The Benefits of Interval Training

My Marine Corps Marathon training is kicking in soon and the FIRST training plan that I'll be using along with my running buddies has us scheduled for an interval workout each week. I know interval workouts help increase your overall speed, but I wondered what other benefits you gain from doing a weekly interval workout. Here's what I found.

• You'll burn more calories. Yep, that's right. Recent studies (i.e., American College of Sports Medicine), show that short intense runs such as intervals or fartleks can be very beneficial to weight loss. The Mayo Clinic also says that the more vigorously you exercise, the more calories you'll burn — even if you increase intensity for just a few minutes at a time.

• You'll increase your endurance. As your cardiovascular fitness improves you'll improve your aerobic capacity which means you'll be able to exercise longer and more intensely.

• You'll be able to better adapt to the demands of an endurance race. Interval training works both the aerobic and the anaerobic system. During the intense running of your interval workout, your muscles use stored glycogen for energy. This is the Anaerobic system at work. Because the anaerobic system doesn't use oxygen, it gives off a by-product called lactic acid which results in that burning sensation you feel in your muscles. When you jog for recovery in between intervals, your heart and lungs work together to add oxygen back into the muscles, breaking down the lactic acid. This is the aerobic system at work. Doing intervals on a weekly basis helps teach your body to build up a higher tolerance to lactic acid buildup. It also strengthens your heart. In a nut shell, this means improved performance and improved endurance. So speed work actually helps endurance runners become more efficient runners.

• You won't need any fancy equipment. All you need is a track, but actually you don't even need that if you can find a flat area and measure your repeat distances. Getting to a track can sometimes be difficult for me, but I discovered that the parking lot at one of our local parks is a half-mile loop which is basically 800meters. Perfect for interval training.

• You'll make your training week more interesting. Not only will you have a different experience to look forward to, you'll eventually begin to see how your other "regular" workouts are beginning to benefit from your interval training.

• You'll feel amazing after an interval workout. During the workout you may be cursing, but afterward, the sense of accomplishment is very rewarding.

• Consistent interval training can help to lower your resting heart rate. The more blood pumped per beat the less your heart needs to beat each minute. The more blood pumped per beat the LESS your heart needs to beat each minute. That's a good thing!