Variations

I’ve been running steady most of the last three years, rarely doing more than changing my speed once or twice during the run. That hasn’t been much of an issue for me, but recently I hurt my knee and decided that I ought to try and vary things a little as I build back some strength.

I used to do the body for life run, which was a brutal 20 minutes.

It’s a pyramid workout, and when you get to the level 9 and 10s, it’s hard. If you’re trying to work at that level, you are exhausted, and not just physically. Mentally pushing yourself is hard.

I decided to try a few variations on my own, not building up to that level, but working harder.

A few days I did a 1:00 at a slower pace, around 6.3-6.3mph and then a 0:30 slice at a faster pace, varying the speed slightly, depending how I felt. Sometimes the faster pace was 6.6mph, sometimes 7.0mph, sometimes 7.2mph.

The other pyramid I tried was a two stage pace. 0:30 at 6.3, 0:30 at 6.7, and 0:30 at 7, alternating. Getting a break, but not a lot of a break.

Those are OK, but they require more thought. I prefer a 1:00 on, 1:00 off, and having a reminder to just change on the :00 time. Easier to handle when I’m running, especially with Runmeter, which gives me an update every minute if I want it.