5k speed workouts

Get Faster with 400m intervals.

One of the primary goals among runners is to run faster.  My recommended workout for getting faster at the 5k, 10k, and half marathon distance are 400m (1 lap on the track) intervals.

Whether yearning to spend less time running around the block or striving to be the best age-group runner in the area, most of us runners wish to be a bit quicker.

therefore, you should consider and at least try some other types of workouts that involve speed intervals.

Why? Just a few reasons:

1. They make things interesting. Doing the same workout, day after day, isn’t a lot of fun. Sure, I enjoy running as much as the next person, but changing things up is good. Too much repetition is boring!

2. It can make you faster and stronger. Throwing a little speed into your workouts can make you a better runner. If you have the same 5K time every time, it may be that you need some faster workouts.

3. It can help you tone up and lose weight.  Running long and slow doesn’t do much for the metabolism.  Putting forth a couple speed session a week will challenge your body and force it to work harder, therefore burning more calories and toning your muscles.

4. Your body adapts. After a month or so of doing one type of workout, you body will adapt and you’ll no longer be getting the same kind of benefits from that workout. You need to change things up every 3-4 weeks … and if you do, you’ll most likely see continued improvements.

Warm-up Is Key

To prevent injuries and increase your performance, warm up and stretch thoroughly before you run any speed work. Run at least one to two miles easy as a warm-up.

The Speed Workout

At the track, start with 4 x 400. Increase the number of 400s every week by two more until, 10 days before the race, the final workout is: 10 x 400. Each 400 (one lap around a track) should be run eight seconds faster than you want to average per quarter mile in your 5K race.

For example, if you wanted to run eight minutes per mile, your quarter-mile race pace would need to be two minutes. The workout pace per lap should in this case be 1 minute, 52 seconds. Walk for half a lap between the 400s.

Here is another variations of a speed workout you can do that is highly efficient at building your 5K performance.

Lactate Builders

Alternate between running for 30 seconds at nearly full pace and 30 seconds at an easy pace. Keep running until you are unable to hold a strong pace. Your goal is to be able to perform this workout for 12-16 minutes.  This is an excellent lactate threshold builder. It also improves your VO2 max and running economy.

Try to include both of these workouts into your program each week and do not perform these workouts back to back.  In fact, three days in between would be ideal.   A sample week of 5k speed training might look like this (remember, I’m a big fan of 4 days per week of runinng).

Monday: Off (strength training)

Tuesday: Track 400m workout

Wednesday: 3-6 miles easy

Thursday: OFF (strength training upper body)

Friday: Lactate Threshold workout

Saturday: off (good day for strength training)

Sunday: long easy run 6-8 miles

This program also works for 10k training.  The only difference is to increase your long run by 2 miles.  I’ll be back next week with half marathon speed training.

leave any comments or questions here.  thanks.

Please share any of your favorite running or motivating quotes by leaving a comment here.  Happy Running!

here ya go.

Question #1 from Anna: I would love general help/advice for how to push through fitness plateaus.. I realize that getting to bootcamp more often and adding more runs would help but can’t always find the time. So I guess I’d like advice on how to really maximize the time that I do have, which is usually 3 bootcamps and 1 long run per week. This half also made me realize that signing up for portland is not a good next goal, as what I really want is to increase speed and strength, using benchmarks like shorter races (no marathons) and fitness assessments to track progress.

My answer: Thanks, Anna. Like most people finding the time is the biggest issue. This is why I create training plans that include only 4 days of running. Its more realistic to peoples schedule and will keep you injury free. Besides, quality means more than quantity. You need to decide what race distance you are training for. Bootcamp is excellent for developing muscle strength and increasing speed. You don’t need to add any more days of training. However, the running in bootcamp is to short of intervals to make you faster for the longer distance races so what you need to do is incorporate race pace miles in your long runs. If your goal is half marathon then do 5-7 miles at your goal race pace in the long run. If you’ve never done this type of training before then start with 3-4 miles at race pace and build up.

