Bring on the mile reps! There’s something nostalgic doing mile reps that connects us to generations who have come before and churned rep after rep of 1609m. Plus, they’re great for building both engine and wheels!

WHAT?

4x mile @ your 10k race pace
400m jog recoveries

Terrain: Running track or flat, measurable pathway.

Feels: Smiles & Miles

Runners have been doing mile reps forever! It’s one of the classic workouts and this variation of the classic is designed to really get your engine purring and legs ticking over nicely. Keep the 400 recoveries nice an easy so you can really nail each mile rep.

WHY?

Compared to 1k reps, mile reps allow a little more time to sit at a higher heart rate and get a bit of that grind feel. So much so, that this can feel like four mini tempo runs rather than an interval session.

This grind will translate well once you get into racing or tempo runs, preparing you to go faster for longer.

HOW?

The 400m recoveries are key to make sure you’re nailing each mile rep. So, keep them light jogging.

If your 10k pace is slower than 7 minutes per mile then shorten each of the reps to 1500m (as opposed to 1609m). And if you’re still not under 7 minutes, do 1200m or 1000m. This ensures you’re not doing too much work at the required intensity.

Also, if you’re doing this workout by GPS (i.e. not on a track), you could just do 1600m reps and use the remaining 400m as your recovery, before going again at 2k.

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK:

BECOME A FAN IN 2021

By Hayden Shearman

Following the professional sport of running can be tricky. It often only makes the news during the Olympics or when someone’s busted for drugs. But the beauty of social media is you can connect directly to athletes from all over the world. And there are some amazing personalities and stories in the sport.  

I’ve come up with my top five runners that I’m inspired by right now to help give you some inspiration on where you might like to start. They’re from all over the world and across the spectrum of sprints to distance running. And a notable mention who just missed the cut for the top five is the Japanese marathon legend Yuki Kawauchi who runs tonnes of marathons every year, works a fulltime job, has a stonking fast PB of 2:08:14, and has still managed to win the Boston Marathon (2018).

1. Sara Hall (USA): Sara is in her late 30s, has adopted four kids (with her husband Ryan Hall—who is also America’s fastest marathoner ever) and has recently become USA’s second fastest marathon woman ever. After an earlier career as a track athlete, running middle distances and the steeplechase, she was always just below that international level. But moving to the marathon has been an absolute revelation for her, running fast times and getting second in this year’s Boston. https://www.instagram.com/sarahall3/
2. Joshua Cheptegei (Uganda): We’ve talked a lot about Cheptegei the past 12 months after he systematically dismantled world records in the 5k, 5000m and 10,000m. He’s put Ugandan running on the map and he’s an exciting prospect for Tokyo 2021, hoping to line up the famous double win for the 5000 and 10,000m. https://www.instagram.com/joshuacheptegei/
3. Brigid Kosgei (Kenya): Only starting running at age 17, to keep up with her boyfriend at the time (who is now her husband), she went on to become the youngest ever winner of the London Marathon (2019). Now at 26, she’s got four major marathon wins and the marathon world record of 2:14:04. Stop and consider that time for a moment!! https://www.instagram.com/brigidkosgeithereal/
4. Lopez Lomong (USA): If you want a must-read running booking, go no further than Lopez’s “Running For My Life”! A Sudanese refuge at age 6, Lopez grew up in a refugee camp on the border of Kenya until he was 16 and was adopted by an American family. Here he discovered the sport of running and excelled so much that he found himself in the USA 2008 Olympic team—where he was chosen by his fellow athletes to be the flagbearer. At age 35, he’s still getting faster, having posted a 12:58 5k in 2020 and targeting another Olympic team in Tokyo. https://www.instagram.com/lopez_lomong9/
5. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (Jamaica): And we can’t have a top-5 runners list without including a sprinter. And for this I have to include two-time Olympic 100m champ Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. In 2019, she came back from having a baby to win the 100m world title. She’s an absolute pocket rocket and a ball of energy and smiles. https://www.instagram.com/realshellyannfp/

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