Phase: Pre-Marathon
Workout: 15 to 30 minute Warm-Up + Cruise Interval Workout: 6 to 8 times 1000 meters with 200 meter recovery jog between plus 3 x 200m with 200m recovery jog + 15 to 30 minute Cool-down
Purpose: Build Stamina – lactate threshold speed
Comments: The goal is to fatigue yourself with the duration of this workout not the speed. The pace should be moderately hard and it is more important to get faster with each repeat than to run fast in the first few and slow for the final few. You can do this workout as a fartlek run if you don’t have a measured course or track available. Run 6 to 8 times 4 minutes at a medium-hard effort with 90 seconds recovery jog between.
I decided to run the remaining repeats on the road and just ran hard for slightly less than four minutes per interval. I managed four of them which took my total to the required minimum.
After a brief stop to turn my right sock inside out (for some reason I experienced a really bad hot spot on the ball of my foot tonight), I set off on my 200m repeats. For some reason I’d convinced myself I had six of them to do (which I did), but now I’ve looked at the schedule I realize I only needed to do three. Oh well, surely it can’t hurt?
Thankfully it was time for the cool down and after another sock swap I headed for home. Legs felt very fatigued towards the end and all I could think of was treating myself to a rare mid-week ice bath when I arrived back at the house. If you’ve never tried one, it really helps keep the post-race or post-workout soreness at bay!
Distance: 10.08 miles
Time: 1:13:26
Pace: 7:17 per mile