Suggested Key/Quality Workouts for June 30 to July 6
Suggested pattern if you’re racing the Feeney 5K on Thursday:
Sunday: Easy Long Run. Feel free to build 6-8 striders into the middle of the run.
Monday: Easy recovery run. If you want to work either a repetition workout or threshold workout into the week, this would be the day. My suggestion would be to do 6-8 x 200 R workout with 200 jogs. Emphasis on the word jog.
Tuesday: Easy 30-40 minutes or Off.
Wednesday: Easy 20 to 30 minutes or Off.
Thursday race: Feeney 5K
Friday easy 30-minutes or off
Saturday easy 30-60 minutes
REGULAR SCHEDULE. For those not racing on Thursday.
Your key workouts are below. Add easy recovery runs or an off day into the remaining days of the week.
Q1: Long Run
Easy pace run, not longer than 25% of your weekly mileage level.
Purpose: Aerobic base building. One of the many benefits of easy running is an increase in vascularization (opening of more tiny blood vessels that feed the exercising muscles).
Q2: Tuesday Track Workout
R pace (Repetition Pace). This is a repeat of a workout we did a few weeks ago. The primary purpose of R training is to improve anaerobic power, speed, and economy of running. Key to getting the most out of an R workout is to be disciplined about the recovery jogs — truly take them easy to get the most benefits of the fast running.
That said, this R workout is designed with a relatively short recovery after the 400 in each round. This takes into account your growing efficiency at R pace.
2 Easy plus striders
4 x 400 at R pace 400-meter jog;
1-mile easy jog
4 x 400 at R pace with 400-meter jog
1 to 2-mile jog warm down
Q3: Threshold Pace Workout
T-pace (threshold pace) focus. Think of the purpose of T runs as being to improve your endurance—teaching your body how to deal with a slightly more demanding pace for a prolonged period of time.
2 Easy plus striders
2 × 2-mile at T-pace with 2-min jog between;
then:
4 × 200 R pace with 200-meter jogs
1 to 2-mile jog warm down