Hit The Track: Interval Sessions For Every Distance And Ability

  • By Paul Moore
  • Published May 10, 2011
Running in circles will ultimately make you faster

Whether you love running in circles or hate the thought of it, the truth is that track sessions will make you a better, faster runner. But how should you use your time at your local track to best effect?

Running in circles will ultimately make you faster

Written By: Matt Fitzgerald


Short Intervals




Beginner Short Interval Workouts
6 x 100 meters

6 x 200 meters

6 x 300 meters

6 x 400 meters

Intermediate Short Interval Workouts
8 x 100 meters

8 x 200 meters

8 x 300 meters

8 x 400 meters

Advanced Short Interval Workouts
10 x 100 meters

10 x 200 meters

10 x 300 meters

10 x 400 meters

Middle-Distance Intervals

After completing each interval in a middle-distance interval session, recover by jogging slowly for roughly 3 minutes. That’s about how long it takes for your body to restore itself sufficiently to run the next interval at the same speed.



Beginner Middle-Distance Interval Workouts
5 x 600 meters

4 x 800 meters

3 x 1000 meters

2 x 1200 meters

Intermediate Middle-Distance Interval Workouts
6 x 600 meters

5 x 800 meters

4 x 1000 meters

3 x 1200 meters

Advanced Middle-Distance Interval Workouts
7 x 600 meters

6 x 800 meters

5 x 1000 meters

4 x 1200 meters

Long Intervals
Long intervals range from 1600 meters (one mile) to 3000 meters in distance. Because they are longer than middle-distance intervals, long intervals are necessarily run more slowly, but they are not intended to be slow. Typically, they are run at the individual runner’s approximate 10K race pace. This pace is close to lactate threshold pace for many runners, or the speed above which blood lactate levels increase rapidly. It was formerly believed that this spike in blood lactate hastened muscle fatigue. It is now known that fatigue at this intensity is cause by other factors.



Beginner Middle-Distance Interval Workouts
4 x 1600 meters

3 x 2000 meters

3 x 2400 meters

Intermediate Middle-Distance Interval Workouts
5 x 1600 meters

4 x 2000 meters

4 x 2400 meters

2 x 3000 meters

Advanced Middle-Distance Interval Workouts
6 x 1600 meters

5 x 2000 meters

4 x 2400 meters

3 x 3000 meters

Mixed Intervals
As their name suggests, mixed interval workouts consist in a mixture of two or more of the three interval lengths discussed above. Because they do not focus on a single, specific intensity, mixed interval workouts are not as useful as short, middle-length or long intervals for boosting specific components of running fitness. However, they are very useful for maintaining fitness in each of the components addressed by the three interval lengths. Therefore runners typically rely on mixed intervals during the final weeks of training before a race, after they have already developed their speed, VO2max and lactate threshold with short, middle-length and long interval workouts and simply want to maintain these capabilities while sharpening for a race.

Mixed intervals are also useful as a secondary track workout for advanced runners training for shorter races (5K and 10K). The primary track workout of the week would focus on developing one specific component of running fitness, while the mixed interval workout would provide a smaller stimulus for the same component of running fitness plus a small stimulus for the components of running fitness addressed by the other interval lengths.

Following are examples of mixed interval workout formats for beginner, intermediate and advanced runners:

Beginner Mixed Intervals Workout




(400m active recovery after each interval)

Intermediate Mixed Intervals Workout





(400m active recovery after each interval)

Advanced Mixed Intervals Workout







(400m active recovery after each interval)


Paul Moore

Paul Moore
