Workout Wednesday: 60 second intervals

With most spring races behind us and several weeks of rest and recovery to help us feel fresh, it’s time to return to training and start introducing workouts which to help you get fit and fast again.

Before you begin, it’s important you don’t overdo it. Added intensity brings with it an added risk of injury so be sure to ease back into hard training and back off if need be.

This week’s workout is a short, safe and effective speed session consisting of 60-second intervals. Quite simply, alternate between running hard for 60 seconds and resting for 60 seconds. Rest could be complete rest, brisk walking or easy running. Be sure to add a short warm-up and cool down before and after doing the intervals.

Depending on your level of fitness and comfort, aim to complete between five and 15 intervals, for a total of 10-30 minutes. The speed can also vary but should be a bit faster than what is comfortable, anywhere from 5K to 10K pace or slightly slower. Be sure you don’t start out too fast and aim to run all the intervals at roughly the same speed.

This type of workout is easy to measure, short enough to not risk injury, but intense enough to stimulate a training adaptation. Done just once a week, it is a great way to improve your speed and fitness.