Rock n Road Runners Thursday Intervals: Floating Fartlek

This is a 60 minute group run focused on building strength, stamina, power and speed through interval-based training.

This session is lead by fully-qualified run coaches Dan & Rik and entails a thorough warm up consisting of easy running, mobilisation work, dynamic stretching, drills and strides. This warm up also focuses on improving various aspects of run technique, biomechanics and efficiency. Not will interval training improve your performance at all distances but it’s a really fun and social way to train. Anyone and everyone can benefit from interval-training regardless of experience level or goals.

The main set is usually interval-based, meaning that there is some faster-paced running for a set time or distance, interspersed with recovery which is either easy jogging, walking or standing. The aim of each interval session is to improve a certain aspect of our physiology, such as our pace at Lactate Threshold, Vo2 Max or increase our Running Economy and Neuromuscular Efficiency.

These sessions are also individualised for each attendee as we regularly carry out 3k and 5k time trials (or use a recent race result) to ascertain pace zones for different running intensities. This allows you to run at the right effort and avoid overexerting and overtraining.

The first session is free and all subsequent sessions are £5, unless you are a member of the Rock n Road Runners run club. If you would like to join the club click here or email rocknroadrunnersclub@gmail.com for more info.

THIS WEEKS SESSION

– Where: Freedom Tree (opposite Radisson Blu Hotel)

– Warm Up: Easy jogging, mobilisations, drills

– Strides

– Main Set: Floating Fartlek

1o x (2mins @ Lactate Threshold/10k effort) w/ 1min Steady/Marathon effort recovery) & 4-6 x 30s FAST / Jog back recovery

Try to pace the 2min intervals well so that you don’t slow down too much on the 1min ‘float’-style recoveries. You shouldn’t have to jog or walk during the ‘recoveries’. If you feel like you do then slow down on the 2min intervals.

Aim of the session is to generate some lactate and metabolic waste products running at a faster effort then clear these running at a moderate effort. This should also serve to make ‘race pace’ (i.e. half marathon-full marathon pace) feel easier.

– Cooldown (not included in 60min session)