We frequently confine ourselves to laps on the track based on distance and fail to take advantage of the other things that we can use a track for. For example, use the track markings for triggering fartlek-style pickups, beginning and ending every time you pass over a line. This week we’ll run the two minute drill. Every two minutes, we’ll run a pickup for 2 minutes and then run easy for 2 minutes, signaled by your stopwatch or the whistle. Each pickup should be run at about 10K race pace and you should be able to complete 6-8 repetitions without being completely wiped out on the last. Instead of running a set distance for time, we’re running a set time for distance. Pick out some helpful reference points around the track and for each two minute pickup, try to go just a little bit farther than the last, picking up the pace until the last rep is your fastest.
Warmup: 10′ easy
Workout: 8 x 2m T x 2m E
Cooldown: 10′ easy
Post-cooldown: high knees, butt flicks, kick throughs, strides, leg swings