Finally! The weather is warming up around the country, quarantine is being lifted slowly, and the opportunity to run and ride outside is becoming more and more feasible for the majority of people. To help you maximize your outdoor sessions I’m bringing you a long run workout. And of course it can be done indoors if you’re up for a long session on the treadmill.
Workout Wednesday: Long Run with Tempo Finish
Today’s session starts off in your typical long run fashion, aerobic pace miles to work on endurance and build some fatigue into the legs. The twist is at the end, when you knock it down to tempo pace for the last few miles. This is a great session to begin adding bouts of intensity to your long runs. Pacing is key here: make sure not to run the first section too fast and then not be able to properly pick up your pace to tempo.
During the tempo portion of the run focus on a quick cadence (90+) and good form. Ask yourself: are you engaging your arms, do you have a neutral spine, are you staying relaxed and in control?
The Workout:
Long Run: Warm into the run for 6-8 miles. Build to your pace or heart rate zone 2 and hold steady. Then, for the next 2 miles (your last 2 miles of the run) increase your pace or heart rate to zone 3 (tempo pace). Finish up with 5 minutes of walking to cool down.
A great thing about this session is it’s super modifiable to fit your needs and your fitness level. You can shorten or lengthen the initial run portion as well as extend the tempo portion (I recommend capping the tempo at 5 miles). As you get more race specific in your training the tempo portion can turn into your goal race pace effort.
As always, let me know if you did this session!
-Happy Training
I Tri Training 