended up proving beyond any reasonable doubt that some speed work was in order. By the end of my nine month heart rate training I was able to run faster mile splits running longer runs than shorter runs. I discovered this kind of by accident although I'd read that this was an indicator of being well primed to take full advantage of speed work. I had run a time trial for 5km and was shocked to see I was better per mile when I ran 10km.

It's so much fun to manipulate the system to such a high degree.

I'm just now beginning to bite back into building my base mileage to a point where I can consider a 16 week program in preparation for a half mary at the end of February. If I can get enough sleep to recoup and build up stronger, I'll be fine. If I can't learn to sleep I've pretty much hit my limits at 40km (25 miles) a week which is not enough to get to where I want to be.

I'd love to think I could run a half in February, 10km and 5km races through the summer and then a full mary in the fall some time. Maybe make a trip to Regina or something. I haven't really thought this through too much. I have to learn to sleep first!
Cheers! Ian.