Cruise Intervals* are something I have been using in training the last few weeks. Mile repeats done in "cruise" mode are pretty new to me and I am really having a lot of fun with them!
Why I like this workout:
- It improves my lactate threshold (rate or pace in which the legs become thrashed from lactate buildup)
- It is a nice switch-up from the regular solid tempo/threshold run.(something new!)
- It feels easier than a solid tempo/ threshold, but with the same benefits...so I feel like I can do more distance in one workout.
The workout:
My latest cruise interval workout was to do 6 mile repeats at threshold pace (goal pace 6:42), with one minute of easy running between each interval, then get in a little bit of cool down.
Here's how:
- First, it helps to have your GPS watch set to auto-lap (not necessary if you are at a track)
- Warm up for about 10 minutes.
- I stretch, and then hit "lap" on my watch to start recording a mile at T pace. If my watch is programmed to auto lap it should beep.
- After a mile, give myself a minute of running easy, then hit "lap" again for the next mile of T paced running.
- Repeat until I have performed all the intervals (Daniels recommends no more than 10% of your weekly mileage be T pace).
This allowed me to do almost 10k of T pace running in one day, and the one minute "breaks" give me enough reprieve to keep it going without dropping. And, looking at the heart rate graph, I kept pretty close to the heart rate goal, dipping just a bit in the aerobic recoveries (and a lot when I stopped to stretch!).
By the numbers, this was
not my BEST workout ever- a little inconsistent. I'd like to try this on a track if one were close!
I felt like I could do more or go faster, but doing that might defeat the purpose of the workout. I caught myself early in a few of the intervals going to fast and reined myself in.
When running T pace, better to err on the side of too slow than too fast.
Another alternative
Another way to do cruise intervals is to run them by time, for example: 5 minute at T pace /1 minute easy pace, or 10 minutes T pace/2 minutes easy pace. I like these too- but either need to pay closer attention to my watch, or pre-program it.
Do you ever run Cruise Intervals for distance or time?
This is my current favorite workout. What's yours?
*Just to add to the confusion: While Daniels refers to these as Cruise Intervals, McMillan refers to this pace as Tempo Intervals. McMillan also has cruise intervals- but they are at around 10K race pace- slightly faster, 10-15 secs faster/mile
