Sometimes when you see running workouts listed (like for interval work), it can look like a kind of exclusive shorthand.
When you first start to run, you may see a workout like this:
5 min WU/10×1 min run with 1 min walk/5 min CD.
This particular workout is 30 minutes long, and you are mostly walking. It is a 5 minute warm up (WU walking), 10 times of running 1 minute and walking 1 minute and then a 5 minute walk as a cool down (CD).
As you advance from run/walk as you start to run, to running, the speed days you will incorporate may start to look like this:
2 mi ez/8 x 100m @5k with 200 m rec/1 mi CD translates to run 2 miles at your easy, conversational pace (on a scale of 1-10, run a 1 or 2) then you have 8 repeats (intervals) of 100 meters at your 5k pace with 200 meters of recovery and then finish with a 1 mile cool down (easy, conversational pace).
When a workout specifies @5k pace (or @half marathon pace, or whatever pace that workout is specifying), it means the pace you could run a 5k today. If it says @goal 5k pace, you will run it (try) at the pace you are aiming for in your 5k (or again, whatever your goal race is). If you are not training for a specific race, you won’t have any @goal…everything will be done at current race pace.
To find your current race pace, you can use a race pace calculator. If you haven’t run any races, run your own 5k and use that time to plug in the calculator.
For Cool Down miles, your goal is to cool down…which means you may need to walk. Especially after a workout that incorporates speed work. I usually recommend a cool down is run by feel. This should be very easy. If the run is making you sweat or raises your heart rate, slow down or walk.
Another type of workout you may see that is a bit different, is something like 6 mi ez/2×8 sec hill sprints. You’ll see there is no specified recovery. This does NOT mean you run the hill sprints with no rest. It just means you can decide the recovery. Whether you jog/walk down the hill before starting the next one, give yourself a 45 second (or whatever time frame you pick) recovery in between or check your heart rate to make sure it is in your zone 1 or 2 before doing the 2nd sprint.
When you first start to get into workouts where you have to decide some of the aspects of it, it can be a bit intimidating. But this is one of those things about running that can be fun and teaches you how to adapt your runs for you personally.
The last workout I’ll talk about is one that has a little bit more to it. For example:
1 mi WU/ 2x 6 min/5 min/4 min/3 min/2 min/1 min @10k-1500m pace with 90 sec rec and 2 min walk between sets/ 1 mi CD.
Let’s break it down:
1 mile warm up (easy, conversational pace), then you will run 2 “ladders”. The first ladder is 6 minutes at a pace range of your current 10k pace down to your 1500 meter pace, jog or walk for 90 seconds. You will run the pace range for 5 minutes with 90 second recovery, and on down to 1 minute. That is the first set of 2 (2 sets is specified by 2x in the workout above). You will then walk for 2 minutes (2 min. walk between sets) and then start back at 6 minutes in the pace range with 90 second recovery and run down the ladder to 1 minute. You will finish the workout with a 1 mile cool down.
It can seem confusing at first, but like any language once you learn the basics it will get easier and easier.
If you have any questions about any workouts, you can email me at sherry@wrinkledrunner.com and I will help you transcribe it!