Easy Interval Method

The battle is ON:

In the last 7 weeks i (49y, 183cm, 85kg, run since 1 year) improved my 1600m TT from 06:22 to 06:14.

I am not so happy with my improvement the last weeks, so i take this as an opportunity to change my existing training to the ‚Easy Interval Method‘.

In 6 to 8 weeks from now i will repeat my 1600m TT, and post the result here. As a live test.

I never did such an online experiment, but lets see how it develops.

eurodonkey wrote:

I've been training this way most of the spring. There's a Facebook group and Klaas answers questions.

If you are older and working out alone, it works really well. Doing tempo pace 6x1000s with a jog between is a lot easier than doing a 6k tempo, and you can do it more often, and your fitness just builds daily. And it's a good gentle way to introduce summer speed without injury risk, compared to stepping on the track in spring.

You do need real self discipline to keep each day easy enough that you can do something similar the next day.

What Facebook group is this ?

lexel wrote:

The battle is ON:

In the last 7 weeks i (49y, 183cm, 85kg, run since 1 year) improved my 1600m TT from 06:22 to 06:14.

I am not so happy with my improvement the last weeks, so i take this as an opportunity to change my existing training to the ‚Easy Interval Method‘.

In 6 to 8 weeks from now i will repeat my 1600m TT, and post the result here. As a live test.

I never did such an online experiment, but lets see how it develops.

Looking forward to reading the updates.

^ wrote:

What Facebook group is this ?

1 year from starting you will improve by doing almost ANY running.

Not saying it's a bad way to train, just don't expect results to tell you which training is better.

Darby wrote:

1 year from starting you will improve by doing almost ANY running.

Not saying it's a bad way to train, just don't expect results to tell you which training is better.

I dont know if my improvment of 8 sec over 7 weeks is good/normal/bad.

However, my feeling tells me that it is no so crazy good. 7 weeks is something.

Based on my last 1k6 TT (06:14) and based on the TT in the future i am very well able to judge if that works or not.

Assume i will run 6:25 or higher next time, than i know it was not so good for me.

Assume i will go under 06:00 that would be a success.

Everything in between i have no clear result.

And there is not only the TT. Does it make more fun? Will i get more or less tired during the week?

Does my HF change at a certain velocity and so on ...

This is my preferred way of training - being a natural 400/800 guy and just wanting to get in 5k type road race shape in middle age, this style of training keeps me engaged for longer training blocks, legs feel WAY better than "traditional" programs on a daily basis, and makes my running more consistent (ie i very rarely miss a day of running)s. Due to working/commuting/kids etc etc etc, my training schedule looks like this:

M-F: 12x200m (via 40 sec "ons", 1:20 "offs" road fartlek). Intensity, warmup, and cool down depend on the day. I'm probably running the ons at about mile pace or slightly faster (supposed to be mile pace at the fastest per the program), and pace varies a little bit on each run, but whatever intensity I'm doing in no way it feels like i'm stressing my anaerobic system.

S: 10x400m

S: 6x1000m

+ throw in races whenever I can.

I do try to do the weekend workouts at the track -- It feels a little silly running such slow paces for intervals. Like I'm out there running 1000s at a slower pace (PLUS large rests!) than "slower" runners in town are running for their 10-15 mile weekend runs, but it has been a really effective way for me to enjoy getting in a lot of time at aerobic paces without beating up my body or screwing the pacing up. I find medium to long runs at easy steady paces extremely boring and if I even mentally get through it, my body feels like crap after. I'll let my races show my capability and won't worry about what they are thinking when they see me at the track.

Thanks for your detailed information. Interesting.

I have a question to you: How fast/slow do you run your 1000s? (Because you wrote slower than the other runners in town, which is not really a speed hint :) )

Tomorrow i have also my long run:

Before i did it always 19km at aerobic threshold pace which is around 80% HFmax for me. However, tomorrow i plan the following:

Warm up at easy pace, then 5x2000m at medium pace (around 90% of HF Lactate Threshold) with 1000 easy in between, and cool down which is almost exactly 19km.

Lets see ...

My 1k repeats on the weekends are usually just a tad under 7 min/mile pace, or about 4:15-4:20 for the 1k. The 10x400m workout will be closer to 6 min/mile pace for the intervals. In both "workouts" I'm taking equal distance easy jog rest. As more of a fast twitch person, I'm capable of running 10x400m about 20 seconds faster per rep with equal time rest rather than equal distance rest, but the workout would be highly anaerobic. So these runs feel very controlled. I run the 6x1k more often, sometimes twice on the weekend, as it gets me out on my feet for well more than an hour including the warmups and cooldowns, a total running time I wouldn't keep up or recover well from if I was just doing easy runs or steady state runs for that distance regularly. The 12x200m runs during the week (or 40sec on, 1:20 off) end up being close to 7min average pace overall for the run (interval portion - not including warmup and cooldown, which more often than not are fairly short due to time limitations), also a pace that would burn me out really really fast if I ran for 25 minutes daily, but invigorates me when running in this style, and I feel 100% fresh the next day. 8-10 minute pace steady would also burn me out if run steadily regularly (i've TRIED!). I HATE just going out for 40+ minute easy runs, but love being in good enough shape to join friends on runs or jump into a road race here and there.

I'm a middle aged 40s hobby jogger in about 18:15-18:30 5k shape on 30-35 miles/wk. (16:05 5k PR in my youth - and 1:51 for the 800m) I can still run in the 25s in the 200m in trainers given a few weeks of specific training. For me, 40 seconds at close to mile pace feels fairly aerobic given the slow jog rest, unless when I happen to be hitting an incline on the road. I may not be maximizing my potential, but on other more traditional training plans I lose focus on running, take tons of unscheduled days off, and never really ultimately get in my potential best shape either - so might as well just have fun with the training and run in a way that I can stay mentally engaged.

