January may be over but our fitness resolutions remain firmly intact thanks to the circuits, bodyweight workouts and fitness in five exercises from the past few weeks. And for the final time in our Sundried series we’re going for a run. Forget just jumping on a treadmill or jogging round the block though, these interval exercises are going to push you a little harder and put that newfound stamina to the test.
Threshold Interval Run by Amy Kilpin
Amy Kilpin is a triathlete who, despite being unable to swim front crawl, has qualified and competed at three triathlon World Championships events as well as representing GBR at age group level, so you can bet she puts the hours in. She’s created an interval run workout that’s ideal for runners who want to increase their VO2 max and essentially run faster. It’s a good set for a mid-week run session and can be completed on either a traffic-free stretch (such as a park), a running track, or even a treadmill.
Warm Up
10-15 mins easy jog. Start with a good warm up, whatever you need to feel loosened up. Don’t be tempted to go out too hard or fast, keep it nice and easy.
6x strides. These should not be at sprint pace but should be strong and conducted while holding good form. Start with smaller steps and try to be really light on your feet, before gradually extending while increasing pace. You only need to run 60m or so. Walk back to your start point as recovery.
Pre-set
5x 30 seconds hard with 1 minute recovery (walk or jog, whatever you prefer). Aim for high leg turnover during this set – the hard sections should be hard but not at a sprint.
Main Set
10x 40 seconds hard (this should be at your threshold pace or the pace you can run where you on the limit but can hold it for a longer period of time), with 20 seconds easy jog.
5 mins easy recovery jog.
Repeat.
Cool Down
10-15 mins easy jogging. For those who are training for longer distance running such as half marathons or marathons, you can add on a longer cool down, anything up to 60 minutes, to add some endurance to the session.
Run like Amy with the Ruinette Tight, Breithorn Bra and Grivola Tee. Get 25% off at Sundried with the code ‘LOTI’, valid until Sat 11th February 2017.