Your first workouts. R Pace.
When designing a training program, after a period of base-building the first workouts we prescribe are what Jack Daniels calls R Pace workouts. R Pace stands for Repetition Pace. The purpose of Repetition Pace is to improve running form and economy. To make a more efficient engine. We start with R Pace because it only adds one stress on the body to begin. FAST running. R Pace workouts involve full recovery so each repetition is perfect. Every perfect rep is a bar of gold!
Because this is the fastest-paced running we do, each individual rep needs to be short, followed by full recovery. Each rep should be less than 2 minutes in duration. Your recovery should be 2-3 times the duration of the fast running. It can be walking, standing, or jogging recovery whichever you are more comfortable with. But the goal is to run every rep with 100% PERFECT FORM, so take all of the recovery you need. The total amount of fast running in any individual R Pace workout day should be 5 miles or 5% of your weekly miles, whichever is less.
Some of our favorite R Pace workouts include 60 second hill runs (with perfect form!), 150 meters at R Pace with 250 meter walking recovery, and doing acceleration strides as part of a longer run. An example would be to run a mile warmup, then do 10 x 20 second acceleration strides with about 3 minutes jogging recovery, then finish your mileage for the day running easy.
Find more of our short articles about training on our website: https://showmerunning.com/running-advice/
If you have any questions about running, training, or gear feel free to reach out to Coach Gregg or Coach Suzi anytime. We are happy to try and answer your questions as best we can.