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.
The #TaylorSwift: Head to the local track and give this pop star a try!
What it is:
4 x 400 meters with 1 minute rest
1 lap easy jog recovery (3-5 minutes)
4 x 300 meters with 45 seconds rest
1 lap easy jog recovery (3-5 minutes)
4 x 200 meters with 30 seconds rest
Here’s some speed endurance work that will require you to mentally Shake it Off between reps in order to ace it (see what I did there?). The #TaylorSwift is made up of short track intervals broken down into three sets. You get a nice easy lap jog between sets, (3-5 minutes), but within each set you get very little rest.
Some people think the benefit of this workout is “speed training” but really you become a baller during the short recoveries. The intervals are NOT all out sprints. If you are working at the right paces* those recoveries will feel pretty stinking short as the workout goes on. The mastery comes in learning to flip the switch from working hard to mentally recovering as quickly as possible. Your breathing might be heavy, but your mind can be at ease. Your mind can slow it down. Use every single second of your recovery wisely to recharge your body. Discomfort? Doubt? You have to shake it off. And you will! I wanna fist bump you right now because I’m so sure you’re gonna nail it!
I remember the first time I did this workout. The rookie sees 10 seconds remaining of recovery on the watch and panics. The gains are made when you realize that every one of those seconds is exactly enough. No more, no less. Trust that your body will be ready to fly in time.
*Paces: Run around your goal 5k pace for the 400’s, then a touch quicker on the 300’s, and a touch quicker than that on the 200’s. A good rule of thumb is to find your 400 pace on this pace chart based on your 5k, take 2 seconds off that 400 pace for your 300’s, and 2 more seconds off for the 200’s.
Example from my Master’s athletes Sally Bergesen and Sarah Lesko.
Goal is a sub 18:00 5k.
4 x 400 in 85 (1:25 is what the clock says, but runner speak is “85”)
4 x 300 in 83 pace for a 400, which is 62 through the 300.
4 x 200 in 81 pace for a 400, which is 40 through the 200.
Variations:
As you gain experience, you can work your way up to 6 x each interval, and then 8 x each interval. If you are going to do more than 4 x each interval, make sure you have at least 2 weeks until your next race or you may feel pretty flat.
This workout can be simulated off the track by running 4 x 1’ with 1’ rest, 4 x 45” with 45” rest, and 4 x 30” with 30” rest.
Let me know how it goes by labeling it #TaylorSwift! Have fun spinning your wheels out there!