Track Workouts

Use these workouts to fill out the running days in your training plan.

R1 – YASSO 800 MARATHON PREDICTOR
w/u: 1 warm-up mile
Yasso 800: Convert your marathon goal time in hours & minutes to an 800 in minutes and seconds. For example, if you can run 10 times 800 meters in 3 minutes and 30 seconds with 3 minutes and 30 seconds recovery, this predicts that you can run 3 hours and 30 minutes for the marathon.
10 x 800 at that pace with a similar recovery
c/d: 1 cool-down mile

R2 – 800 LADDER
w/u: 1 warm-up mile
200 jog
200 sprint
400 jog
400 sprint
600 jog
600 sprint
800 jog
800 sprint
600 jog
600 sprint
400 jog
400 sprint
200 jog
200 sprint
c/d: 1 cool-down mile

R3 – MILE REPEATS WITH A SURGE
w/u: 800 warm-up
1 mile at marathon race pace [first minute of each mile at 10k pace]
Repeat 6x
c/d: 800 cool-down

R4 – 12 x 400
w/u: 1 warm-up mile
12 x 400 at 5K pace with 200 jog in between
c/d: 1 cool-down mile

R5
w/u: 1 warm-up mile
2 miles at 10K race pace
c/d: 1 cool-down mile

R6
10 min Zone 2 jog to warm up
10 min of strong effort – Zone 3
10 min of Zone 2 jog to recover

R7
30 min run – start in Zone 2 and hold that pace for 10 min then push the pace into Zone 3.  Hold a steady and comfortable Zone 3 pace for the last 20 min of the run.

R8
10 min easy jog to warm up
20 min strong effort – pushing well into Zone 3
10 min slowing down into easy jog to cool down.

R9
3 mile “Fartlek”
1 mile easy jog in Zone 2
1 mile of Fartlek – running easy in Zone 2, but 4 times during the 1 mile portion speed up for 50 yards to faster pace, but remain good form – smooth and fluid.
1 mile easy jog in Zone 2

R10
4 mile “Fartlek”
1 mile easy jog in Zone 2
2 miles of Fartlek – running easy in Zone 2, but 4 times during the 2 mile portion speed up for 100 yards to faster pace, but remain good form – smooth and fluid.
1 mile easy jog in Zone 2

R11
3 mile run pushing into Zone 3 after mile 2 and holding that pace steady and relaxed for the last mile.

R12
5 mile run in following manner
1 mile Zone 2 run to warm up
3 miles strong effort – pushing into Zone 3
1 mile Zone 2 run to recover while running

R13
5 mile run in Zone 2 – Start slowly and time the first 2.5 miles.  Pick up the pace for the last half and try and negative split (second half of the run faster than the first half) the 5 miles.

If running the suggested times and distances is an issue, I have found alternating periods of walking and running very effective to help athletes transition to more efficient and longer periods of running.  They are easily adapted to any athlete and are even utilized by triathletes competing in full Ironman distance races if they become overly fatigued.  The periods are described by numbers indicating the number of minutes running and walking, i.e. 1/2 would indicate 1 minute running and two walking to recover.  Work to improve by transitioning from a 1/2 to a 2/2, then a 2/1 and a 3/1 etc.  Again, highly individualized and every athlete needs to find what works best for them at this point in their training. – Coach Darrell Myrick