Interval work at the wrong time can hurt you more than they can help you, so you need to make sure that there is an honest communication between yourself and your coach.
If you do not have the base for interval work, then you and your coach need to delay their introduction.
There are four different intensity levels that you can train at:

1. Easy / Conversational pace
2. Threshold running, a faster pace but one that can be maintained for a long period of time
3. Repetitions, which are focused on the work bouts between your rest
4. Intervals, which are focused on the (lack of) rest between the work bouts

There are also four different pieces that make up an interval workout:

1. The pace at which you run
2. The volume that you run
3. The recovery that you allow yourself (a 1:1 ratio or less)
4. The length of each work bout

The length of each work bout is important, because it takes 2 minutes to reach your VO2 Max.
Running at that level will best cause your body to overcompensate from the stress and rebuild your muscles to make you faster.
Try running your intervals on grass or on dirt trails, because that will best build strength by simulating cross country racing conditions and help you prevent injuries by reducing the pounding you would get from the road.
It makes the workout tougher because you will not get as much returned energy from the ground on each foot strike, which is what will help to make you stronger.
You should try to keep each work bout between 3 and 5 minutes with an equal amount of rest or less.
You should try to maximize the amount of time that you spend at VO2 Max, which takes about 2 minutes to reach for each work bout.
For example, these seem like equivalent workouts but really aren't:

1. 4 x 5 minutes (13 minutes total at VO2)
2. 7 x 3 minutes (7 minutes total at VO2)
3. 20 x 1 minute (0 minutes at VO2)

The great thing about intervals is that they imitate race conditions by increasing the pace and causing your body pain.
Due to the short recovery periods, you get to train at a point where your body is as fatigued as it will be at the end of a race.
It is important to learn not to go out too fast and fatigue yourself too early, because the whole idea is that you need to reach your VO2 Max and keep your training at that level for as long as you can (or as long as is written into the workout, at least.
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