This is the third workout in my three-part series of Workout Wednesdays powered by BioAstin on how to prepare for the host of unknowns in races. For today’s workout, we are addressing unknowns on the run. Also checkout my website for similar sessions on the swim and bike.

Does this sound familiar?:

The run pace is crazy fast immediately coming out of T2 because everyone’s fired-up after getting off the bike, you’re buoyed by the cheering crowd, and some of you might even be playing cat-and-mouse with your rivals.  Then, in the later stages of the run, you pay for all of this early exuberance… your pace deteriorates and you might even be reduced to a walk.

What did you do wrong and how can you avoid this scenario in the future by better, more purposeful workouts?

Today’s Workout Wednesday will help prepare you for the attacks and surges during the the race that drive your heart rate way up for 20 sec to 2 min into your anaerobic zone, and produces a sudden spike in muscle acidity.

It’s vital to train for this — and anticipate the randomness of these higher intensity efforts during a race.  By being well-prepared, not only will you be able to physically handle these surges, but your mental tenacity and self-confidence will increase, too, helping you to find that extra gear to finish strongly on the run.

Try this workout over the final 10 weeks leading up to your big race. These high outputs are effective at all distances and for those of all abilities.

Lastly, you might find that after performing these interval sessions a few times, you’ll acquire the ability to relax. When you’ve reached this level of mastery, you’ll discover that the higher intensity efforts during the run can be fun and manageable.

If you do the workout, let me know how it goes and get in touch with me on Facebook or Twitter.

Dave

Warm Up

8 min with 8 x 15 sec pick-ups at your 800 meter pace, spaced throughout your warm up.

Main Set

12 min aerobic

Then, do the following intervals at a hard effort:

2 min

90 sec

75 sec

60 sec

4 x 25 sec

Rest Interval between each hard effort is 90 sec at aerobic pace.

The set can be repeated but — on the second set — the 12 min aerobic can be reduced to 4 min to 8 min.

#WorkoutWednesday is powered by BioAstin, one of my top 5 recommended supplements.  BioAstin Hawaiian Astaxanthin is a powerful antioxidant that supports cardiovascular health and muscle recovery… perfect for athletes who are training hard.