'nuf said

I incorporated intervals into my jogging/running routine yesterday, and holy cow, I thought I was gonna croak!

Wow. Sadly, I can't wait to do it again!!

What was your routine before? What length intervals did you add? I love interval training!!

I love intervals too! I have numerous downloads on my mp 3 and never get bored. They melt fat much more quickly too than the longer bouts of low intensity cardio I had done in the past.

I like intervals... when i go the gym... They make me focus on form.

I'm really new to running, and need to set some concrete goals. The longest run I've ever done is 3.7 miles at a slow pace (11.1 min mile). This morning, I did a 2 mile run in 19:26, and while winded, felt pretty good.

For the intervals, I did a 2 mile loop - warmed up for the 1st 1/2 mile at a comfortable pace, then for the next mile, I simply alternated running as hard as I could for a block (running in the suburbs) and then recovering, then I just tried to keep a decent pace for the last 1/2 mile. My heart was RACING when I got home! It was kind of fun to see how fast I could run .

Anyway, the entire reason for the intervals was that I had only a very short time to work out & really wanted to maximize the benefit. I have been reading/seeing info on the benefits of interval training, so I thought I'd give it a try. I didn't do it this morning because my legs were really tired from a Pilates class I did yesterday.

Any suggestions or information you have are most welcome! As I said, I need to start mixing things up & setting new goals. I can tell I'm getting a little bored.

Jeanies,

What do you mean by "numerous downloads on your mp3" for intervals? I love any workout tools I can find! (and love intervals, when I can get myself to do them!)

I went to this amazing bootcamp (Barry's Bootcamp) a few months back and I loved it. They incorporated a lot of interval training and I felt like it was an amazing workout. But, super expensive. Nothing they did was rocket science--just the ability to push you harder than you thought you could go. So, I've been trying to find a way to push myself that hard at the gym...

Sean O Malley's Cardio Coach
Also google Jeff Galloway or Couch to 5K free downloads if you like jog/walk intervals.
Rapid fat loss Cardio (Amazon 99cents)- I use this one on my exercise bike and walk/jog intervals.

Itunes has free podcasts for intervals too ...

I had no idea about all the downloads, but will check them out. Thank you for posting about these, ladies!

Thanks for your post, made look into it. I am fairly new to running and I wan to improve my time on 5K (once I do that, I will move to 8k). So I read that intervals help you with your speed and resistance. I will start working on that tomorrow. Thanks!!!