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Whether you’re in the middle of a robust training cycle or just getting off the couch, here’s a workout that can be modified to your liking. It will keep your run active, reinforce your goals and help with some of the candy-binge lethargy. Brought to you by the coaching braintrust at Trail Runner mag.
Prep: Remember your favorite mantra. Repeat it three times. Do your 3-minute mountain legs while listening to this song.
Run 6 to 8 miles easy.
In the second half of the run, do 8 x 30 seconds fast with 90 seconds easy recovery between.
On the “easy” running, start slow and work into it, staying relaxed and carefree.
On the fast strides, do the fastest effort you can go without actually sprinting.
In between the strides, do 90 seconds at your normal easy pace, rather than a slog or walk, which ensures that the strides aren’t an all-out sprint. Remember your mantra. Say it. Believe it. Let the bunnies below help you.
This is a speed endurance workout that can improve running economy. One recent study showed that these types of workouts can even improve how fast you run a 10K (and likely any distance) without doing traditional longer workouts, like mile repeats or tempo runs.
*Do 20-30 second strides a couple times a week for a big bang-for-your-buck effort.