Break it Up
- A great way to break up the monotony of long runs and get a bit of speed in the legs at the same time
- Works well on roads and trails
Breaking a run up into several sections introduces variety and can help alleviate boredom as well as allowing the runner to work different paces.
The Session
The approach here is simple and can be done with any easy-paced run.
Your goal is simply to include strides at various points throughout the run.
These can either be done at fixed intervals (every mile, kilometer, or every five minutes works well) or whenever you feel like it. Another option is to perform a stride everytime you see a particular landmark, such as a dog walker or cyclist. Beware though, you can come unstuck with this strategy when you set out for a run on National Dog Walking Day or similar!
This type of run can also be done with a group. Since strides are so short and infrequent, differences in ability among the runners won't affect anybody's opportunity to work at their own pace. There's also no problem with everybody taking a short walk after each stride to recover and regroup.
Remember to keep the length of the strides short and allow plenty of recovery time between each.
