Cross Country and Road Racing Workout for the Weekend Warrior

For the past few months, I've been working to get back into running shape. I spent a few months "building a base," as it were. I ran four or five days a week, but I focused more on distance than speed. Once a week or so, I'd do some kind of speed or stamina workout to spice things up, but the emphasis was most definitely on good old endurance.

Then, unfortunately, September hit. School started, and I was back to teaching every day, attending all kinds of events after school, and going to grad classes twice a week. That left little time for the long, easy runs (6-8 miles) that I was doing over the summer.

I needed a new workout schedule. I also needed to shift my focus - from endurance to stamina. I could easily run six to eight miles at a clip, but my 5k times were dreadful. I simply didn't have the stamina to sustain a quick pace for the long run.

About two to three months before my target race, I made the switch to my current workout program. I'm not promising amazing results, but it's certainly helping my stamina and slowly shaving time off my runs. If you're busy like me, you might want to give it a try.

The Workouts

The Long Workout - Intervals. Once a week (usually Saturday, when I have more time), I head to the park for a relatively long workout. The goal of this workout is to run intervals at a quick but sustainable pace. The distance varies, but it always adds up to about my target race (I round down to 3 miles). So, for example, I might run 12 x 400m or 6 x 800m.

I found it easy to start with shorter intervals (400m) and work up to longer ones (1600m). Although I started with a goal time for the intervals, the important thing is to run at a pace that feels pushed - but that you can sustain for the full session. If you're running 400s, the first few will feel easy. If you've found a good pace, the last few will feel really tough. I first tried running the 400m at 90 seconds, and found they were far too fast for my current fitness level. The next week I dropped to 105 seconds (7:00 mile pace), and they were perfect. Experiment a bit, and you'll find something comfortable.

Long, Easy Run. Although I'm not going out for my really long runs, I still try to work in one easy run every week (usually Sundays). I usually do this after the interval workout, so I don't want to push the pace to hard. I jog at a conversation pace for about five to six miles. This gives me a chance to stretch out my legs and keep up the pure endurance, but I'm not killing 90 minutes to 2 hours like I was over the summer.

Steady State Runs (5k). The remaining days (usually one to two days), I do some race specific training. I run a 5k circuit around my house, and I push the pace at a hard but sustainable rate. You might be able to peg a time to this, but I find it easier to gauge things by my body's reaction. My breathing is quickened but controlled for the entire run (after about the first quarter to half mile), and my heart rate is slightly elevated. Depending on how much I've run that week, my legs usually start to feel tired around 1 to 2 miles in, and I need to push a little harder for the last leg.

I love these workouts for two reasons. They're quick - I'm out and back in about a half hour (with a little walking to/from the circuit). This means I can do them in the evening after I get back from class. They also give me a feeling of accomplishment. I don't necessarily set goal times, but I do time myself and keep track of splits. This way I can gauge both my time and my fatigue level against past efforts and see my progress.

Work Around Your Schedule

The important thing is to work around your schedule and find time to run. This program is flexible enough that I can shift things around to meet the demands of a given week, and I always feel productive. Even if I only run two steady state runs during the week, I feel like I've taken a few steps closer to my goal time. That was certainly not the feeling I had during the summer, when missing one or two workouts made the week seem way to easy and unproductive.