Here’s an interesting workout submitted by Ottawa-area coach and runner Rick Hellard of Zone3 Sports. It’s an interval run (of customizable length according to your goal race and overall training program) done in groups of three, with two of the three people running at any one time. It’s a great way to practice the mental and physical aspects of pacing in race conditions. You get to take turns being both the predator and the prey.
Parloff Relays
In a team of 3 runners of similar ability on a loop up to 1km long, runners A, B and C are lined up to work as a team.
– A leads B as they run a loop while C stays behind.
– At the end of the loop, A drops off, B continues and becomes the leader while C jumps on the back to follow.
– At the end of that loop, B drops off, C continues and becomes the leader while A jumps on the back to follow.
…and so on.
The rules are simple:
– Respect the leader-you follow on the first loop, lead on the second. This teaches discipline to stay on someone’s shoulder as well as gives the leader the chance to feel the pressure to push from behind.
– Wait for the leader to come by so you can jump on the back. If, for some reason, the twosome gets split up and the follower gets dropped by the leader (who pulls off at the end of the lap), you must wait for the dropped runner to pass by and lead their lap. Remember, you must respect their pace, but when it is your lead again, you can burn off all that extra energy if you want.
Rick Hellard is the head coach and proprietor of Zone3 Sports
email: Rick@zone3sports.com
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