Running Around 3•2•14

Week 14 • Winter Training 2014

This week, we're going to finish up the T-pace workout progression. Recall that we started with 1600m repeats back on 1/11 and have increased the distance to 3200m over a series of workouts. We will be doing a continuous T-pace run on the track. The range of time to shoot for is 20-22 minutes. 20 minutes is ideal, but if you need a couple of extra minutes to get to an even distance (e.g. 3 miles), then that's OK. We also want to cover 10% of weekly mileage at T-pace, so if you don't get there in 20 minutes, then take a 3 minute jog lap and add 1600m repeats with 60s rest to meet your mileage goal.

As an example, let's say you are running 40 miles per week, and your T-pace is 7:00. Start with a 21-minute run at T-pace, and that will cover 3 miles. Take a 400m jog recovery up to 3 minutes. Add one 1600m @T-pace.

While a 20-minute continuous run can sound daunting, keep in mind that T-pace is the pace you can run for an hour in a race. So this workout is only 1/3 of maximum distance at this pace.

Bonus option for high-mileage over achievers: 2x 5k @T-pace with 3 min (400m) jog in between.