So, on a long run of 10 miles you would warm up and jog easy for the first mile then run the next 5-7 miles at goal pace then finish with 1 or 2 miles easy pace. Because you have a goal to be faster this technique will help train your body to maintain the pace you desire.

Questions #2 from Mark A: I’ve always been an avid weight lifter and now, I’m an avid runner. Maybe talk about how to combine the 2 and the importance of combining the 2

My answer: Mark, I’m a huge believer in runners doing weight training. It helps prevent injury and will make you a faster/stronger runner. Stronger muscles will help you get through those hard last few miles of a race. Stronger leg muscles prevent injury and also help delay the onset of fatigue. Most importantly, is a strong upper body. Most runners only focus on their legs, but the arms have a lot to do with running stronger/better. If you can keep your upper body strong it will help assist the legs, especially when they get to fatigue. Upper body has a lot to do with running successfully.

At minimum, 2 days per week of weight training. The best time to do the weights is on the days you speed train or on your days off. But, never the day before or after your long run. You need the recovery and rest. Typically, I do my weight training on the same days I do my track workouts. I basically make it my hard days of training by combining the two and the following day will be my day off. You can dedicate one day to only weight training but just be sure the following day run is not scheduled to be an intense one. Muscles take 48hrs to repair so trying to do a hard run on a day after weight training will only break your body down and you won’t reap the benefits.

Be sure to include single leg exercises as those are very important for runners and maintaining a balance of strength in your runs. These exercises include: single leg squats, walking lunges, single leg calf raises, step-ups, and single leg hamstring curls.

Again, the greater amount of strength, the more of it can be maintained for a prolonged period which comes in handy when getting through the wall of a race!

Question #3 from Joe Z. :  I am a 58 yr. old runner trying to stay injury free. In the last year I have intentionally slowed my pace and lengthened my distance switching from running in 5k’s to 13.1 marathons. I would like to see more information on running as long as I can and enjoying myself along the way.

My answer: Joe, sounds like you are on a good program and listening to your body. If you aren’t already, I would encourage you to add some cross training activity. Biking, swimming, weight training are all good activities to add in conjunction with running. This also helps strengthen the “non-running’’ muscles which is huge for preventing injury and allowing you to enjoy the sport of running for as long as you can. Also, be sure you stretch a good 10 minutes post run. Keeping your muscles flexible will also allow you to enjoy the sport for many more years. The other best piece of advice I can give is to listen to your body. When it hurts or aches beyond comfort then you know its time for a day or two off. Otherwise, keep running and doing those longer distances. My philosophy is running no more than 5 days a week if you want to continue enjoying the sport for many more years and avoid injury or burnout. Keep it up and stay tuned for more blog posts to help you continue running healthy.

thanks again.  I’ll be back to answer more of your questions!

I have a couple challenging workouts I want to share with you. If you feel like you slow down in a race or can’t keep your pace towards the end of a run, these workouts are for you! In fact, the way these workouts are designed, they will help improve your fitness and get you fit faster than you thought

Run Workout #1 : fast, faster, fastest
this is a 45-minute run. Divide the run into 3rds and on each third you will pick up your pace. So, that means the first 15 minutes are a comfortable jog, the next 15 minutes pick up your pace a little more, and the last 15 minutes you should be running hard (the pace you would run for a 10k).
This is a challenging workout, but by pushing your body harder when you are tired, you will make big fitness gains! give this a try.

Run Workout #2: Telephone pole intervals
This is a great workout if you are short on time, but want to get in a decent workout. Start with a 10-15 minute jog. Turn around and head back. On the way back, you alternate running hard and running easy between telephone poles (mailboxes also work). In my neighborhood the telephone poles are only about 15yds apart, so I try to run very hard for that short distance. However, I do end up running many sets. Again, this workout is meant to be hard and asks you to push at the end. you wil see improvement just after a few of these workouts.

Those are two of my challenging workouts that I love to hate!

If you have a workout that you use for improving your running fitness, please share with all of us by leaving a comment here.

Also, please feel free to add to my list.  Leave a comment with some of your favorite healthy gifts.

