Rock n Road Runners – Thursday Intervals

This is a 60 minute coached session suitable for runners of all abilities, focused on building strength, stamina, power and speed through interval-based training. Basically, they can help you to improve your running.

The session is lead by fully-qualified run coaches Dan, George and/or Rik and the 60 minutes includes 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 your run technique, biomechanics and efficiency. Not only 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 and the coaches are always on hand to answer any questions.

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. (Don’t worry if you don’t know what all that means!)

These sessions are also individualised for each attendee. 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 for your ability and avoid overexerting and overtraining. If anything is ever unclear you can just ask the coach.

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 more information or are keen to join the club click here or email rocknroadrunnersclub@gmail.com.

THIS WEEKS SESSION – COACH: Dan Garrido

Session Focus: Improving speed and endurance through VO2 max intervals and fast, controlled efforts.

Session Breakdown
Warm-Up
-Easy running: 3-5 minutes at a relaxed pace to get the body moving.
-Dynamic stretches and drills

Main Session
Part 1: 800m Repeats at VO2 Max (30 minutes)

– Goal: Run hard but sustainable intervals (6 -7 out of 10 effort) at a pace close to your 3k-5k race pace.
– Structure: Complete as many 800m reps as you can fit into 30 minutes – you should be able to complete the same amount of reps as you did last week. Rest is static, and is to be dictated by your perception of recovery – if breath is under control, heart rate feels like it’s dropped, and you’ve been able to effectively bring down the discomfort from blood lactate accumulation, then set off again – this will change over the course of the session so recoveries don’t have to be consistent time domains, but the rep time should be.

*** This session is to be run “blind” – you can still have your smart watch to record the session, but we want you to go by feel in pacing each rep, and also defining the length of your recovery. Hit your lap button at the start and end of each rep, but don’t rely on your timer to dictate the time domains ***

Tips:
– Pace yourself: Start conservatively to maintain consistency across all reps.
– Run with form: Keep your arms driving, your core engaged, and stay relaxed as you push the pace.
– Effort-based approach: Focus on what feels fast and controlled ‘for you’, regardless of others’ speeds.

Part 2: 4 × 30-Second Fast Efforts (6 minutes)

– Goal: Controlled speed.

– Structure: 30 seconds hard running at speed form (approx 9/10 effort, or best mile pace) followed by 60 seconds rest. Repeat for 6 minutes (4 reps).

Cool-Down (5 minutes)
Jog: 5 minutes of easy running to let the body recover.

Why This Session Works

– The 800m intervals help build aerobic capacity and push your body to adapt to higher-intensity running.
– The 30-second efforts improve your ability to sustain speed under fatigue and finish strong during races.