Unlike regular steady-state running, interval running involves alternating between periods of hard work and a recovery segment. This dynamic approach is a fantastic way to improve your pace and burn calories. It’s a tool that is often misunderstood in training, so let’s look at when and how to use interval workouts effectively.
Interval running is a game-changer for your fitness routine. When you engage in interval running, you alternate between high-intensity sprints and low-intensity recovery periods. This method challenges your cardiovascular system in a way that steady-state running simply can’t match.
By pushing yourself to the limit during the sprints and then allowing a brief recovery, you improve your speed and endurance and boost your energy expenditure, so you’ll burn more calories even after your workout ends.
That doesn’t mean it’s “better” than Zone 2 easy running. But it offers a different set of benefits and thus is a useful part of a well rounded training program.
What is Interval Running?
An interval running workout is where you alternate between periods of hard work (faster running) and recovery periods. This can come together in a wide variety of ways, intensities and duration.
The structure of an interval running session can vary widely depending on the experience of the runner and current training goals. I.e. your interval workout for a 10K goal race, might look different than for later in a marathon training cycle.
One of the reasons they are so effective, is you can scale them appropriately for your current fitness or training. They are always part of a good training plan when the goal is to increase speed, but are also valuable for improving endurance.
Just imagine how much better a longer easy run feels after a gut busting mile time trial!
We will dive in to some interval running workout examples, but first a few more key points.
How Often Should You Run Intervals?
One of the often touted rules of distance runners is to follow an 80/20 model.
Which is to say that 80% of your total workout volume for the week should be in Zone 2 or easy, while 20% is set aside for harder workouts like HIIT (high intensity interval training), plyometrics and speed workouts.
As always there are caveats to this rule:
- New runners may not be doing any interval workouts when simply focused on increasing total endurance and getting the body used to the intensity of running.
- Runners with a small base training for a first marathon, may also not need to do any speed workouts.
- 20% is considered the maximum and for many runners they may do better staying to 10% when increasing work load with total marathon mileage.
- Sprinters and track athletes have a totally different way of training and thus may be at a different percentage.
Benefits of Interval Training
It’s easy to think intervals are reserved for those sprinting around the track, but the benefits apply to every pace and distance. In fact, you don’t even need a track to do speed work, so drop that excuse right now!!
#1 Mental Challenge
Before we even look at the physical benefits, I think one of the top benefits is the mental challenge. Not to bust out of training boredom, but to push you to see what’s possible AND help you create the mental toughness you’ll need on race day.
Each workout is asking you to stretch yourself just a bit, which helps to grow our belief that we can do more or that we can lean in to the hard thing.
At the same time, these workouts teach you not to go too hard or push beyond your current fitness level, which also plays a huge role in containing yourself early in the race.
#2 Increased VO2 Max
For marathon runners, one of the benefits is teaching your body how to more efficiently use oxygen. The stronger your aerobic capacity, the more efficient you become and thus you can run harder paces with less effort.
#3 Fast and Efficient
Especially for runners who have limited time during the week for training, an interval session can reduce the total workout time while still providing massive benefits. Again this doesn’t mean we make every run a hard run, but great to have them as an option.
The workouts also help teach your body to better store and utilize glycogen. Yes that ever important fuel to help us not hit the wall on race day when pushing the speed.
#4 Increased Speed
Remember that the higher intensity workload is going to require more recovery and that’s part of why we don’t do it daily. BUT that recovery is one of the benefits! Compare it to building muscle through strength training. In each session, you are breaking down the muscle fibers, which teaches them to build back stronger to be able to handle more load next time.
The same thing is happening here as we teach your body to be able to handle harder speeds.
Additionally, we are slowly building up your tolerance to handle that higher speed. You can’t run goal pace for 10 miles on day one, so we start by doing small bouts of goal pace broken up with recovery periods to help train the body.
How to Do Interval Running Workouts
All right, let’s start to get in to some specifics with workout ideas and tips.
One of the first things to remembers is that intervals are designed to gradual build. You absolutely need to know your own current abilities and not try to push beyond them because this is a very, very easy way to get injured. And being injured means, no running and no progress!!
Listening to your body and adjusting based on how you feel during and after workouts is crucial.
If you are incredibly sore the next day, you went too hard. If you are limping, you went too hard. Always better to start easier and build, than go out hot and regret it for weeks.
Include a Complete Warm Up
While I always preach a dynamic running warm up, it is more important than ever with speed workouts. In order to avoid injury, we need to ensure that muscles, tendons and ligaments are warmed up and won’t find the sudden force too much to handle.
It’s also going to prepare your heart and lungs, so that they don’t feel like bursting when you start.
