Canadian Running

Mile Repeats

Here’s a challengin­g workout you can do once a week on the track — and some handy activation drills to start

- By Galan Yousuf Galan Yousuf is a coach and athlete at the University of Toronto Track Club and the co-founder of String Track Club (@STRINGTRAC­KCLUB). He lives in Toronto.

Ilove workouts that incorporat­e some faster intervals to start, as it makes me feel sharp and helps to get my legs moving. I recommend doing mile repeats at your 10k pace, which feels comfortabl­y uncomforta­ble. This is a challengin­g workout that will definitely help you improve your 10k or half-marathon time if you do it once a week. I like to think of the final 200s as extended strides – it always feels good when you finish a workout moving fast.

As I transition­ed from athlete to coach, I learned that the details make the difference between a great workout and an even better workout – details such as activation and mobility, fuelling and recovery. For example, getting adequate sleep the night before and after a workout and a post-workout recovery smoothie help me recover better, so I’m ready for the next day’s run. I also recommend spending at least 10 minutes post-run to foam roll and stretch.

Activation and mobility are more important than ever for those of us who are working from home and spending more time sitting. I’ve shared my go-to activation routine below. Do 12 repeats of each exercise. Have fun, and remember that most of the gains are made outside of the workout – recovery is key!

 ??  ?? ABOVE Galan Yousuf
ABOVE Galan Yousuf

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Canada