Running with Jack

Last night I tried a workout that a running friend of mine uses to train for his 10K (6.2 mile) races. Basically this consists of:

- Stretching really well, including calisthenics to get the heart pumping;
- Doing a 100 meter (328 feet) warmup run;
- Running 10K at 90-95% of your race tempo;
- Jogging at least 1000 meters (~0.62 miles);
- Stretching after the run.

I ran the 10K in 53:40, which is about 3 minutes slower than my best 10K. I jogged almost 4K (2.5 miles) afterwards.

I am surprised how effective this training seems to be, my leg muscles really ache this morning. Apparently the short warmup, fast run, followed by more running effectively works the muscle groups which will eventually strenghthen your legs and lead to a faster pace. My friend trains once a week using this method, plus 2 other days of normal training runs (1 long, 1 medium distance).

My friend warned me not to do this training the week before a long run or race, I know why now, it really breaks down your muscles.

It would be interesting to see how this would compare to other tempo or interval training.