how much do you really improve through interval training?
if you just do continues tempos runs (maybe two times per week) like 5km or 8km at an effort 90% ONLY (no intervals)
could you get the same benefit in long term?
how much do you really improve through interval training?
if you just do continues tempos runs (maybe two times per week) like 5km or 8km at an effort 90% ONLY (no intervals)
could you get the same benefit in long term?
That'll work for a while and boost your aerobic capacity and 5k-10km times for about a month or too. Eventually, you'd have to improve your lactate threshold and your mitochondria count in order to continue to make progress. This classic formula will never cease to improve long term when done 2-4 months at a time with some form of deloads and off-seasons throughout the year.
Long run of 1/4-1/3 weekly mileage
some form of intervals at roughly 800m-1mile pace at least once every two weeks
some form of longer intervals at 5km pace at least once every two weeks
some form tempo running at least once every two week
The balance of these will change depending on the time of the year and what race you're training for but even marathoners will run 3km/2mile pace and 1mile pace in a workout, even if the mile pace running is limited to 3 x 10sec. strides during an easy run. Also depends on your goals, what kinda improvement are you looking for, stamina or speed for a particular race distance?
In other words, go find a pdf of Daniels' Distance Formula and follow the programs prescribed in that book. Will pretty much answer all of your questions and serve you for at least your first three years of running for time if you haven't already. Best of luck with your training!
ok thx for the answer.
I run since 2002 and see no improvement with these intervals.
for a 5k race do I really need to train at 5k pace.
If I do 5k or 8k tempos on my own in the forrest they are of course slower.
But with this tempo runs only could I still run the same in the 5k race (even If I dont touch that pace in training)
You're not gonna improve if you never run at and faster than 5k pace. That makes as much sense as improving your 40yd dash times by jogging 5k every other day and never sprinting. Tempo runs are essential part of the distance runners' training, that's true. However, if you never work on getting efficient at running 5k pace and at paces faster than that, then you're never gonna maximize the reduction in 5k time.
Doing nothing but tempo runs will make you efficient at running tempo pace will little to no improvement in actual pace of the tempo running. You need to run at and faster than 5k pace in order to improve your body's ability to fight the burning feeling in your legs (lactate threshold). Also, have you tried running a second faster per interval over time? What's your weekly mileage look like?
50 miles so over 80 km
best 5k time around 18.30 min and 10k 39.10 min.
Intervals like 5 x 800m in 2:50 on track with 90 sec jog rest
long run 12 miles like 19 km
some tempo runs around 8 km, a lot of easy jogging-days between