
What is Speed Work?
Speed work is best defined as short repetitions of 95% effort which is a bit faster than your all out 5K pace. Each short repetition is followed by an interval of rest. For example: the repetition may be 800 meters or a half mile with an interval of rest the same length of time. Thus, if you did your half mile time in 5:00 min., your interval of rest would be 5:00 min. The shorter the interval of rest, the more aerobically demanding a track session can become. The “interval of rest ”or“ recovery times between repetitions become very important. Without that recovery, speed work will not stress the proper energy systems in your body because you can’t bring yourself to your top speed.
Speed work is best defined as short repetitions of 95% effort which is a bit faster than your all out 5K pace. Each short repetition is followed by an interval of rest. For example: the repetition may be 800 meters or a half mile with an interval of rest the same length of time. Thus, if you did your half mile time in 5:00 min., your interval of rest would be 5:00 min. The shorter the interval of rest, the more aerobically demanding a track session can become. The “interval of rest ”or“ recovery times between repetitions become very important. Without that recovery, speed work will not stress the proper energy systems in your body because you can’t bring yourself to your top speed.