The Case for Shorter Intervals
If long intervals are good, short intervals are better
Recently, I was running my first workouts in about 6 weeks, and my mind was wandering off to faraway places.
I couldn’t stay focused on the run. My mind wanted out. My body was trying to push through some threshold intervals.
In the end, I completed the workout, but it took a lot more mental strength than it should have.
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Why did my brain keep trying to leave when I needed it the most?
What can we do about it in the future so that we can be more present during workouts?
There are always going to be tough workouts on the calendar. Without them, we don’t get faster and stronger. Without them, we don’t race up to our potential.
But just because a workout is hard on paper doesn’t mean we have to make it even harder because our mindset is off.
As your go-to coach, here’s what I suggest we do when longer intervals seem daunting:
Make the repeats shorter.
Shorter repeats = less time to have brain-wander. When you cut the reps down, don’t forget to shorten the rests.
Shorter reps work just as well as long ones. You can keep your pace, effort level, and focus better with shorter reps compared to longer ones.
As you get stronger and fitter, you can then extend your workout reps again. You might start with 1-minute reps, and after time, maybe you’ll be able to sustain 4 or 5-minute repeats before you need to rest.
Focus on the short-term goal.
What are you trying to accomplish? Stay present and focused on your goals.
Remember that your challenging goals require you to put in hard work! There’s progress to be made, even with a workout that goes bad.
Celebrate each rep.
Count down each one and tick them off one by one. Focus on one repeat at a time. When that part of your run is done, give it a little first bump for making you that much fitter.
Back when I was coaching high school, we had a kid who would sing “One down, nine to go, one down nine to go.” That has stuck with me, even though it was probably 13 years ago.
When in doubt, especially as a newer runner or someone who’s back into training after a break, make the intervals short.
You have nothing to gain from really long intervals where your mind and momentum drift, and everything to gain from short, repeatable efforts.
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