Why we do short distance track workouts... All the damn time!!

So I often get asked the question "Why don't we mix up our Tuesday track workout from the usual 100 meter and 200 meter repeats?" Variety is said to be the spice of life! Yes, I would agree, it truly is. Consistency + variety in your training is the key to continuous progression. I believe in variety but we, as long distance runners, use the track workout day to specifically work on our leg speed turnover. While there is a multitude of different length track workouts one can do, we reserve the longer range intervals for the road and save it for our "tempo day". If we did 400 meter repeats on our  "leg speed day" on the track on Tuesday, then did 60 second fartlecks on the road on Thursday, it would be the same workout two days apart. More importantly, in my opinion, it would be too much anaerobic training in one week, especially since we always incorporate tempo work into our weekend long run. It's important to know '"why" we are doing each workout and what the ultimate effect is on the body in doing so. Each of the three key workouts in a week should be very different by design. Top end speed development, sustained speed training and the long, hard run should each have their day of the week. There's your variety... Now stay consistent and the future is yours!! #findyouFAST

-Blue

note: Fartlecks is a word of Swedish origin that means "Speed Play" and is used in the running world to refer to all road speed interval workouts.