EverStride Anti Chafing Sport Stick

The best anti chafing stick I’ve ever used. Love this stuff because it actually works and its not sticky. I know it might not seem like the gift to give, but I went through many products before I found an anti chafing product I liked and this is it. You’re friends and family will love you for finding the anti chaffing product that actually works!  www.everstride.com

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Wahine Sports Wallet

I LOVE my wrist wallet. Check it out here. Very stylish. Even works great for storing GU along with chap stick or cash.  www.wahinesport.com

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Erin Baker Breakfast Cookie Products

how about sending a healthy granola mix or cookies instead of usual holiday junk food. My personal favorite is the Ultra Protein Power Crunch…tastes yummy and loaded with protein unlike most granola. The cookies are delicious too!  www.bbcookies.com

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Runners World Magazine Subscription

Excellent magazine for runners of all abilities! Click here and give a gift subscription.

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26.2 Miles to Boston (the Book) by Michael Connelly

For anyone you know running the Boston Marathon I recommend this book. 26 Miles to Boston: The Boston Marathon Experience from Hopkinton to Copley Square by Michael Connelly. I read this book before I ran my first Boston Marathon. This book is a great introduction to the boston experience. Its mile by mile “feel” for the course brings the event alive.

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Running, Fitness, and Inspiration Posters from www.allposters.com

many, many awesome posters on this site.  A couple of my favorites:

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Marathon Training Products

of course, I had to add this one!   If you have someone who has talked about running their first marathon then help them out by buying them or buying yourself the training plan. The biggest and best benefit of this product over buying a book or training plan online is that you get access to ME as your coach during the 16 weeks of training.  That’s huge. www.firstmarathonmadeeasy.com

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for those who want to improve their marathon time, Break Your PR is the program.  Again, you get access to me during the 16 week training period. www.breakyourpr.com

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So, those are just a few of my ideas for you.  Please share with us anything you think is awesome and worth having or buying as a gift this year!  thanks and have a super week!

As you know, I build intervals into my training program in order to increase my fitness and become a faster runner.

Yuri has ipod recorded interval workouts and they ROCK!  In fact, he and I are creating a marathon program together and will be announcing the details and launch of this program shortly.  Stay tuned…..!

In the meantime, I will share an article written by Yuri.

Interval Training 101: by Yuri Elkaim, BPHE, CK, RHN?  myTreadmillTrainer.com

Interval running has really taken off during the last decade or so because it is a highly effective way to get in shape, lose weight, and increase fitness.

Which is why it enjoys such a prominent position in the running and sporting world.

Anyone who wants to lose weight or be more competitive when running needs to get into interval training – but understandably, there is a lot of confusion out there regarding what, exactly, interval training is.

Here are the basics of interval training so that you can start incorporating this wonderful too into your program today.

What are Intervals?

Intervals are basically running periods. Instead of a continuous run of, say, five miles, in which you are constantly moving at a fairly standard and regulated pace, you run shorter distances over shorter periods of time, broken up by periods of rest or slower paces.

Running sprints is an example of how intervals work. You run as fast as you can for 200, 400 meters – then stop and rest for a few seconds before beginning again. Each repetition is an interval. (To be technically correct, the rest period is also an interval, but we’ll avoid that.)

What’s the Point?

An interval running workout is designed for one purpose: offering a more intense exercise than a normal run. Why is this good? Isn’t more intensity, well, bad?

Oh, no. More intensity is good, provided your body is ready for it. You see, more intensity results in a higher heart rate, which means you burn more calories. That is why people who are trying to lose weight by running need to use intervals – because they jumpstart your body’s natural fat-burning furnace into action.

The trick is to use periods of rest (or in a fartlek run, periods of relatively-slower running) to manage the intensity so you are not trying to flat-out sprint 3 miles.

You also develop your anaerobic capacity with intervals, which is your body’s ability to perform at peak levels without regular oxygen intake. It is a hallmark of a well-rounded athlete.

How Often Should I Run Intervals?

You shouldn’t run intervals every day. That much is sure. Even sprinters don’t run sprint intervals daily. They mix them up with plyometrics, strength training, and other methods.

