The Workout of the Week (or as we like to call it – the WoW) will be an ongoing feature from pro athlete, Lauren Fleshman.

Lauren Fleshman is a professional runner with Oiselle, whose accomplishments include two USA 5k Championships on the track, a 7th place World Champs finish and leading the USA to a team Bronze in Cross Country. She coaches the professional women’s running program “Little Wing,” two Masters athletes and herself. Lauren is Co-Founder and CMO of Picky Bars, author of the best selling “Believe Training Journal” (Velo Press) and her popular articles and essays about “The Fast Life” can be found in Runner’s World Magazine as well as her website, AskLaurenFleshman.com. Lauren is married to Professional Triathlete Jesse Thomas. They live in Bend, Oregon with their son Jude, surrounded by family and friends that appreciate trails and good beer.

The #PowerStation

What it is: A 6 mile run with 8 x 30 second hill sprints (95% effort) at around the halfway point. Walk down recovery between each hill.

What to do: As part of a 6 miler, find your way to a reasonably steep hill and begin the 30 second hill sprints. You don’t have to look at your watch the whole time. Pick a landmark to mark your start line, like a light post. After the first 30 second sprint, leave something at your finish line like a water bottle, rock, t-shirt, etc and try to match or beat that mark for the rest of the workout.

Why it’s Awesome: Running at your upper end speed is really important for accessing your anaerobic system and building power in your legs and glutes. Don’t be afraid to really make these burn; doing so will really “open up your system” allowing you to break through plateaus on tempo work or longer intervals. Hill sprints are a lower impact way to practice speed work than track sprints, and it basically counts as a bonus weight lifting session due to the amount of power you have to produce!

*The name Power Station is inspired by Deena Kastor (American Marathon Goddess and super hero) because it was her term for the part of the body this workout uses most…the butt.

Be sure to name your WoW activity:

Include “Powerstation” and tag it as a workout. Tell us how the workout went in the comments below or using the hashtag #PowerStation on Twitter. Be sure to include @strava and @laurenfleshman.

Visit the blog every Wednesday for the next workout or visit the WoW page.

Photos from Amos Morgan