Interval training

I'm itching to get into some hill training.  Most of my running so far has been road running, mainly on the flat.  It is so easy to get distracted while I am supposed to be studying for my end of year exams.  I keep window shopping trail gear and planning which local races I can enter before the Classic.  Did 5km of interval training yesterday, ran every 2nd 200m at VO2 max and slowed back to a more relaxed pace in between.  I thought I did quite well, and was able to do the interval training for longer than I thought I would manage.  Most of my running has been slogging away at long distances at a steady pace, so being able to get up some speed is reassuring!

I have done quite a bit of reading about increasing endurance, and interval training seems to be a feature of a lot of training programs.  I have also received some training advice from some of the sports students at uni, so am starting to put together a bit of a long term training plan.  I want to incorporate cycling and swimming into the running, hill and trail work, and back these up with some yoga/Pilates, core strengthening and maybe the odd aerobics class for some variety.

My attitude towards training has always been to include heaps of variety, and keep it fun.  I get such a buzz out of just being in the wide open spaces, and pounding away the km's.  I would be keen to hear of how others out there train, what they enjoy and what they think really works for them.  I have been reading Anna Frost's blog, and she has such a neat attitude towards her training and racing, its so inspirational to see how other people achieve their running goals.

Oh, the other thing that I have to mention, is my running companion Oscar, our little terrier.  He has  been accompanying me on runs since he was tiny, and because we live in the country, comes out with me all the time.  For some reason, his pure love of tearing through the outdoors (and rolling in bird shit), is quite a joyous source of inspiration (the running, not the shit-rolling) while I am running.

My first few training goals include, building my running speed and distance over the 32km mark.  Training with a 12 uphill (500m altitude gain) consistently under 2 hours.  And to build up my trail experience on some rough ground.  I know just how rugged the Routeburn is, so getting in heaps of practice on ball-bearing-like rocks and slippery surfaces is a must!

I can't wait for the semester to be over, so that I can focus on more training without feeling guilty about not studying for exams! EEK....Bring it on.