Heather Fell: Do you prefer to run a certain distance or run for time? Are you someone who
prefers to go out for one hour of running or do you like to cover a round number of miles?
You've got the option. Do you run for time or distance? Well, both have benefits and I'm going
to be covering all the factors that you need to consider as well as throwing in a few sessions
to suit either style. [music]
Well, the big question is which is better? I'm going to start off by being entirely honest
with you and admitting that I actually use both. It depends what type of run it is, where I am,
how I'm feeling, the list goes on. As a result, I'm going to give you a very unbiased opinion
on which to use and when, and you never know, changing something as simple as your long run
going from distance to running to time could be a complete game-changer when it comes to
your enjoyment. [music]
Why use time? The biggest reason for me personally is scheduling. Say you've got a 60-minute lunch
break, well then if you know it takes you 5 minutes to get into your running kit. You need 10
minutes to shower afterwards, 10 minutes to grab a sandwich that leaves you with half an hour plus
5 minutes contingency. When you've got that half an hour, you could do just a 30-minute easy jog,
or you could actually make it quite a tough session with some time-based intervals.
Then the next reason, which is probably the most important is terrain. If you go
by distance and you're suddenly running on something that's, say, really hilly,
you're somewhere in deep sand or it's really muddy and slippy then to do the same distance
is going to take you much longer than it would do if you're running on smooth flat tarmac.
It could get a little bit disheartening. You might start looking at your pace and thinking,
"Gosh, I'm running so slowly," but actually, you're still putting in the same effort and
you're actually taking longer per kilometer, so it becomes harder. I find that something like that,
just take the pressure off and run for the same amount of time on that terrain,
as it would actually take you if you were running the distance you want on the flat.
We recently made a video about training to [unintelligible 00:02:07] and it becomes
all too easy to start continually checking your watch, working out what heart rate you're running
at. Are you in the correct zone? What pace are you going at? It can just take away that
enjoyment. Sometimes it's nice to ignore all of that and really tune into your body
and just think about how you're feeling. It's something that I find quite refreshing myself.
Now, another bonus running to time is maybe more for coaches or if you are organizing running in
a group. If you're doing intervals and you're all running for the same time, say, the intervals are
60 seconds instead of 300 meters, you know that you're going to be working for exactly the same
amount of time. You're going to be suffering for the same amount of time as everyone else around
you. It's something quite nice about uniting the group with that. If you are coaching, it
makes it clearer as to when everybody stops, you regroup and it's easy to stick together that way.
I'm not suggesting that you slack off, but doing a session or a tempo run to time just comes with
a little bit less pressure. You know that you're going to finish that interval or that block when
you hit X on the clock, irrelevant of how you're feeling that day. Sometimes if you're having a
bad day, it's satisfying knowing that you can get through it and you're still getting the session
completed irrelevant of how you're feeling. Another advantage comes to the simplicity of the
equipment you need. You do need a watch, yes, but it just needs basic time, especially for a long
run. You just need to be able to glance at it. It does get a little bit harder if you're doing
short sessions and you're constantly trying to look at your watch. For that one,
you might want to be able to set up a beeper or an interval or something just so you can glance
and it doesn't take so much distraction away. With all of these points, it might well sound
like I'm just trying to sell running to time to you. I'm not, I just want you to know all the
benefits so you can make that decision. It really depends on you and what type of run. For example,
I personally would tend to use time if I'm doing a tempo or a threshold-style effort.
Definitely, if I'm just doing my easy run. When it comes to my long run, that
depends how I feel. I told you I like variety. If I have sold running to time to you and you want
to have a go at it and you're new to it, I've got a couple of session suggestions you might like.
For both of these sessions, make sure you do your own warmup and your cool-down on either side.
The first one is a pyramid. Run 60 seconds hard followed by 60 seconds
easy. Then 2 minutes hard followed by 2 minutes easy. 3 minutes, 3 minutes, 4 minutes, 4 minutes,
5 minutes, 5 minutes. You get the idea. Then once you've reached that 5-minute hard,
5-minute easy, you'll go all the way back down until you finish with 60 seconds easy.
The next session, a tempo run. This is quite simple. 3 lots of 8 minutes running at your tempo
pace with a 3-minute easy jog between each. [music]
Hopefully, I have not sold running to time so well that you've all tuned out and you're convinced
that's best because there's still plenty of benefits to running to distance as well of which
I want to cover now. The first one is making it very race-specific. If you have a race coming up,
then you probably know the distance of that race. As a result, you can plan your training
really meticulously to that. If it's a shorter race, you could even do a time
trial a few times so you know where you're at. Admittedly as your race distance becomes longer,
this becomes less of an advantage. Once you've measured a set distance,
whether you're using a watch or you've marked out the start and finish line,
then you can easily run reps over and back without needing to check your watch or keep glancing at it
in the middle of a hard effort. I must admit when running at pace kilometers, for example,
there's nothing worse than trying to roll up your sleeve and check how long you've got left to go.
Maybe you have a running track near you or a set loop somewhere or a housing estate with a road
around it that you know the distance of. Well, this is great for training in a group, because
if it's a fairly short distance, you can all start and finish in the same point and it doesn't matter
what pace you're running at, but it's also great for comparison. Comparing rep to rep, so checking
you're running at the same pace, but probably more interestingly is actually comparing it throughout
the season to see if you've got any progress. Then we've got mileage. Runners talk about
mileage don't they? The weekly total is often bandied about, and you can talk about how many
hours you've run that week, but really people want to know the distance.That is the best way again,
for tracking your progress and comparing your program to say a few weeks earlier.
It's a downside, so the opposite to what we covered when we talked
about the positives for running to time. It is dangerous. Sometimes you can get really
obsessed with your pace and you maybe don't listen to your body. If you're not feeling quite so
strong, it might be a sign that you need to back off slightly. The most important time, when you
really need to take into account your distances, is if you're running off-road or on hills. There's
no point in absolutely trying to kill yourself to hit a time if the terrain is different. Just
remember that when you're planning any sessions. If you do want some sessions running to distance,
we've got a great couple for you here. Again, make sure you warm-up and you cool down either
side of these. This first one is great if you've got a running track or a set distance, 5 lots of
800 meters running hard, or at your 5K pace or under with a 2-minute walk recovery. Then we've
got another pyramid session. This time, it's going up by 200 meters. You're running a 200. You take
30 seconds rest. Then you run a 400 and you add on 30 seconds rest. You have a minute's rest.
Then it's a 600 with a minute and a half rest, 800 followed by 2 minutes rest up to 1,000 meters
with 2 and a half minutes rest. Then you all the way back down taking off the rest as you take off
the distance so that you finish with a fast 200. One final bonus session here is nice and simple:
2 lots of 3 kilometers tempo with a 5-minute jog in-between.
I suspect you can see why I love a combination of both. It just helps keep your running varied
and interesting. Sometimes just having an open mind going into a session
so you have that ability to adapt can work well, especially if you're traveling,
you don't know where you're going to be running. If you've got the same version of that session,
knowing roughly what sort of distance or roughly what sort of time, then you can just
make a decision and get the most out of your run. I would love to know if I have changed your mind.
If you're already sat firmly in one camp, or maybe you're now going to do a combination of both,
do let me know. I'm nosy. You can do that in the comments section below. Give us a like,
if you've enjoyed it and you can also check out GTN's social media channels, give us a follow
there and subscribe here on YouTube. [00:08:44] [END OF AUDIO]