600m Drill
600m Drill
Designed for 10K runners
Intensity
3 x (600m/400m) — 600m at 5K, 400m at 3K
2 x (600m/200m) — 600m at 5K, 200m at 1500m
1 x 600m at 1500m or better
Recovery
400m walk/jogging in 3’ - 4’ between reps
Exertion
8/10
Periodization
Performance Period
Context & Details
Many workouts in the Performance Period tend to be cutdown in nature, where rep distances shorten and target paces quicken.
There’s a handful of reasons for this.
Most important is successful racing in distance running hinges on the runner’s ability to increase effort as fatigue increases to keep pace. In workouts, coaches often express this increase of effort as a quickening of the pace in later stages of a rep or workout.
Sometimes short, faster reps towards the end of workouts are mistakenly called “speedwork.”
Ture speedwork, such a Max Velocity sprints or near-maximum 100s, 200s, or 300s, are designed to upgrade the efficacy of a runner’s central nervous system. Improving top-end running speed is conditional upon little-to-no fatigue being present on every practice run. The motor task and coordination of repositioning one’s limbs quickly demands full attention and energy, otherwise, the pace is slowed, the learning is superficial and injury risks increase. This is why every rep of true speedwork is accompanied by full recovery (3+ minutes).
On the other hand, when a runner is asked to quicken their pace in the presence of fatigue, that is speed-endurance. Think of this work as a hybrid, impacting both the neurology and physiology of a runner. Because both systems are being stressed simultaneously, which makes speed-endurance work perhaps the most demanding and difficult type of running out there.
It’s best practiced in manageable chunks, like modeled in today’s workout, as the recovery penalty can be high for the body to cope with prolonged exposure to this stimulus.
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This workout is short but potent.
It’s just over 5,000m worth of work but run at speeds faster than 10K pace, to help retain the type of high-quality speed-endurance 10K runners need to be successful.
I called it the “600m drill” because the focal point is 600m of running, some with various add-ons to practice shifting gears and increasing both effort and pace while fatiguing.
The first work block is 3 x 1K, where the 600m rep is run at a target 5K pace with q quickening (without stoppage) to 3K pace for the final 400m.
Next comes 800s, where the 600m at target 5k pace is still maintained (although now requiring more effort to produce as fatigue sets in) with a quick shift to 1500m pace for the final 200m.
The last 600m is a “see what you got” rep. It should be fun. Like the final kick of a 10K.
Be sure to allow for generous recovery between each rep 3’ - 4’ represents 80%+ of full recovery, but it can be prolonged as the workout progresses if the runner needs it.
Overall, the desired outcome of this session is the retention of the runner’s speed-endurance and confidence in their ability to keep or increase their pace when they are fatiguing. In the Performance Period, workouts are meant to be short, fast, and carefree — not long, hard, focused affairs that happens on race day.
Any questions? Direct Message me on twitter.
Thx. | jm
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3 Good Books on 10,000m and Road Race training
The Science of Running by Steve Magness
The Five and Ten Men by Richard Amery
Faster Road Racing by Pete Pfitzinger