3 track sessions to spice up fall training
The track can be a fabulous tool, regardless of what distance you're training for
Photo by:
Matt Stetson
With fall weather getting unpredictable, and terrain occasionally sloppy with rain or early snow, it’s a great time to dial in some skills on the track or to get comfortable using one. The track can be a consistent place to practice speedwork sessions for all runners, regardless of goal distance. We have a few workouts you can start with and tweak to suit the distance you’re training for and any level of experience.
Montana DePasquale, a running coach based in Rhode Island, says that track workouts are for everyone. DePasquale strives to establish all her workouts on exercise science, and shares running advice for athletes from beginners to experienced veterans on social media. “Once you’ve built a great training foundation, you get into some more fun training variations,” she says. She includes gear-changing and alternation workouts to “make track work a little more spicy.” Here are some of her favorites.
Strength-building workout for all race distances
Warm up with 10 minutes of easy running
3-6 x 1,600 metre repeats at threshold pace (roughly around half-marathon race pace, or 85 per cent of max heart rate)
Take a 1-2.5 minute recovery jog in between intervals
Adjust your distance or extend your recovery jog if you are newer to running–this one should just be a longer distance focused on a pace that challenges you, but that you can maintain.
Gear-changing workout for 5K runners
Warm up with 10 minutes of easy running
5 x 1,000m with the first 800m at 5K pace, and the last 200m at interval pace
Take 2.5 minutes of easy running between intervals
Interval pace is a term from Jack Daniels, a legendary running coach. DePasquale explains: “It’s between 5K and 1-mile race pace. You could just call it ‘faster than 5K pace’ work.
Ladder workout for marathon and half-marathon runners
Warm up with 10 minutes of easy running
1 mile (four laps of the track) at threshold pace
4-minute recovery jog
1.5 miles at 10K race pace
4-minute recovery jog
1 mile at 5K pace
4-minute recovery jog
Optional: 4 x 200m at interval pace, with 200m recovery jog
Remember to take an easy running or recovery day after a speedwork session. If you’re training for a longer distance or a trail race, you’ll want to make sure one of your speedwork sessions per week is on trail similar to what you will run on race day, while the other can be on a track.
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