Ground rules:
- Never add more than one new thing at a time (i.e. intervals or tempo or hills). Add one thing, then do that 3 or 4 weeks before adding the 2nd new thing.
- Warmup and cooldown should be about 1 mile each (can be more). The rest of the run can be for a specific workout.
- No more than 2 hard runs (i.e. speed sessions) per week. Plus a long run if you get to that point. The long run is also considered a hard run.
- At least one easy day or rest day between hard runs.
NOTE: You will have to teach yourself pacing to do some of these workouts.
So let us figure you can run a 10K at 9:00 minute pace. (You should be able to.) That is 55:56 for 10K. Put that into the pace calculator. In the chart, "strength reps" and "speed reps" give you times for repeats (aka intervals). The fast part is a repeat, the recovery an interval. The whole workout is known generically as repeats or intervals. INTERVALS ARE FAST BUT NOT ALL OUT SPRINTS. Start with 2 or 3. Up the number as you feel comfortable. The recovery times can be longer if you are having problems doing them. Recovery times listed in the table are realtively short. Typical recommendation is about the same amount of time as the repeat. If they are too easy, change the time you put into the calculator for the 10K. An 8:45 pace is 54:22, 8:30 is 52:49, 8:15 is 51:16, 8:00 is 49:43.
Tempo runs are also known as Lactate Threshold (LT) runs. So in the chart, look for "threshold continuous runs" for your pace, for 10 to 30 minutes. These can also be done as Tempo Intervals ("threshold reps"), where you run, say, a mile at tempo pace, take a short break st a slower pace, then another mile at tempo pace.
Hills are similar to intervals but you do them on a hill, usually 1/8 to 1/4 mile long, at a hard pace but probably not as hard as the interval pace. Hills tend to work on leg strength more than intervals do. Again, start with 2 or 3 and work up from there.
And fartlek is similar to intervals done during a normal run, but you pick the distance and the pace.