Rock n Road Runners – Thursday Intervals

Get 2025 started right with 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

Warm Up

20 min dynamic warmup including drills and mobility

Main Set

5 x
1min @ vo2 (approx 3-5k pace, or 7-8/10 effort
3min @ tempo (approx 10k-10 mile pace, or 6-7/10 effort)
1min @ vo2
(5 min total per set)
2 min walk/jog recovery between each set

then
4 x
30 sec @ speed form (approximately best mile pace, or 8-9/10)
1 min static rest

We start to introduce some more threshold work in this block whilst maintaining some higher end speed – with a hard start and hard finish to each set, we are forcing some top end threshold heart rate at tempo speed, developing fatigue resistance and lactate tolerance.

First time? 

Our coaches are always on hand to help and answer any questions you might have to make sure you get the best out of each session – whatever stage you’re at with your running. If it’s your first interval session just introduce yourself to the coach and they’ll make sure you’re taken care of.