Here’s a sample interval running warm up process:
- Start with a set of pre-run stretches (remember nothing static)
- Walk for 5-10 minutes to loosen things up
- Include some running form drills like A-skips, B-Skips, Single leg plyometric hops
- Jog for 10-15 minutes easy and possibly do a few running strides
- Now your body is primed to start the hard work portion of today’s workout
Reading an Interval Workout
If you’re new to speed workouts, then you might feel a little confused at what’s written in the plan. So let’s break it down a bit more!
Example: 6 x 3 minutes at 10K effort, 2 minute recovery
- 6 is the number of times you will repeat the work then recovery segements
- 3 minutes is the duration of the work period
- 10K effort describes how hard you should go, sometimes it’s a pace, sometimes it’s an effort
- 2 minute recovery is the length of time after the hard segment before starting again
- Recovery might be a walk if you are new or doing sprint intervals, a walk or a light jog
You may sometimes see a workout listed as a fartlek run, tempo run or lactate threshold workout. Technically these are all just types of interval training. Interval training can be used as the broad term for alternating hard and easy segments, while the others are often more specific types of workouts.
Practice Fueling
One of the most overlooked things you can do during a speed workout is to practice fueling. Often we do this during easy long marathon training runs, but we also want to know how your gut will handle fuel on race day and these short sessions are a good place to test it out.
Trust me trying to fuel during a harder push is way different than on a long easy paced run and this allows some to realize they need to change up their half marathon fueling strategy because chewing is harder than expected.
Cooldown
While I don’t think you need to do a long stretching session, unless it feels good, a cooldown is important after a hard run.
We need to ensure that the heart rate has a chance to come down and that your nervous system is able to reset before you move on with the rest of your day. You can checkout this full cooldown after running routine for more tips.
Interval Training Session Examples
If you’re unsure of where to start with interval running, let’s go through some basic ideas and I’ll give you more places to look. I’ve done a full article on speed workouts for beginners, so check that out!!
Remember that even at the longer distances, you’ll benefit from the shorter speed workouts!
5K Interval Workouts
Newer runners may want to do shorter bursts with longer recovery, where more experienced runners may do 1:1 (meaning work and recovery are the same amount of time).
- 10 x 1 minute hard effort with 2 minute recovery
- 5 x 3 minutes at current 5K pace with 3 minute recovery
- 10 x .25 miles at goal race pace with 90 second recovery
- Are you brand new? Checkout our free Couch to 5K plan.
10K Interval Workouts
Remember that longer intervals like mile repeats are going to require more recovery time.
- 5 x 800m at 10k current pace with 800m recovery
- 10 x .25 miles at 5K pace with .25 recovery jog
- 3 x 2 miles at 10K goal pace with 5 minute recovery
- 10K Pace Chart to help set your goals
Half Marathon Interval Workouts
- 5 x 400m at goal pace with 200m recovery (building to 10 x 400m over the course of training)
- 6 x 3minutes at 10k pace, 90 second recovery
- 2 x 1 mile at half marathon goal pace, half mile easy between, finish with 3 x 1 minute at 5K pace
- See the variety of free half marathon training plans we have to help find specific workouts
Marathon Interval Workouts
- 2 x 20 minutes at tempo with 5 min recovery
- 5 x 1 mile at goal pace during a long run
- Pyramid style workout: 1 mile at goal pace, 1 mile easy, .75 miles at half marathon pace, .75 miles easy, .5 miles at 10k pace, .5 miles easy, .25 miles at 5K pace, .25 miles easy
- Checkout my book for beginner and intermediate training plans with intervals designed to progress you through training or checkout my free 4 Hour Marathon Training Plan.
I loved this graphic from Running Explained, which shows that there are a variety of ways that you can progress your workouts. This is important because it’s a reminder that you don’t have to keep reinventing each workout, sometimes all you need is to progress the existing workout to know you are making progress.
Is Interval Running Good For Weight Loss?
Interval running can be highly effective for weight loss. The combination of high and low intensity boosts your metabolism, speeding up calorie burn. This training method — often referred to as high-intensity interval training (HIIT) — creates a phenomenon known as the afterburn effect or EPOC. Your body will continue to burn calories at an elevated heart rate even after your workout.
Interval running also improves insulin sensitivity and regulates blood sugar levels — vital factors in managing body weight and preventing fat storage. The intense bursts engage multiple muscle groups, promoting their growth. Increased muscle mass contributes to a higher metabolic rate, aiding in more efficient calorie burn.
BUT as I have said a million times, cardio is just one piece of your weight loss plan.
You absolutely have to include strength training and of course nutrition.
All right, I hope this helped to break down interval running for you and explain why it’s such a key part of so many training plans.
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