What is your favorite speed workout? (Read 207 times)

Answered none of the above as I like to run in certain HR range

Honestly, I'm not going to try and bullshit the physiological effects of the ladder workout. To me it's just a VO2 max workout. I don't try and hurt certain times, I try to hit effort. For instance I started my 1600 at 5:33 and just progressively got faster as the distance shortened where I hit a 1:09 on my 400.

 

 

and JeFfFgoBlue [trying to type that is hard] Ladder workouts have always confused me. I think the problem is that I like to hook into ONE pace per workout (mile pace, 800 pace for faster repeats, 5k pace for longer ones etc.) and have difficulty shifting all around. I get the psychological relief of ever-shorter repeats, but for me it's a lot easier to pick a single distance and try to run it at the same pace or just slightly faster over the course of the workout... doing a ladder is confusing. If you are running at the same pace for all of the repeats, I don't see the point, and if you are running each one at a different pace, for me it woudl seem like it wouldn't teach my body the desired pace.

 

Maybe its as much a mental workout as a physical one. Racing is as much a mental test as a physical one.

Yes -- forcing yourself not to settle for a pace, increasing intensity as fatigue increases... ah I need to get back in shape!!

 

My favorite thing about a pyramid workout is that when you're descending the pace scale things get harder and harder: so say your bottom is 6:00pm and the one before is 6:10.  When you're going back up, even though you're more fatigued than on the way down that 6:10 feels a LOT easier than it did the first time.

That makes sense and I have experienced it, so thanks for the explanation.