You should do the same. The most common format is to run a normal run at a moderate pace on Mondays and Fridays. Intervals are on Tuesdays, with an option for more intervals or other speed workouts on Thursday, and a recovery run is on Wednesday. Generally, try to avoid doing more than two hard interval workouts a week.

Now you know the basics, and knowing is half the battle.

Someone already asked if I’ll do another.  Right now, I say NO and my legs agree!  Ask me again in two weeks tho

The RESULTS:

Swim (1.2miles): 35:11

Bike (56 miles): 3:18:07

Run (13.1): 1:42:59

Total Race Time: 5:40:34 (the longest I have ever raced)!

I hate to admit this, but I actually kind of enjoyed the race.  Or, maybe I’m just saying that now that I’m home, showered, and relaxing with some good food and beverage.

It definitely was a challenge, especially because of the heat and the rolling hills course.  The other awesome part was all the pro and incredible triathletes racing this race.  This race is a qualifier for other tri races, so it was cool to see the fast and furious out there on the course.

Here is the breakdown of the race:

The Swim: It never fails for me to get so ANXIOUS for the swim. I was in wave #7 so it was a lot of time standing around, but before I knew it my turn was up.  This swim start was new to me.  We started at the end of a dock in deep water.  In fact, my entire wave had to be in the water for 3 minutes before the start.  I suppose treading water this long is a good warm-up.

The swim was exactly what I expected.  Lots of swimmers all gathered in the same area and all trying to swim the same line.  I did my thing and started on the outside so i could avoid all the mess.  And, i did.  I do have one funny story though.  After I hit the turn around and swam for what I thought was a long time and figured I must be close to the water exit I noticed how shallow the water was.  So, I thought “yay” I’m close to the finish.  I looked up to spot the water exit and there I was so off course I was by the shoreline and a good 30 yards from the buoy line.  Whoops!

Good swim overall.  I was happy to be out of the water and ready to ride.

The Bike Biking is not my strongest leg of the triathlon and I know that, so I don’t have high expectations for myself on the bike leg.  I did not do a training ride on this course, so I didn’t know what to expect, although I was forewarned this course was hilly.

I did the best I could and tried hard not to worry about being passed by many people.  I knew I could get some of them on the run   Some of the hills were so steep and long that I stood up on my bike (never done that in any race ever).

On the flip side, the downhills were just as steep and bikes were flying.  I was going so fast I actually got nervous.  But, it was awesome because I went fast enough to coast up the next smaller hill without any pedaling on my part.  That was awesome.

the bike was two loops.  It was nice to know what to expect on the second loop.  I was doing ok and feeling like I was working hard, but I was getting really ticked at ALL the people passing me.  I do not have a tri bike, in fact not even a great road bike, so I kinda have an excuse.  Anyhow, I had to tell myself to quit worrying about it and focus on ME (I’m too competitive, so even though I say that, its hard for me to do)

I enjoyed the bike, but it does take a long time to ride 56 miles.  I was so ready to be off the bike by mile 40.  As we got closer to the finish I could feel myself picking up the pace.  I passed mile 51, shifted gears and my damn chain fell off!  Not a big deal.  I fixed it in a quick minute.  But it was annoying and nerve-racking.

thank goodness I had no tire blow!  I rode in the last 3 miles with all my effort.  I was sooooo looking forward to the run as that is my strongest.

The Run I was so happy to finally be running.  As soon as I got out of the transition area to begin my run I said to myself “It’s GO TIME” As i said, running is my strongest and this is not the case for many triathletes (at least in my experience). I was so looking forward to hitting the pavement.  Besides, I had some bikers to catch.

I hit the pavement and started running and actually felt good. It took until mile 3 until my legs felt normal from the bike to run transition.  The run was hot, hot, hot!!!!  Thank goodness for the volunteers and kids who sprayed us with water.

I was passing others and feeling strong.   The run course was fairly flat until mile 4. BAM!  Here’s a nice hill.  ughh, it was awful and especially at this point in the race.  Most were walking it.  Oh, and double bonus is we get to do it twice as the run course is two loops.  I put my head down and ran up that sucker as best I could.

