If you have run for more than two weeks, you have probably already heard about using "intervals" to improve your overall fitness, aerobic capacity and speed. But if you Google "running intervals," you will get a ton of links that will lead you to sites that offer very complex formulas with terms like "RPE" (Running Perceived Exertion) or heart-rate prescriptions that read like a NASA launch manual. Unless you are training to qualify for the Olympic team, or hell-bent on getting to run in the Boston Marathon, a lot of that material is overkill. You want to keep running an enjoyable experience, not something that is reminiscent of lab work in Physics 202 in college. Here are a couple of fun workouts that you can do that are easy to remember and the only thing you need are your running shoes and the usual landmarks of your neighborhood.
Telephone Stair-Step Run
Assuming you live in a community with above ground utilities, this can be a lot of fun. If your power lines are underground, you can substitute fire plugs. As you leave your abode, warm up for about ten minutes. You always want to get the blood flowing before you add stress to your muscles. Once you are warmed up, you will start the telephone pole stair-step. Begin by running as fast as you can from one telephone pole to the next. Then jog to recover to the third pole. Repeat this process, only now run as fast as you can for two telephone pole lengths. Recover. Then run three telephone poles and so on. You can take it up to as many as you can handle. Usually, five is a pretty good number for a thorough workout. After the peak number, then decrease the number of poles you run to until you are back to one. If you are running an out and back course, that should put you back to your starting point and give you about ten minutes to slowly jog back home and cool down.
Door Colors Matter
If you want to not only improve your running ability, but also your powers of observation, try this one on. As with the telephone pole stair-step run, warm up for ten minutes. Begin your intervals by observing the color of the door on the house/store you are next to when you finish your warm up. Kick it into gear and run as hard as you can till you see another house with the same door color. Slow down to recover for a minute or two and then repeat. Again, do this as long as your fitness level can tolerate. Because this is more random than the telephone poles, you will need to adjust your speed; pray that the first door you spy is not some exotic color like viridian! Do this workout and you will not only be improving your health, you will be learning about your neighborhood.
Intervals are one of the tools that elite runners use to improve their performance. If you throw in one of these workouts into your weekly routine, you will find that not only will your times improve, your capacity to do more of them will increase as well.
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