5 new workouts to help you train like a pro

With the racing season still on hold, runners are looking everywhere for workout inspiration. If you’re finding yourself wondering what you should do for your next road session, check out the Strava profiles of some of your favourite runners. These five workouts are staples in the training plans of Canada’s best and can easily be adapted to fit into your weekly routine.

Natasha Wodak – hard effort plus hills

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_lB4xcnosx/

If running an hour of hills isn’t your thing, this workout combines the best of both worlds with some aerobic work to begin, followed by running that’s focused on speed and form.

Wodak did a hard 3K rep (10:02 finishing time), took five minutes rest and then followed that up with 30 minutes of hills (roughly 5K total). This workout is great for two reasons: it switches things up at around halfway, and it works two different systems. Hills, especially when run on tired legs, are a great way to work on form, power and maintaining focus.

If you’re going to try this workout, run the 3K at around your 5K goal pace and follow it up with consistent hills. These aren’t supposed to be killer, they’re all about form. Run the hills for up to 30 minutes, but when you feel form breaking down, stop there.

Reid Coolsaet – pickups within a long run

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_x70OmHeJG/

The beauty of the long run is partly the ability to get it done with friends. If you’re finding those long hauls a little daunting right now, one way to break them up is with pickups within the workout. You can average the same pace in the end, but get there in a different way. This is sort of like a fartlek with a little more structure.

Do a long warmup (which will probably be at a little faster than typical warmup pace) and then when you feel ready, throw in a faster kilometre or two–even 500m is fine. This surge will inject a little speed and keep your legs fresh. Also, going fast is pretty fun. After your surge, settle into a comfortable pace before picking it up again a few minutes later. This should be continuous, so you’re still getting the benefit of the long run.

Malindi Elmore – the Kipchoge special

https://www.instagram.com/p/B63-iKUnUOB/

In the (Eliud) Kipchoge special, you do continuous sets of 2K, 60 seconds rest, then 1K, with 90 seconds rest. Repeat as many times as desired. Elmore did this workout last week, and got through four sets, averaging around 3:20/K. This is a great workout to do at marathon race pace, for as many sets as you’d like.

Ben Preisner – extreme fartlek

https://www.instagram.com/p/B2kdMwVn2m4/

Preisner did a fartlek workout in the lead-up to a solo 2:15 marathon debut a few weeks ago. He did 2-10-2-8-2-6-2-4-2 minutes, all with two minutes recovery in between. His pace hovered around three minutes per kilometre.

Andrea Seccafien – 8x1K

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_oKiA7na7O/

This workout seems to be a staple in everyone’s routine right now, from 800m runners through marathoners. Seccafien did 8x1K with a minute and a half rest, averaging around 3:15 per kilometre. In her most recent race, she became the Canadian half-marathon record-holder, running a 1:09:38.

RELATED: Andrea Seccafien breaks Canadian half-marathon record