Workout Training under 5 hours
This is the workout regime for people that have run or have the capability to run between four and five hours.
There are three main components to running. Strength, speed and endurance. We have focused on the endurance side during the base training phase. In the following weeks, we will add some strength workouts to your schedule. We will still be supplementing the endurance portion with the Long runs. During the middle of the week, we will focus on increasing strength and endurance. I have left the speed component out for people in this group. The goal is for you to run for longer periods of time. By doing this,at the end of the ten weeks then your overall time will be faster. At this level one is better served on focusing on being able to run for longer periods of time at a sustainable pace.
If one closely examines the training chart for the workout regime and compare it to the Base Training regime, you wont see all that much difference other than slowly increasing some mileage. However, there is a difference and often has to do with the mental approach to some of the workouts. It is extremely beneficial to note that the vast majority of the runs will still be easy. Every once in awhile we now will throw in the occasional workout that will help you take you to the next level.
So again most of our workouts are exactly the same as in the Base training phase. By now you should have a solid feel on your walk run ratio. This means you are walking hard but running easy. Now on workout days we are going to switch the concept around. We start the workout as normal, but after one third of the workout, instead of walking hard/running easy we will now be running hard and walking easy. The “walking easy” is the recovery portion of the workout. Before the next hard portion of the run one should be close to full recovery. Now since you do not have your own personal coach how do you determine if you are actually running too hard? This is something that we do NOT want you to do. The barometer is extraordinarily straightforward. If. at the end of the hard run portion, you have to come to a complete stop and rest before you go to the walk phase, then this means you are running to hard.
Since everyone time as distance is different from each other, we will keep the workout simple. By now you should have a solid feel on how far you can run in your normal workout. Basically you are going to keep the same exact distance. What is different is you will be running at this new harder pace. It may take a few times before you get the pacing right, but do not stress you will find it.
Now there is a second type of workout that you will do. In this workout, instead of running hard we will try to keep the run easy, but we will try to increase the distance you run before you have to walk. So lets say normally you run 300 yards before you start walking, In this case you still run easy but you try to go 400 or even 500 yards before you walk. You may realize you can go twice as far as you did before you feel the need to walk.
Since we are in the workout phase, your walk will be at a very easy pace, so you can recover.
Even on some of your Long runs, we will have you push portions of the workout. It is always important to note that the first and last part of EVERY workout should be done at an easy pace. It is very important to have a proper warmup cool down phase of every workout. Most Advance runners practice this technique. It is advantageousto develop these habits early on.
If you go to the workout training chart you will get more information on the specific workouts