Workout of the Day: 4 x 1 Mile + 6 x 300m
4 x 1 Mile + 6 x 300m
Intensity — 15K pace on 1 Mile reps. 3,000m pace on 300s
Recovery — 90” walk/jog after each rep, 4-6 minutes between sets
Exertion — 7/10
Context & Details
Good 10,000m training emphasizes improvements in running economy, lactate-threshold velocity, and resistance to fatigue.
Running economy matters because the aerobic endurance component does not depend as much on oxygen transport to working muscles as on the capacity of the muscle cells to utilize the available oxygen. This is dependent on the physiological make-up of a runner’s cardiovascular system at a cellular level. Upgrades to the architecture of the capillary network, hemoglobin levels, quantity of mitochondria cells and activity of enzymes within the mitochondria takes time, a lot of time, to realize. For the experienced runner, we’re talking 6 - 8 months, for the new or inconsistent runner, 2 - 4 years.
10K race success is determined in part by what training you started doing 6 - 12 months ago. Much like the race itself, proper 10K training is a long journey.
This workout is designed to foster improvements in the above mention performance variables. The mile repeats are performed at classic lactate-threshold velocity (15K race pace) on minimal recoveries. The goal is to shorten the rest down to 45” between each mile before advancing the pace. Doing this demonstrates improvements in general lactate-threshold levels.
The 300s at 3K pace are designed to enhance running economy and resistance to fatigue. They’re introduced after the mile repeats so the athlete is in a slightly fatigued state. The short rest between each 300m reps will skyrocket the presence of various fatigue bio-markers in the bloodstream, making each successive 300m more difficult — but that’s the point. Winners in the 10K are able to to perform faster running velocities in increasingly fatiguing states, which both warrant physiological and psychological conditioning.
This session offers a good initial training stimulus for the 10K, but then as fitness improves it transitions to become more of a maintenance workout later in the year. My 10K runners will do this workout once every 10-18 days in the early season and then only revisit it about 6-8 days out before a 10K race during the season.