As I have said before in previous posts giving your one mile run as much variety as possible is the key to you sustaining it. Doing the same run every day is going to get boring and your body will get too used to it. Shake your runs up frequently.
One way in which you can do this is to include some faster segments in the run. If we want to get technical then this is called HIIT ( high intensity interval training) but we don’t need to worry about that. It just means that during some parts of the run you are going to be running very hard indeed but not for very long.
Here is a routine that I often do.
Run for 2 minutes
Walk for 30 seconds
Run very fast for 30 seconds – let your heart pound and get out of breath.
Walk for 30 seconds.
Run for 2 minutes
Run very fast again for 30 seconds.
Repeat until your mile is done.
I find timing the segments exactly is really important. I use the runmeter app on my phone for this but you can use a stopwatch.
The above routine is just a suggestion but I advise you to find your own. Don’t be afraid to experiment with the timings. If you find that 30 seconds is too much or not enough for the faster segment then change it. It’s fun to find a pattern that works for you.
I wouldn’t do this type of run every time you go out but 2 to three times a weeks seems about right and tends to be what i do.
If you decide to do this then let me know how you get on. You will definitely find that your ordinary mile runs are easier and that if losing weight s your aim then you will lose more.
Thanks for reading and let me know how you get on.
Milerunner
Milerunner 