Hey guys! Happy Friday Eve! Hopefully your week was amazing and you got everything accomplished on your to-do list. If not, no worries–there’s still one more work day this week! And– then we’re weekend bound! Woo hoo!!
Today, I want to share a few workouts I love doing to mix up my running. It’s so important to keep things mixed up to keep boredom at bay because let’s get real: No one likes to run the same old loop allllllll the time. Am I right? Also, these workouts are great if you’re looking for ways to increase your speed and endurance. I’ve listed a few examples too in some just in case the description is a little fuzzy. Let’s get straight to it!
1) Progression run. I love love love progression workouts because it always takes me a good mile to get going with my run. With progression runs your goal is just to increase your pace with each mile. (Or whatever increment you’d like to do.)
2.) HIIT (Or High Intensity Interval Training Treadmill Run. Maybe you’ve heard of HIIT workouts before, and they scare you a little because they’re….well…”high intensity”. But this run just gets your blood pumping and your heart rate up to leave you anything BUT bored on the treadmill. Plus, it makes 20 minutes fly by! You can of course adjust the speed to where your comfort level is and what level you really feel like you’re pushing yourself pretty hard.
3.) Mile Repeat Run. Mile repeats are such good workouts if you’ve never tried them before. They are really good for teaching your mind and body race pace while you develop mental toughness as you push through and you get the feel of evenly pacing yourself. Mile repeats are long enough where you really have to push yourself and stay focused to maintain your goal pace. This develops mental toughness, which is so vital for staying on your goal pace during that last little bit of a race. Whether you’re racing a 5K or a full marathon, running your goal race pace for several miles, teaches you what that pace actually feels like. This will also help race pace feel more comfortable and natural to your body so that you can sustain it on race day.
4.) Hill Repeat Run. Ohhhhhh hills. Ya’ love em’ and ya’ hate em’. Am I right? I have always been one of those people that would rather walk the hills because they’re just freaking hard, plain and simple. But, adding in hill workouts really does train your body AND your mind to push through to get to the top. Plus, on the other side of that hard uphill climb is the all heavenly downhill!
5.) Speed Interval Run. Last, but definitely not least, speed workouts are a good way to start kicking your speed up a notch. You want to end these workouts feeling like you gave it your all and pushed through with all that you have during the “run intervals”. These workouts hurt and will probably leave you sore but only in the best way. (Us runners sure have strange brains though, huh? Ha!)
Each of these workouts are great to throw in mid week or with your training cycles for your race to keep your muscles guessing no matter the distance. I love doing these runs on days that I don’t have a really hard cross training workout to do to make sure my legs are nice and rested.
Questions for YOU:
What’s your go-to running workout?
Do you love speed workouts or hate them?
What are your weekend plans?
As always, From Chelsea