Of all the training runs that are designed to increase performance, interval running is my favorite.
Interval running gives you the best bang for your workout.
Why is this? Studies have shown that short bursts of extremely hard effort increases your cardiovascular system's ability to pump blood throughout your body.
With regular interval running workouts, your heart will be trained to pump more volume of blood and your circulatory system will become more efficient.
This will ensure that your muscles get the oxygen and nutrients they need to worker harder.
Here are three interval running routines that you can do.
They are listed from easiest to most difficult.
But I would suggest you rotate between the three so your performance doesn't get stagnant and you start plateauing.
First Routine: Run four hard minutes.
What is hard? Here's a tip.
If you are able to talk while running, you're going to easy and need to pick up the pace.
After those four hard minutes, you want to do an easy recovery jog for two minutes.
Repeat this four times.
Second Routine: Run 800 meters at your 5k race pace.
Eight hundred meters, by the way is about half a mile, or two laps around a regulation track.
Do a slow recovery 800 meter jog, then repeat the process six times.
Third Routine: Run 400 meters at full speed.
Four hundred meters is about a quarter mile, or one lap around a regulation track.
Then, do a slow two minute recovery jog.
Repeat the process eight times.