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Running coach Greg McMillan coaches some of the world’s top marathoners. I asked him about the speed workouts of elite runners and whether new runners like myself could benefit from interval training. Here’s our conversation.

Q

As a new runner, I’m just hoping to finish a marathon. If you don’t have a time goal, should you still be thinking about interval training?

A

I think everybody should do interval training — maybe more so for beginning runners. Intervals increase your average speed. You go out for a four or five mile run and you slog along. You think, my goodness, I don’t want this to be my marathon. You’d like to be able to run faster.

Q.

Should I go to the track for interval training?

A

I’m not a fan of beginners going to the track and running 400 meter repeats or 800 meter repeats. You’re getting into other energy systems that just aren’t developed yet. Just running quickly for 20 or 30 seconds or even a minute during a regular training run seems to be a great way to increase average running pace, and it avoids the monotony of just building miles. It adds variety. I advise it for the beginning runners I work with. Every run has something where they’re running a little bit quicker just so they aren’t slogging along. It’s different for the more competitive runner. They often have to force themselves to run slow.

Q

Being a very slow runner can be demoralizing, especially when you are at the very back of the pack. What’s your advice?

A

It is tough when you’re toward the back. I think the one thing I encourage people to focus on: you’re the only one who cares you’re in the back. Everyone else is just celebrating and cheering for you. It’s really important just to focus on having fun and why you’re out there. If you get caught up in the competitiveness, it’s a losing game. Everywhere you turn there is someone better. Even in the middle of the pack.

Q

It looks like more fun in the middle of the pack than the back! How do I get there?

A

Adding in some strides or a “fartlek” (alternating bursts of speed with regular training pace) on a few of your regular runs can boost that average pace. If you could increase your average pace just 10 seconds a mile, think what that could do for your overall time. If you increase by 30 seconds per mile, that’s a whole world of difference. Then you won’t be in the back anymore.

Q.

What kind of advice do you have for more experienced runners with time goals in the marathon?

A.

When you have a time goal, pace practice becomes more important. When you’re just trying to finish, you find a pace that feels good for you, but in essence you don’t care about the time. When you add the time goal it becomes much more important to think about pace. You have to do certain training faster than race pace and some that’s slower. You need more variety in your training plan, so you make race pace feel easy.

Q.

When should you train at your race pace?

A.

The standard workout is a goal pace run. For 30 minutes to an hour you’re practicing running at your target pace. So if your target marathon pace is 8 minutes per mile, you go out and dial in 8 minutes per mile. Another workout that practices marathon pace is a fast-finish long run. If you’re running 14, 16, 18 or 20 miles, at the end of that you’re trying to run at your goal marathon pace for the last last 4 miles or 8 miles. Workouts like that help you groove your marathon pace so it becomes easier. You don’t want to go out during the marathon and run 30 seconds per mile faster than your goal pace.

Next week, I’ll post the final segment of my interview with Coach McMillan, where we talk about using pace calculators, preventing injury and which top athletes he’s working with now. And be sure to check out what Coach McMillan had to say last week about “The Summer Running Slump.” And check out Greg McMillan’s website at www.McMillanRunning.com