You are doing great, i have the feeling.

Your speed for 1000m is also the tempo speed recommended. Spot on, like i do, just a little bit below lactate threshold.

Today i did 10x400m in 10k race pace. This is interesting as the 10k race pace is about the critical velocity recommended by Tinman. He recommends typically 6x1000m in that pace. So the easy intervals are shorter.

I did the 400m on the road, and for simplicity i did it 2min On / 2min Off. Had the feeling 2min easy jog is enough recovery in between.

I train with a power meter, this especially helpful in hilly sitations. I try to keep the power about the same.

^ wrote:

eurodonkey wrote:

I've been training this way most of the spring. There's a Facebook group and Klaas answers questions.

......

What Facebook group is this ?

Here's one interesting tip from the book, which I tried and works well for me.

If you are socially in the habit of a long slow weekly run, try throwing in a faster stride (e.g. 100-200m) every mile. Just go when the watch beeps until you feel like resting, then walk for a few seconds while your friends catch up.

This actually makes long (10-13) mile runs easier for me, as my legs don't get that dull ache and go to sleep.

I'd think anything over 1:30 recovery would be "enough" at the pace of 1ks I do - but I think I really benefit with the longer rests by simply adding mileage without having to get in a "long" steady paced warmup or cooldown to get to the same distance. The intervals aren't hard enough where a 2 min rest vs. a 5-6 min rest (plus a couple more miles total by the time I get to the last 1k) makes much of a difference to the intensity of the interval, but it adds on a couple miles to the workout without being any more mentally challenging.

eurodonkey wrote:

Here's one interesting tip from the book, which I tried and works well for me.

If you are socially in the habit of a long slow weekly run, try throwing in a faster stride (e.g. 100-200m) every mile. Just go when the watch beeps until you feel like resting, then walk for a few seconds while your friends catch up.

This actually makes long (10-13) mile runs easier for me, as my legs don't get that dull ache and go to sleep.

I dont get long social runs in as often, but when I do, I sort of just go with the flow, get through it, and check it off as a race or real hard effort (even if easy paced). I've run pretty much all my life, and I've found that for me, just one long run, say 12 miles, 3 weeks before a goal race does make a HUGE difference in my race performance. However, regular long runs for me have much less marginal gain in fitness over at than just that one. I'll be way way fitter running 55 miles a week with regular long runs than 35 miles a week with no long runs, but give me that one 12 miler a few weeks before a race, and everything else is the same as the 35 miles a week, and I'm right there aerobically as when I'm on a traditional 55 mile week plan. I've also run within 1 minute in the half marathon on 35 miles week with that 1 long run as I have after an 18 week pfitzinger 55+ mile marathon plan. (granted, a pfitzinger marathon plan isn't probably the best training method for a 4/8 person to run a half)

eurodonkey wrote:

Here's one interesting tip from the book, which I tried and works well for me.

If you are socially in the habit of a long slow weekly run, try throwing in a faster stride (e.g. 100-200m) every mile. Just go when the watch beeps until you feel like resting, then walk for a few seconds while your friends catch up.

This actually makes long (10-13) mile runs easier for me, as my legs don't get that dull ache and go to sleep.

Yes i guess it makes a (big) difference, if you run a longer run with or without strides in between.

I did my long runs so far without strides in between and i have the feeling the long run slowed my down a little bit. Like mentioned in the book, steady easy run slows you down. -> a training mistake from my side

adad wrote:

I'd think anything over 1:30 recovery would be "enough" at the pace of 1ks I do - but I think I really benefit with the longer rests by simply adding mileage without having to get in a "long" steady paced warmup or cooldown to get to the same distance. The intervals aren't hard enough where a 2 min rest vs. a 5-6 min rest (plus a couple more miles total by the time I get to the last 1k) makes much of a difference to the intensity of the interval, but it adds on a couple miles to the workout without being any more mentally challenging.

What i would never do is to start an interval if i am not ready to do so, meaning if there was not enough warmup time. That is a perfect recipe to get injuried.

Better to have a longer warmup but shorter rest time in between the intervals i would say.

Adad,

I'm curious what you mean when you say easy runs don't help you recover like the easier interval day. That seems counterintuitive and the purpose of an easy run. What do you think about a hybrid approach with this method and something more traditional? Like following this method 3-4 days a week, with a long run and two easy jog days.

lexel wrote:

Tomorrow i have also my long run:

Before i did it always 19km at aerobic threshold pace which is around 80% HFmax for me. However, tomorrow i plan the following:

Warm up at easy pace, then 5x2000m at medium pace (around 90% of HF Lactate Threshold) with 1000 easy in between, and cool down which is almost exactly 19km.

Lets see ...

This long run revealed a weakness at medium pace. The 4th and 5th interval was not so good anymore.

So for me it seems to be that a polarized approach, which i did before, was not optimal.

With polarized training i mean below or at aerobic threshold and on the other side below or above lactate threshold but nothing in between that (medium paces missing).

Maybe a pyramidal training approach is better. Training at easy, medium and high paces ...

Few remarks:

1. Lexel (from Texel?), keep us posted.

2. This method was developed for 3-5-10k runners. Hence the focus on "reactivity" of the stride. It has been tweaked for (half) marathons, but it is best suited for 10k races or faster.

3. The intervals are definitely easier than traditional intervals. E.g. when I do 6x 1000m I run at marathon pace, not faster.

4. Frequent racing in the weekend is part of the method.