Rest between mile intervals? (Read 1396 times)

My half marathon training program has me doing 3x1 mile at 5-10k pace. How long should I rest between miles? When I did 440's in my last training program, I rested for 2 minutes.

Depends on whether you're doing them at 5 or 10k pace. Closer to 5k pace, you're working on building speed, and I'd say do an 800m jog in between. Closer to 10k pace, you're building strength, and I'd say shorten the rest to a 400m jog.

Totally depends upon your goals. If you are looking for 3 hard miles, go for full recovery (5-8 minutes). If you are looking to stress your legs a little more, go with less recovery.

My half marathon training program has me doing 3x1 mile at 5-10k pace. How long should I rest between miles? When I did 440's in my last training program, I rested for 2 minutes.

Hey Julia, we're both around the same area! I'm in DC very often! The amount of time that you rest depends on what you're trying to accomplish with your workouts. How hard are you pushing yourself? How tired are you after finishing 1 mile? There are basically 2 types of interval workouts that accomplish different things. There's the maximum effort kind where you'll need a full 2 to 10 minutes of walking recovery - this type of workout increases your body's ability to buffer lactic acid, so eventually you'll be able to run harder for longer before the burning/fatigue makes you stop. Then there's the aerobic power run, which gets your heart rate as close to 100% max as possible, but is done at a slower pace and with an 'active' recovery between reps (jogging). Typically the jogging recovery for these types of workouts lasts about 30 seconds to 2 minutes - and you should never stop to walk until the workout is over. This type of workout increases your aerobic capacity. Being that you're training for a half marathon, you probably should be shooting for the latter aerobic power workout. Finding the right pace is easier if you have a heart rate monitor. Good luck!

When is one of these options better than the other? What is each trying to accomplish? Or should I just go with option B if I have more recovery time in my schedule?

If you're doing the mile repeats at close to 5-K pace (working on VO2 max) then you need to take about the same amount of time between each of them (or maybe just a little less) as it takes you to run them, also you'll probably do fewer total repeats maybe 3 or 4 of them. For example a 17:00 5-K runner may do a set of 3-4xmile in 5:30 with 4-5 minutes rest in between each. Actual paces may vary to a little faster than 5-K pace all the way up to 10-K pace, but no slower than ~10-K Pace as much slower and you are getting into a different type of workout (see below) If you're doing mile repeats at more like 10-K to 1/2 Mar. pace (working on aerobic threshold) then you'll do each repeat slower, take much less rest, and probably add a few more repeats. Our same 17:00 5-K runner may do 5-6xmile in 5:50 with 2 minutes rest in between each. Again paces may vary, but keeping the early repeats at 10-K pace or just slightly slower keeps you from acculating to much fatigue too early and being able to complete the workout (or completing in continuously slowing times) In both cases the 'rest' should be active - walking/jogging for 800m for example - although you certainly don't need to go exactly a set amount of distance during the recovery. You shouldn't just stop and stand around waiting for the next repeat to start. Which workout you do depends on what you are training for and what you are trying to accomplish with the workout, the first isn't necessarily better just because you are going faster and the second isn't necessarily better just because you are doing more total distance. I would add that unless you are able to do miles repeats at faster than ~6:00 pace (Jack Daniels says ~5:00 minutes Pfitz says ~6:00, I agree with Pfitz on this one) then you would probably be better off doing shorter intervals (1200's or even 800's) for VO2 max work. Doing mile repeats for threshold work would still be appropriate regardless of pace though.

Does it matter whether you're running/jogging or walking - or how much of each? I generally go by time rather than by distance, although it'd work out pretty close to an 800 between miles ... but does it matter how much I walk? Is there a certain HR I shouldn't drop below? (Not that I ever actually use my HRM, but inquiring minds want to know ...)

Hopefully Hannibal will chime in as well, but in my experience, the point of the recovery was rest (duh) and also clearing out the crap as much as possible before the next effort. An active recovery does both of these things. The ideal answer to the question would be there are no hardset rules other than to make it active enough to freshen up the legs as much as possible, but not so active that you're actually stressing the systems that are trying to recover. Trial and error and experience would be your guides.

