COACHING MY SISTER'S TRACK WORKOUT - Emma Abrahamson

This is a quick summary of COACHING MY SISTER’S TRACK WORKOUT from Emma Abrahamson. It’s a great watch—we’re breaking down this powerful session so you can try the workout today. Be sure to check out the full video for all the details.

Key Points:

• The session focuses on short 400-meter repeats at a 5K-race pace (about 74-75 seconds per lap, roughly a 5-minute mile). This kind of targeted speed work is fundamental, and you can explore more ways of Mastering 5K Speed: Proven Interval Strategies to Cut Minutes off Your Time to really improve your race day performance.
• Active recovery is a 1-minute jog—no walking, no sprinting—to keep blood flowing and prepare you for the next repeat.
• Warm-up and cool-down are essential; Emma starts with a 2-mile easy run and finishes with a relaxed jog to prevent injury.
• Coaching tip: keep the rest jog easy, stay relaxed, and use a pacing app to hit the target lap time consistently.

Workout Example:

1. 2-mile easy warm-up (easy jog, include a few strides to get your legs ready for faster work).
2. 4–5 × 400 m at 5K pace (≈ 74-75 sec per lap). After each 400 m, jog 1 min for active recovery. This is a classic workout structure, and for a deeper dive into the science and variety behind this type of training, check out our guide on Mastering Interval Training: Science-Backed Workouts and How a Smart App Can Personalize Them.
3. Cool-down: easy jog for 5–10 minutes, gradually slowing your pace to let your heart rate return to normal.

Closing Note:

Grab your watch or the Pacing app, set the 400 m target time, and give this track session a go. Feel free to adjust the number of repeats or pace to match your current fitness. While this workout is fantastic for the 5K, the principles of building speed are foundational for longer distances, too. If you’re looking to level up your endurance, our guide to Mastering the 10K: Proven Training Plans, Pace Strategies, and How a Smart App Can Elevate Your Performance can show you how to adapt these strategies for bigger goals.

Have fun and keep those legs moving

References

• COACHING MY SISTER’S TRACK WORKOUT - YouTube (YouTube Video)

Workout - Emma's 400m Speed Test

• 0.0mi @ 9'00''/mi
• 4 lots of:
  • 100m @ 4'00''/km
  • 1min rest
• 5 lots of:
  • 400m @ 5'00''/mi
  • 1min rest
• 0.0mi @ 10'00''/mi

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