Loop #2.  Still going strong but definitely feeling the effects of dehydration.  I decided for this loop I would stop and walk through all the water stations, and I did.  Lots of water and gatorade.  I even had some cola and that tasted great!

I was in the last two miles and the finish area could be seen.  I just kept looking in that direction and telling myself you only have to get there!  Plus, I could hear the announcer’s voice get louder and louder so I knew I was getting closer. As soon as the finish line was visible, I hit all gears and took it home.

Thank Goodness this is OVER!  I’m happy I did this race and it definitely was a challenge.  But, what I love about doing this type of stuff is how much I grow from it.  Every race I learn new lessons and I learn more about myself.  Guess this is why I do it!

It is very common for athletes, especially endurance runners, to have imbalanced leg strength.  Have you ever noticed you are stronger or balance better on one leg over the other?  Imbalances in leg strength can lead to a myriad of running issues such as decreased race performance, injury, and unstable knees.

What can you as a runner do to avoid these structural imbalances and the risks that come along with them?  The answer: unilateral leg training.  Through unilateral (single leg) training a balanced leg structure and strength can be achieved.  If bilateral (2 legged) exercises are always done, the movement patterns and strength will never be addressed.  The weaker leg never has a chance to achieve the same strength levels.

Watch this video and see the 3 exercises you should incorporate into your leg workout routine.  The 3 exercises include: single leg bridge, split squats, and single leg step-ups.

Try these exercises and see if you notice one side is harder than the other. This will tell you right away which leg is weaker.   Or, maybe you notice equal leg strength. Either way, you should incorporate single leg exercises into your weekly routine.

Good luck and leave a comment on what you find out about your own leg strength.

In 2007, he hired me to help him reach his fitness and weight goals. He was honest about his lack of passion for fitness and told me he really didn’t enjoy working out and only wanted to commit two days per week to exercise. My experience with clients who lack motivation is that they are not going to enjoy a workout or exercising if they are not doing something they actually enjoy.

We started working out and included a variety of exercises such as running, swimming, stair running, and weight training. Ozo discovered he liked to run and swim.
I wanted to discover what Ozo did enjoy doing for exercise so I began by started trying a variety of activity to find out what exercise he will enjoy. He brought me a list of his fitness goals: lose weight, eat better, get stronger, workout more. At that time he was not active and did not workout. So, we started weight training twice per week.

I didn’t feel like he was enjoying the workouts and wasn’t getting much out of it. I agree, if you are not having fun its hard to show up with a good attitude and a hard work ethic.

Then, one day my client mentioned how he used to swim and how much he really enjoyed it. So, the next workout we went to the pool. It wasn’t easy, but we did a swim workout and he worked really hard.We started swimming once per week as part of the fitness program.A few weeks later I mentioned that we should go outside and run. He agreed.

Soon, we were swimming and running two and three workouts each week. Before long, he ran his first 5k which then led to his first triathlon. Today he has run over four triathlon races and recently completed his first 10k.

We all have good reasons why we run.  To feel better, lose weight, relieve stress, get outside, or for the competition.  There are so many areas of life that are out of our control. Jobs, relationships, weather, sickness, etc are just a few examples of things in life that we can’t always control.

But, running, ah, running. I see those benefits immediately. I can look down at my feet and see the miles disappearing behind me. I get fresh air, and I get to see how the mountains change daily and seem to become more beautiful all the time. I can track my progress and see if I’m running longer, or faster. I feel it in my body when I have had a good run.

Running to me, is a cathartic, euphoric experience. Everything is quiet, my mind can wander. I can finish a thought, I can pray and think and relieve stress. Some days, looking forward to my run is what motivates me to get out of bed and put in the effort that life requires. I feel like when I am running, I am the best of who I am. I feel strong, confidant, and satisfied.

Running is like a drug for me and I am thankful every day that I get to go out and pound the pavement. Life is good when I can get in a good run.

Now its your turn.  Leave a comment below and tell me why you like to run.

Thanks.