This winter in Scandinavia has been tough. Icy roads and gale winds etc. Seems like never ending.
Doing some kind of interval or frequent tempo shifting is the only way I can stand the treadmill. Otherwise it's just humdrum.
So reg frequent pace shifting I came across this inspiration from Norwegian Marius Bakken: The TREADMILL LACTATE FLUSHING SESSION (sic!)
"Using his current lactate threshold as a starting point (roughly 25K race pace in his case), Bakken would float up and down in speed at predetermined intervals, going as fast as 4-mile race pace while recovering no slower than his marathon pace plus 10 seconds per mile (MP + :10). While the workout teaches pace control and works muscles in a number of ways, Bakken believes the biggest gain comes from keeping the recovery portions of the run up-tempo. You get a flushing effect of the lactate [system] when you go somewhat down but not all the way down to recovery pace," he says.
Bakken gives this example: 3 minutes at 25K pace; 2 minutes at MP + :10; 1 minute at 10K pace; 2 minutes at MP + :10; 2 minutes at marathon pace; 2 minutes at 25K pace; 2 minutes at 15K pace; 2 minutes at MP + :10; 1 minute at 4-mile pace; and so on for a duration suited to your fitness level.
Sounds pretty fun to me. Think I'll write a little note with the paces and stick to the treadmill monitor, switch the brain off and just give it a go, warm up and then this for perhaps 30-45 min or so.
Any words of caution from you guys? Seems to me like a decent and not too demanding workout?