Workout for August 1st, 2006

Welcome to August.

For our first workout of the month we are going to do some Great 8's.
This is a relatively quick but challenging workout.

Run a very gentle 400 meters

Stretch

Run a slightly faster warmup 400 meters

Beginner - 3x800 meters
Intermediate - 5x800 meters
Advanced - 7x800 meters

If you don't plan to run this workout on a track divide your average mile time in half and run for that amount of time.

These should be done as fast as you are able
while still finishing the whole 800 meters
(if you are running no walking, if you are walking no stopping)
with a 400 meter recovery in between each set.

Walk the recovery.
Time yourself. Record your times.

We will be doing this workout on a regular basis.

Reminder: 400meters is one lap on a track 1600meters (4 laps) in a mile.

As we progress in our program you should see seconds shave off your average 800m time. If you don't run on a track it's important to pick a site where you will typically do your Great 8's.

You should also learn how to "stack" your times, meaning each set should be within several seconds of the others.

Stacking will be more important when you start running 5k's or triathlons and marathons. Many runners will run much faster than there average pace during the beginning of a race because of adrenaline and excitement, this can lead to fatigue and frustration later on so it's important to know what a five or ten or twenty minute mile pace feels like.