The Workout of the Week (or as we like to call it, the WoW) is an ongoing feature from pro athlete Lauren Fleshman. If you missed the last few workouts or want to check in on upcoming ones, bookmark The Weekly Workout page.
What it is: 3 sets of (3 minutes strong, 1 minute rest, 1 minute blazin, 3 minutes rest.)
Best part of this workout? Well it’s a tie between it being only 12 minutes worth of hard work, and it making you into an indestructible superhero.
“Blazin Raisin” originated as a snowboarding term used by youngens to describe an old dude haulin down a mountain making them look like they’re standing still. In “pro runner years” I’m like 74 (Bernard Lagat is 102 in case you were wondering), and my younger Oiselle teammates started calling me this as a joke after we did this workout together and I kicked their asses.
Twenty years of running has it’s negatives, (my injury collection is pretty impressive) but one undeniable strength is toughness. And it’s workouts like this where that toughness really shines through. If you’re relatively new to running, don’t worry, this workout will set you on your way to becoming a #BlazinRaisin too one day.
How it’s done: On a road, track, or path, jog for 15 minutes or so to warmup, and then do 4-6 stride outs, where you run for 15 seconds or so at a pretty good pace to open up your stride, taking plenty of time to rest between each one. This will help prepare your body for the changes in pace during the workout.
Run 3 minutes at your 5k pace or a touch slower, feeling strong but controlled, and then walk or stand around for exactly one minute. When the minute is up, run for 1 minute quickly, a nice strong effort, as if you’re racing a mile. Take three minutes to recover after that. Repeat this two more times.
The one minute pickups are tough because you haven’t recovered much from the previous three minute effort, and as a result you build incredible strength. One key to improving in running is building confidence in your ability to endure. Workouts like this accomplish that in a super fun way.
You’re stronger than you think…now go prove it!
Variations: Benita Johnson Willis, the World Cross Country Champion from Australia, credits a workout almost exactly like this for her success. One caveat: she does it on a hill.
Do the 3 minute sections closer to 10k pace and you can add more volume to the workout, completing as many as 6-8 sets total.
Tag or name your workout #BlazinRaisin and let us know how it went. Good luck!
Photos from Amos Morgan