Run Faster With Track Workouts
I rarely feel stronger, faster, or cooler than when I run on a track with short repetitions. Today I want to share this feeling with you.
In our fitness challenge this month, we learn about the benefits of different types of running workouts. Even in the category of quick short things you can do on the track, you have tons of options.
How to run on the track
The standard course is 400 meters, or about a quarter of a mile if you are running in the inner lane (the one that has the shortest path around the course). Most high schools have a circuit that residents of the area can use anytime they want, but be sure to follow all posted rules. In general, if you arrive at off-hours and they are not in the middle of a running competition, you can run or walk as you see fit.
So, you can run one lap (“I’m doing 400s today,” you can tell your fellow runners) or you can run two at a time (800s). The point is not to run your chosen distance as an all-out race, but to run it at the fastest pace that it feels like you can do it over and over again, resting in between.
Before starting, however, warm up. Jogging (or walking) – four easy laps; it’s a mile. In between intervals, you can walk, jog, or just stand. Which one you choose may depend on your training goals, but generally I enjoy walking as much as I enjoy running. If the interval was two minutes, I will walk two minutes before the next.
Try my favorite
Okay, I have two favorite workouts, and they both involve short intervals. The shortest is 100 meters. This is the distance to the straight part of the track, so find the line that marks the finish line and one that marks the start, and run from one to the other.
But if I could only choose one workout on the track, that would be 200. One of these lines on the track goes straight and is often labeled “finish”. This is at the end of a straight line as you run counterclockwise. Start from there exactly halfway up (there will be a series of stepped lines as each lane will have its own start line).
Run from this start to the finish line, which is half a lap. Remember, go fast enough that you look like this fast !! but slow enough that you can make it to the end and not crash. Then go back to the beginning and repeat all over again. Try four of them if this is your first time; as your body gets used to the exercise, you can do more.