Interval Training

Yesterday, I wanted to get one more day of running in before our half marathon this Sunday! (eek!) I can't believe it's already here! I'm definitely nervous but excited at the same time! :)

Anyways, I didn't want to do a long run but I did want to do some sort of running so I decided to do some interval training on the treadmill. Some of you may be saying inter-who?! So let's start from the beginning...

What is interval training?

• Interval training is when you alternate high intensity, short bursts of speed with slower, recovery phases during your workout.

Do any of you remember in high school when we used to run the straights and walk the curves on the track? That is the perfect example of interval training!

What are some of the advantages of interval training?

• Increases your speed.
• Burns more calories in less time.
• Increases your endurance.
• Increases your metabolism.
• It keeps your metabolism and fat burning furnace reved up for at least the next 24 hours!
• It prevents boredom since you are constantly changing your speed and intensity.
• No equipment or machines are necessary.

You can do interval training many different ways. You can do it while jumping rope, biking, running, while doing high knees, mountain climbers, etc. Just as long as you are alternating short bursts of high intensity exercises with a slower recovery phase, you are doing interval work!

As I said, I decided to do mine on the treadmill yesterday. I wanted to take it easy on my knees and not kill myself so this is the plan I used.

Time	Speed	Incline
0:00-5:00	3.5	1.0
5:00-10:00	4.0	2.0
10:00-12:00	6.5	1.0
12:00-13:00	3.5	1.0
13:00-15:00	6.6	1.0
15:00-16:00	3.5	1.0
16:00-18:00	6.7	1.0
18:00-19:00	3.5	1.0
19:00-21:00	6.6	1.0
21:00-22:00	3.5	1.0
22:00-24:00	6.7	1.0
24:00-25:00	3.5	1.0
25:00-27:00	6.7	1.0
27:00-28:00	3.5	1.0
28:00-30:00	6.8	1.0
30:00-31:00	3.5	1.0
31:00-33:00	6.9	1.0
33:00-34:00	3.5	1.0
34:00-36:00	7.0	1.0
36:00-42:00	3.5	2.0

This is a fairly simple plan but it still had me sweating! If you are new to interval training and would like to try it out on the treadmill, this would be a great start for a beginner!

Have you ever tried interval training? If so, what kind of interval training do you do?
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