My Favorite Interval Running Routine

by Doug Jackson, M.Ed.,CSCS

For those of you who need to lean down a little bit and are healthy enough that your joints can handle running, I've included my all-time favorite interval running routine in this newsletter.

It takes a maximum of twenty minutes with warmup and cool down and is designed for someone like myself that typically goes bored out of their minds doing cardio. I find that the thirty second intervals are just enough to keep me sane...

Here it is. Print it out and try it out. Of course, adjust the speed and the duration to your own level of fitness.

My Favorite Interval Routine

Warmup

Minutes 0:00-3:00: Warmup at 3mph

Minutes 3:00-5:00: Jog at 5mph

Minutes 5:00-5:30: Speed up to 5.5mph

Minutes 5:30-6:00: Decrease to baseline of 5.0mph

Minutes 6:00-6:30: Speed up to 6.0mph

Minutes 6:30-7:00: Decrease to baseline of 5.0mph

Minutes 7:00-7:30: Speed up to 6.5mph

Minutes 7:30-8:00: Decrease to baseline of 5.0mph

Minutes 8:00-8:30: Speed up to 7.0mph

Minutes 8:30-9:00: Decrease to baseline of 5.0mph

Main Body of Workout

Minutes 9:00-9:30: Speed up to 8.0mph

Minutes 9:30-10:00: Decrease to baseline of 5.0mph

Minutes 10:00-10:30: Speed back to 8.0mph

Minutes 10:30-11:00: Decrease to baseline of 5.0mph

Minutes 11:00-11:30: Speed back to 8.0mph

Minutes 11:30-12:00: Decrease to baseline of 5.0mph

Minutes 12:00-12:30: Speed back to 8.0mph

Minutes 12:30-13:00: Decrease to baseline of 5.0mph

Minutes 13:00-13:30: Speed back to 8.0mph

Minutes 13:30-14:00: Decrease to baseline of 5.0mph

Minutes 14:00-14:30: Speed back to 8.0mph

Minutes 14:30-15:00: Decrease to baseline of 5.0mph

Cooldown

Minutes 15:00-16:00: Maintain baseline of 5.0mph

Minutes 16:00-17:00: Decrease to 4.0mph

Minutes 17:00-18:00: Decrease to 3.0mph

Minutes 18:00-20:00: Walking at 2.5mph