The holidays are a busy time of year with travel, hosting family and parties, and other obligations. But ask any runner, and they will tell when time is in short supply is when a good run is the most beneficial. Even 30 or 40 minutes of movement, alone time, and fresh air can work wonders during the stressful holiday season. The endorphins and sense of accomplishment from crushing a hard workout, even a short one, only enhance the mood-boosting benefits of a run. These quick and effective ...
running workouts
Countdown Fartlek Workout
The word fartlek means “speed play” in Swedish, and that’s exactly what these two countdown fartlek workouts are: playful, fun workouts. Every workout has a purpose. The purpose of some workouts is not to prepare you for your next PR or push the limits of your mental toughness, but to remind you why you enjoy running. You can use a stopwatch, interval timer, or program the workout into your GPS watch. There’s no pressure for perfection here - don't worry about distance or even precise ...
The How and Why of Tempo Runs
Whether you run the 5K or the marathon, you will benefit this tried-and-true running workout: the tempo run. There are no magic workouts in training; no single workout will achieve all of your running goals. But, as part of a well-rounded training plan, tempo runs are an effective workout for distance runners. The Purpose of Tempo Runs On the most basic level, a tempo run improves your stamina and your ability to sustain a faster pace for longer. Tempo runs are run near your ...
Four Effective Marathon Workouts
Each workout in training should have a purpose - and marathon training is no exception. Marathon training is tiring and demanding, so you do not want to waste energy on workouts that aren't specific to your goal. (That's not to say that there are “useless” workouts, but that certain workouts produce more adaptations specific to the goals of the marathon for the time you invest in them. For example, 400-meter repeats will improve your VO2max, but VO2max only goes so far in marathon ...
Summer Speed Workouts for Hot Weather Training
The high humidity and heat place extra demands on your body while running. Your body directs more blood flow to your skin in order to cool you, thus increasing your heart rate at any given pace. Running is harder in summer and your paces are often slower at the same effort level. Workouts like continuous tempo runs or long intervals become more difficult in the summer. In these long efforts, your heart rate increases as the run progresses and your body works even harder to regulate your ...