Running for a Purpose & A Few Intervals

Right now I’m not in the process of any rigid training schedule, nor have I planned my upcoming races yet, so I feel like I am plodding along doing a workout here and long run there with a few easy runs in between.  Lately I’ve been feeling like my typical five-mile runs are used to maintain my fitness, rather than build upon what I currently have as my base.

Then along came a tweet on Monday by Derek {husband of a fellow Oiselle runner, Allison} that stated “every run should have a purpose...”  

This got me thinking...
Like Oprah has her gurus {Dr. Oz and Dr. Phil}, I have mine {Coach Jesse}.  So I thought I would ask him about this very subject and he agreed...

From Jesse:

No run should be done without purpose, but it isn't necessary to run every distance jaunt at 6:40 pace either. 

At this point in {my} training, he feels that I should be doing the following:

• Three days of good distance running {getting the heart rate up to about 70% max for at least 35 - 50 minutes}
• Two workouts {progression, intervals, speedwork, etc}
• One easy, active recovery day {x-train, easy run, yoga} 

He also said that even typical 30 minute runs help to maintain, or even add to aerobic fitness.  A 2-mile shake out run is intended to help loosen the legs and facilitate faster clearance of wastes from them.

As an example, Jesse tells his collegiate athletes that they should have {approximately} five runs per week that they would want to brag about to their opponents.  Workouts are obvious but even on a long run, the heart rate should be in a certain window for a certain duration.  The other two days during the week are active recovery, which even though he doesn’t stress pace, it’s an active way to recover while still building aerobic base.

Speaking of making every run count...yesterday I ran the usual 5.5 mile loop near school and to amp it up a bit, I added in two intervals.  The local community center has a path and once around is equivalent to .88 of a mile.

Here’s how it went:

2.75 mile warm-up {7:35 pace}

First interval: 5:46 {6:33 pace}

2 minutes rest

Second interval: 5:35 {6:20 pace}

1 mile cool down back to school

Basically I wanted to throw in some speed in a regular distance run.  Plus, I was short on time since I had to be home to take my daughter to dance.  I felt this workout was a nice way to get my legs moving on an otherwise regular day. 

PS.  Here’s my finger post-run {still holding up strong}!!

So there you have it…from my coach/advisor to you…every run should truly have a purpose.  And thank you to Derek for putting the statement out there in Twitterverse! 

What do you think...Should every run should have a purpose?