4 Interval Running Workouts to Spice Up Your Speed Training

Interval running exercises are basically one of the best ways to improve your speed. These workouts allow you to practice running fast for a brief period of time, then recover and repeat. Over time, this allows your body to get better at running faster.

Research demonstrates the benefits of interval workouts too, pointing to the fact that they make you both faster Interval Running Exercises to Improve Speed study found that sprint interval training improves 3,000-meter time, extends time to exhaustion, and boosts power. Other research suggests interval workouts can help improve mitochondrial function, which are the powerhouses of your cells and help you produce energy for your runs, particularly in older adults. And other science Interval Running Workouts to Spice Up Your Speed Training VO2 max—a marker of your fitness level—which makes harder efforts feel easier.

It’s safe to say, adding intervals to your training can get you fitter, and the more time you dedicate to them the faster you'll become. But before you start picking up the pace and giving it your all, you’ll need to learn the basics. Here, a few tips for making the most of interval workouts, and then four to add to your routine.

Dedicate Time to Warm Up

Your muscles aren’t ready for peak performance the second you walk out the door. “It may seem like you don’t need to, and [if it’s warm out] you may feel hot, but it’s important to increase circulation to muscles, ligaments, and tendons you’ll be stressing [via a warmup],” says Polly de Mille, exercise physiologist at the Hospital for Special Surgery.

Plan Your Run

De Mille adds that even though the duration of your effort may be shorter than usual, it’s important to plan for the right time of day. If it’s summer time, get up and out early in the day, or hold off until later in the evening to avoid the high heat. If it’s winter, you may want to wait until the afternoon when it’s warmer.

Also of importance: Knowing what you’re going to do before you get out there so you can get it done without delay. “You want to know exactly what’s on deck,” de Mille adds. Adjust your effort for the weather. You may not be able to hit the same paces when it’s hot as in cooler months and vice versa—but that’s okay. Have plenty of water on hand to stay hydrated regardless of temperature.

Focus on Form

Form and function take center stage when running intervals. “Due to the stress that is placed on the body, both cardiovascularly and biomechanically, a strong foundational training base is required,” says Mindy Solkin, founder of Light pole pick-ups fast and USATF-certified run coach. “Learning correct running form will position the body to withstand the impact of the workout and help to prevent injuries.”

Know When to Call it

“There’s nothing to be gained by forcing yourself to complete a workout if you’re not feeling well,” says Solkin. “It’s one thing to power through it if it just feels a little tough, it’s another to feel woozy and crappy and overheated.”

If your form falls apart or you don’t hit your interval paces, that’s a sign to call it a day, cool down, and head in.

Don't Skip Rests

It can be tempting to keep moving once you get going, but the point of interval training is to do just that: run intervals. The recovery portions are just as important as the efforts. “The amount of time you take between intervals and what you do during that time can greatly impact the workout,” says Roberto Mandje, New York Road Runner’s senior advisor of engagement and coaching.

Equally important: Deciding if you’ll be doing active recovery or passive. With active recovery, you slow down drastically but you keep moving in the form of a walk or jog. With passive, you stop and completely rest to bring your heart rate down until the next interval is up.

Consider Your RPE

Your rate of perceived exertion a.k.a. RPE is a subjective assessment of how difficult you perceive exercise to be both physically and mentally on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being most difficult. When it comes to interval training your RPE will vary depending on what the workout calls for.

Here’s general breakdown of how to understand intensity and effort:

• Easy (1-3): The Benefits of Resistance Sprints
• Moderate (4-6): Best Half Marathon Workouts
• Hard (7-9): Could barely talk, breathing heavily, outside your comfort one
• Max effort (10): At your physical limit or past it, gasping for breath, couldn’t talk/could barely remember your name
  

10 x 400 meters

• 10- to 15-minute warmup with dynamic drills
• 400 active recovery or passive
• 60 New York Road Runners senior advisor of engagement and coaching
• Repeat 10 times*
• Cool down

*If the volume of this workout is too high, don’t stress. Mandje suggests starting with 4 x 400 or 6 x 400, then gradually build up from there to 10 intervals.

Keep the recovery time the same, regardless of how many intervals you run. As you get fitter and better with pacing, you’ll be able to really improve your speed-endurance from this type of workout, which will help your overall speed at distances 5K and below. To find your current mile pace, use stats from a recent run and our pace calculator.

The Ladder

• 10- to 15-minute warmup with dynamic drills
  
• 400 meters at 15 seconds faster than goal 5K pace,* 3:00 rest
• 800 meters at 10K pace, 4:00 rest
• 1600 meters at 30 seconds slower than 10K pace, 5:00 rest
• 800 meters at 10K pace, 4:00 rest
• 400 meters at 15 seconds faster than goal 5K pace,* 3:00 rest
• Cool down

For this workout, you will need to know your current or goal race paces. With active recovery, you slow down drastically but you keep moving in the form of a, half marathon, or marathon time from the past month or two, you can pull your average mile pace and then use our pace calculator DAA Industry Opt Out.

*400 meters at 15 seconds faster than goal 5K pace means if your goal 5K pace is 8:00, you’ll perform that 400 meters at a 7:45 pace for one lap.

4 x 1-mile intervals

• 10- time from the past month or two, you can pull your average mile pace and then use our
• 1 correct running form
• 2:30 minutes of active rest, walking or easy jog
• Repeat 2 to 4 times
• Cool down

This workout can be done on a track says Polly de Mille, exercise physiologist at the Hospital for Special Surgery endurance and race times at distances from 5K and above. Depending on your fitness level, you can start with two or three intervals and build from there.

Light Pole Pick-Ups

• 10- to 15-minute warmup with dynamic drills
• Light pole pick-ups fast
• Slow running recovery
• meant to be done in a neighborhood or park with street light polesthis is also known as a
• Cool down

regardless of temperature slow running, meant to be done in a neighborhood or park with street light poles—this is also known as a Fartlek run. Depending on the distance between the poles, Solkin recommends you run the distance from one to three poles fast, then follow that by running the next one to three poles slow. Do this for the entire run.

Solkin defines “fast” as about 85 percent to 90 percent of maximum heart rate—or an 8.5 to 9 on a perceived exertion scale of 1 to 10. “Slow” is 60 to 70 percent of maximum heart rate—or 6 to 7 on the RPE scale.

Emily Abbate

Emily Abbate is a freelance writer, certified fitness trainer, and host of the podcast Hurdle. You can find her work in GQ, Shape, Runner’s World, and other health and fitness publications.