The New Interval Training

On a chilly morning that hovers around the freezing mark, I am running at a good pace along the Segre River between my home in La Seu d’Urgell and the neighboring village of Alas. At about the same moment during my run each morning, he comes into sight.

As I approach, the elderly man recognizes me. He lays his cane over his left forearm and then uses his left hand to remove the glove off of his right hand. Then, his scratchy voice bellows, “Hola! Bon dia!”

Perhaps the most counterintuitive element of running a faster marathon is speed work. More specifically, running workouts performed at a “faster than race pace” intensity for a measured period of time followed by a measured period of rest. When the cycle is repeated as part of a series, this is interval training. It feels counterintuitive because it is strange to think that a few short interval bursts could positively affect how I feel while enduring a 26.2 mile run.

Interval training refines the expenditure of energy between intensified effort and rest. And, it works. Not only in running, but in many activities. For example, most of my writing (including this post) is created in intervals.

But digging into intervals can reveal a dark side. Without thoughtful reflection, intervals pin you to the clock and commit you to a finish line. The wrong interval can divert your attention and work to the wrong finish line.

In the interval process, important moments and signals can be overlooked. Interruptions that could be meaningful may become a source of irritation. Perhaps a tap on the shoulder from a colleague. Or a call from a longtime friend. Maybe the sun shining through the window inviting you to step outside for a few breaths of fresh air.

Whether you know it or not, you already operate at intervals that focus your attention. Are these the correct intervals? Who chooses your intervals? To what finish line are these intervals moving you?

When I ask myself what I want my intervals to do, I then design better intervals for the outcome I desire.

Which leads me back to the training session that opens this story…

As I left my house on this particular morning, just as the darkness started to lift, I noticed an interesting cloud formation in the sky that suggested the possibility of an especially beautiful sunrise. Small but vibrant orange lines were building around the edges of the clouds.

As I run eastward out of La Seu towards the village of Alas, the clouds thicken, wiping away the hints of orange that had been attempting to break through. At the midway point of my run, on the bridge over the Segre River, the sky is completely grey.

With my back now to the sun, I begin to run westward towards home. Soon, my fast running interval cadence kicks in until…

I see the elderly man.

He extends his gloveless hand to me.

I slow down. Then, I stop.

I remove my right glove to shake his hand as his “Hola! Bon dia!” hovers past me and over the Segre River.

As I look into his glassy eyes, I notice an orange reflection on the man’s weathered face.

Still holding his hand, I turn around.

The clouds are now broken into stunningly gorgeous orange spots spread out over the Pyrenees Mountains and across the Catalan sky that surround us.

We observe together. His Castilian words and mine in Catalan accompany this beautiful moment.

This is the new interval. It originates from patience and simplicity. It defines the space between the work. Both his and mine.

When does the next such interval begin?

While I cannot answer this question for you, I can share what decades of interval training offer me today.

You cannot change intervals charging at full speed. Intervals require you to stop.

To stop, first slow down.

With gratitude,

-Joe

With Olympic Gold Medalist, Joe Jacobi

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