Looking to take your performance to the next level or just looking for some tips to help you get to the starting line? USA Triathlon Certified Coaches and elite athletes have written numerous articles and how-tos designed for the beginning to the advanced multisport athlete. Whether you are racing in your first sprint triathlon or if you are considering tackling an Ironman, this is your resource to help guide you on that journey. We will continue to add new articles to this section of the website.
Gearing up for Spring with Speed Work
by Matt "Big Matty" Reed
Ah, the winter blues have hit us all.
A good way to spice up the running base training of winter is a good speed session.
You can accomplish this in a few ways...
1. find a local road race (5k to 8K is optimum, no longer than 10K or you are back to base pace)
2. find a group of training partners and head to a track
3. grab your ipod and hit the treadmill
It is the middle of cold winter so our legs tend to get used to base training pace. Mixing it up with some faster intervals is a great way to get the legs remembering the warm days of racing, to work on our form and to pump up that heart rate.
With that being said, a personal best should really not be the focus but rather whatever the interval or distance, good form and a solid finish should be. Start out a little slower than you would in the heart of the season, and try to end the race/session faster than you started.
Here is a great sample workout for the treadmill:
Warm up 15 minutes at base pace (let’s assume 8 min pace/mile)
5 min at 8 % faster than base pace (about 7:25 pace)
4 min at 10% faster than base pace (about 7:10 pace)
3 min at 12% faster than base pace (about 7:00 pace)
2 min at 14% faster than base pace (about 6:50 pace)
1 min at 16% faster than base pace (about 6:30 pace)
Repeat twice. Keep the elevation of treadmill the same: .5 to 1 % grade.
Rest interval is half of the running time (i.e. 5 minute interval gets 2:30 rest).
For the track you can do the same but set up distances...
1600 meters
1200 meters
1000 meters
800 meters
400 meters
and repeat.
Remember pick an interval you can finish the complete session with. The idea is to do the full set and repeat...
Cheers, fast feet and see you all this spring. Train Hard, Race Harder!
Big Matty Reed
www.mattyreed.com
About Big Matty
A native of New Zealand, Matt Reed recently became a U.S. citizen and is aiming to make the U.S. Olympic Team heading to Beijing, China this August. He is a member of the USA Triathlon National Team and was the 2004 USAT Elite National Champion. At 6-foot-5, he prides himself in being the tallest professional triathlete in the world.