No track? No problem. Try this speed workout instead

When we think of speedwork, our minds tend to go directly to the track. But what about those of us who don’t have regular access to a local oval? Or what if running around in circles just isn’t your thing? This workout is fun, fast, and can be done anywhere–and it’s just as tough as any track session.

This workout is best done on a relatively straight, unobstructed path, so you don’t have to stop mid-interval at a road crossing. Pick a starting landmark (a tree, a pole, a driveway, etc.), and your rest between intervals is an easy jog back to where you started. This ensures that your rest is longer for the longer intervals, and shortens as they do. Each set consists of three descending intervals of 90 seconds, 60 seconds and 30 seconds, and you can take one minute and 30 seconds rest between sets.

The goal of this workout is to start fast and get faster as the intervals get shorter, so get ready to rev those engines.

The workout

Warmup: 15-20 minutes’ easy jog, followed by form drills

Workout: three to five sets of (90 sec./60 sec./30 sec., slowly jogging back to your starting point after each interval) with 1:30 rest between each set.

Cooldown: 10-15 minutes’ easy jog, followed by light stretching