This is interesting. The fastest I could reasonably do mile repeats would be 6:30-6:45. 7:00 is probably more appropriate. Does that mean that unless I'm specifically training for marathon distance, I should stick with shorter intervals? Is there any benefit to threshold pace mile intervals for 5k/10k training, or should I just be doing 400/800m VO2 max intervals? I generally run much shorter intervals for shorter races and don't do miles except for marathons. But I never really knew WHY I was doing it that way ...

Threshold work will benefit a runner racing all the way down to the 800 meters (even the 400m to a small extent). There is absolutely a benefit in doing threshold work for the 5k and 10k. As you push up your lactic threshold pace, you also improve your ability to hold paces that are faster than lactic threshold pace. This directly benefits your 5k/10k potential. Also, I'll add a bit about the 6:00 Vo2 max interval ceiling. I think there are a couple reasons here. Doing efforts at Vo2 max are incredibly stressful. Holding them for 6:00 is nearing a max effort. The ability to repeat that within the same workout is incredibly difficult. This decreases the total amount of time that can be spent at Vo2 max pace, which is counter to the goal of the workout. Bringing down the distance of the interval to one that can be covered in 6:00 or better allows the athlete to spend more total time at that pace. The second reason is that even if an athlete can physically complete 5 or 6, or more intervals at Vo2max pace, but in excess of 6:00, the athlete runs the risk of leaving it all on the track. The length of recovery required from such a workout starts to into other workouts the athlete could be doing later in the week. Simply put, the workout is too hard. In a different sense, it's kind of like a 42 mile long run for a marathoner. Just stupid.

I see what you're saying here, but the reason I want a more concrete answer is simple: laziness. If I tell myself that I can recover until I'm fresh, I'm afraid I'll take that way too far. I need some guidelines to keep from loafing. This is actually something I struggle with in interval training: finding the right recovery time and pace so that I'm recovered enough to run the next interval at the right pace, but not so recovered that I'm basically cooling all the way down between sets. Or is that not even possible? Is there no disadvantage to really completely recovering?

Aha! I was addressing what you do during the time the workout allows for recovery. The determination of what time is actually allowed lies in the goal of the workout. The general rule is, the faster the interval, the longer the recovery, but there are exceptions. The general rule would ask the question: what amount of recovery allows an athlete to run the goal paces, without overly stressing the body? Daniels philosophy would recommend no recovery for a longer tempo, short recovery (~60 seconds for cruise intervals), medium recovery for Vo2 max intervals (<90 seconds), longer recovery for repetitions (2-3 min), and full recovery for speed efforts*. full recovery is kind of a misnomer, but in my experience was around 5-8 minutes. for vo2 max intervals, it is expected that the athlete is still tired going into everything beyond the 3rd or so interval of the workout. the point is being tired and running fast. *i don't remember our 5k/10k guys ever really doing true speed efforts. for the 800m guys, they were 3 to 4 400m efforts at, or just faster than, race pace. seconds),="" longer="" recovery="" for="" repetitions="" (2-3="" min),="" and="" full="" recovery="" for="" speed="" efforts*.="" full="" recovery="" is="" kind="" of="" a="" misnomer,="" but="" in="" my="" experience="" was="" around="" 5-8="" minutes.="" for="" vo2="" max="" intervals,="" it="" is="" expected="" that="" the="" athlete="" is="" still="" tired="" going="" into="" everything="" beyond="" the="" 3rd="" or="" so="" interval="" of="" the="" workout.="" the="" point="" is="" being="" tired="" and="" running="" fast.="" *i="" don't="" remember="" our="" 5k/10k="" guys="" ever="" really="" doing="" true="" speed="" efforts.="" for="" the="" 800m="" guys,="" they="" were="" 3="" to="" 4="" 400m="" efforts="" at,="" or="" just="" faster="" than,="" race=""></90 seconds), longer recovery for repetitions (2-3 min), and full recovery for speed efforts*. full recovery is kind of a misnomer, but in my experience was around 5-8 minutes. for vo2 max intervals, it is expected that the athlete is still tired going into everything beyond the 3rd or so interval of the workout. the point is being tired and running fast. *i don't remember our 5k/10k guys ever really doing true speed efforts. for the 800m guys, they were 3 to 4 400m efforts at, or just faster than, race pace.>

You guys are so smart. Thanks -- this has been VERY helpful. I had not even considered an active recovery, but that's definitely how I'll do it.