Monadnock Regional Milers

change of pace, focus on form

5K/10K workout
300 meters “smooth”, 300 meters “quick”, 100 meters “smooth”, 100 meters “quick”
4x / 5x
run 300 meters at a fast recovery pace, then pick it up to race pace for 300 meters, then coast through 100 meters and get back up to race pace for the last 100 meters = 800 meters total
+ 4-6 x PU200’s 

Distance Focus (more than 10K as max race distance)
300/100 workout
5x /6x
+ 4- x PU200’s

This workout was created so my high school runners could get in a little “change of pace” training right before a meet without emptying the gas tank. I will have them do two or three of these the day before a meet simply to get the legs moving and to make sure they don’t get too used to easy running pace, the speed they do most of their easy runs at. Which makes this an excellent early season workout or tuneup workout to do before running a race you want to run well or PR in. Once you get used to a particular pace to train at, getting out of that pace can be hard. The body works towards efficiency, and if most of your mileage is run at 8 minute pace, that’s where it will go automatically. The idea of speedwork is to adjust what is normal, provide a range of normal, making it easier for you to step it up when the time comes. This workout provides such a stimulus without making you “go to the well.” 

Pushup 200’s are intended to force you to work on good form by doing 20 pushups (or to failure) and immediately getting into an up tempo 200. Truthfully, the # of pushups completed and/or the speed of the 200 are not important. What is important is that your upper body gets tired out, forcing you to focus on good form if the 200 meter running segment is to be any good. If you need a break aerobically, it needs to happen after the run, not after the pushups. 

Beginning runners
Prepare to cover 10 laps (2 and ½ miles) by running as easily as you can for one lap, then walking for one lap. As your fitness improves add one lap of running to the workout, while keeping the walking lap the same until you can run for 10 laps straight. Now you are ready to begin the 5K/10K workout regime.

Medium pace work

5K/10K workout < br /> 300 meters “at pace”, with 200 meters of recovery running
6x / 7x / 8x

Distance Focus (more than 10K as max race distance)
as above
10x / 11x/ 12x

This workout is a hybrid between the CONT 200 workout and the 500/300 workout. It stretches out the “at pace” while offering the same recovery the athlete has gotten used to. Again the stress of the workout (both physically as well as physiologically) is in the later repeats, not the early ones. Make sure that you adhere to the pacing goals early on so you can be on track and even get aggressive at the end of the workout. The workout can always be “toughened up” by running the recovery as quickly as possible while still getting enough rest to complete the appropriate number of repeats.

Beginning runners

Prepare to cover 10 laps (2 and ½ miles) by running as easily as you can for one lap, then walking for one lap. As your fitness improves add one lap of running to the workout, while keeping the walking lap the same until you can run for 10 laps straight. Now you are ready to begin the 5K/10K workout regime.

pace work

5K/10K workout
10 x 200 meters CONT with 200 meter recovery
10 continuously run 200 meter repeats, at goal 5K race pace, with a recovery jog of 200 meters, starting with a recovery 200 as well

Distance Focus (more than 10K as max race distance)
10 x 200 CONT w/200m R
               10 minutes easy recovery running
10 x 200 CONT w/200m R
              (optional) 10 minutes easy recovery running
10 x 200 CONT w/ 200 m R

This workout can be measured many different ways, which is why I consider it my bread and butter workout. If you’re tuning up for a race, by running the “quick” repeat section at race pace you prep your legs for the speed you want them to move at for the race. Run the recovery real easy and it’s a nice tune-up before the race. If you want more strength from the workout, add an extra set of CONT 200 repeats to bulk up the mileage. If you want a more tempo-based workout, run the “quick” repeats at race pace, but only back off a little on the recovery sections. If we are doing more than one set, we’ll run right at pace for the first ten, recover how we need, and time the entire workout. On the second set, we’ll decrease recovery time and towards the end of the set, start cutting down the at pace time so we are going faster. Then a comparison of the two sets can be measured against each other.

Beginning runners
Prepare to cover 10 laps (2 and ½ miles) by running as easily as you can for one lap, then walking for one lap. As your fitness improves add one lap of running to the workout, while keeping the walking lap the same until you can run for 10 laps straight. Now you are ready to begin the 5K/10K workout regime.