Speedwork Embedded In A Continuous Run

Thats a good run if you feel like slowing down all of a sudden in a 5k and you don't know why.

0/10

embed this. wrote:

Thats a good run if you feel like slowing down all of a sudden in a 5k and you don't know why.

0/10

Uh.....I'm trying to understand your statement, but thanks for grading it.

"Uh.....I'm trying to understand your statement, but thanks for grading it."

1/10

embed this. wrote:

Thats a good run if you feel like slowing down all of a sudden in a 5k and you don't know why.

0/10

-1/10 (nobody can be that stupid).

The Meter wrote:

-1/10 (nobody can be that stupid).[/quote]

I have to think differently, Skuj is the biggest troll ever.

3/10

embed this. wrote:

Thats a good run if you feel like slowing down all of a sudden in a 5k and you don't know why.

0/10

With your "logic" interval training must be really stupid.

"With your "logic" interval training must be really stupid."

2/11

Don't be so prude. You never see Bekele,Webb,Lagat doing intervals so why should we?

My college XC/Track coach had us do workouts like that. It would be like 20 minutes of a warm up jog, 15 minute tempo, 5 minutes jog, 5*(any combination of 2 on 1 off, 1 on 1 off, 3 on 30 sec off 30 sec on 3 off), short jog, hills.

My 5k times dropped every year. College PR was 14:23.

I wouldn't say it slowed me down.

To expand, this is a serious inquiry.

There are many "fartlek" discussions I'm sure. But I'm wondering if ALL speedwork requirements can be met, even for 800m/1500m people, within a "continuous run". Obviously people do hard speedwork in a different manner from this, so let's discuss why the continuous run will not be feasable for so many.

Can you do a 400m at 800m within a continuous run, or is that a really stupid idea?

Example, 30min run.....20min jog, 5mins of 15sec accel, 45sec jog, 1min at 800m pace, 4min jog.

Is that a crazy thing to do, or, at the end of that, can you claim to have done some good 800m prep?

(Hopefully the trolls will get bored soon.)

Skuj wrote:

To expand, this is a serious inquiry.

That's a refreshing change of pace. On the other hand, it speaks volumes about your reputation on these boards when you need to specifically emphasize when you are trying to be serious! Perhaps if you didn't have a history of creating misleading topics that the moderators have deleted, that wouldn't be a problem. What a concept, huh?

Again? wrote:

Skuj wrote:

To expand, this is a serious inquiry.

That's a refreshing change of pace. On the other hand, it speaks volumes about your reputation on these boards when you need to specifically emphasize when you are trying to be serious! Perhaps if you didn't have a history of creating misleading topics that the moderators have deleted, that wouldn't be a problem. What a concept, huh?

Make stuff up much?

Actually, I do remember that one baiting thread that you had about Jeremy Wariner. No offense Skuj, but that really wasn't too cool at all.

lol, "Again?" Lame. Too obv. You'll never make a good troll.

Bemp.

I actually really like the idea of interval/tempo work embedded in continuous runs.

It's all about running fast while remaining relaxed. I find that when I do intervals from a rest state, I have trouble getting into a relaxed rhythm that feels like a good race tempo. For instance, when doing an XC workout like 4x2km, each 2km interval feels like a mini (slow) 2km race rather than part of a 8km race effort. I find these types of workouts have a negative effect on my race performance; and additionally, my university XC teams performances always seemed to decline from the first September meet after doing these types of workouts.

On the other hand, I would do continuous "workouts" in summer, which got me in great shape while never really feeling too worn out. Usually I would run 60 to 70min, starting out at my usual 6:30-6:45 per mile, but after 10-15 minutes (once I was feeling comfortable) I would gradually increase the pace (based purely on how I felt, and continuing the relaxed rhythm throughout) until I was at about 5km race pace (about 5:00/mi +/-) and would hold that for about as long as I could while keeping my relaxed rhythm. Once I pretty much hit the limit, I would hold a moderate pace (maybe 5:45-6:00/mile) for a couple minutes before slowing to an 7:30-8min/mile jog to recover.

So 60-70min continuous would take the form of:

10-15min at normal run pace (6:30-6:45ish)

5-10min gradual build-up to tempo pace (6:30 down to 4:50-5:20ish)

5-10min at tempo pace (4:50-5:20ish)

2-5min at moderate pace (5:45-6:00ish) ***the hardest part

5-8min at recovery pace (7:30-8:00ish)

25-40min at normal run pace (6:30-6:45)

I would also often finish off runs by running 3-5 laps of the track (and continuously from the rest of the run) in which I would run 250m at the run pace followed by a 150m build-up stride each lap. Often both parts would increase in pace in successive laps, with the 250m segments nearing tempo pace, and the 150 build-ups hitting sprint pace. I found these were really good for developing a kick, while also maintaining 800m-type foot-speed. I have an training log entry from Dec '05:

62min run with build-up tempo, finishing on the track with 2000m of 250, 150 - splits 82, 81, 75, 69, 69

Also, one of the key benefits that I found with continuous workouts is that I wouldn't feel utterly dead the next day. The forced relaxation/rhythm that is inherent in continuous work just doesn't seem to bang the old body as much as traditional workouts.

That, and it trains you run faster while maintaining the relaxed rhythm of your daily run ... and, doesn't train you to run to only run your interval distance (by the end of XC season after all the intervals we'd done, we'd hit the 2-3km mark in a race and feel like we needed a break; likewise in track season, 400-600m into a 1500).

ha ha

sfued thank you for those very insightful posts. I shall take some time to digest them, and perhaps later on, I will have comments and questions for you, if you have the patience to sort through the usual trolls. Cheers.

I would think the issue for doing that to train at 800 is that 800 pace/effort is obviously a lot more difficult to hit in the middle of a run, in your trainers, continuously, etc. There's definitely something to be said for putting on your spikes and running fast on the track to prepare for a race- and not just for physical reasons.

For the mile, I could see it working a little better, because you can get away with doing a little less hard track work and run a pretty darn good mile off 3k/5k training.

Most of the time I've heard people talk about doing hard fartleks for their workouts almost to the exclusion of all track work is when you're doing dealing with long-distance types who hate the repetition of the track. You don't find many 800/1500m athletes who hate the track- again, in my experience, the 800/1500 types relish interval work. It's the 5k/10k guys who would prefer to go out and hammer out a few miles or do some fartlek.

Like almost everything about running, I'm sure it comes down to personal preference or whatever is most pragmatic.