Winter training is upon us, which in coaching terms is code for ‘crush more distance’. However, my lord, that can get boring!

Your weekly long workouts are obviously a staple in your formula for developing endurance, and by now, most of us have been taught that long workouts should be slow and steady — in your Zone 2 range, and that still holds true. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t have more fun during our time getting those meters.

So here are our top 5 exciting additions you can build into your long pieces to spice them up and help you gain fitness a little faster.

5 Long Workout Alternatives

The following five alternatives are designed to be alternated every second or third workout between a heavy Zone 2 (aerobic workout) and your usual long workout that should have some intensity.

1. 5km The Accumulation Way

After a solid warm-up, perform 15-20 x 1-minute intervals with a 1 to 2-minute active recovery period. This breaks you out of the Zone 2 effort and adds a little zip to your pace.

Get up to speed on the 1-minute work intervals, and then bring it back down to Zone 2 pace. Your goal is to keep going with the intervals until you have covered that 5km distance.

This one makes that distance disappear quickly!!

2. Active Recovery Within Your Long Workout

After a warm-up, performing 10 x 2-minute intervals with 2 minutes of active recovery in between is a sure way of creating some stress by not stopping and sustaining your pace.

Doing a few repeats won’t have a big effect, but doing 20 minutes worth will put a little dent in your recovery time.

The idea is to teach your body 10K pace without smoking yourself early in the season.

3. Higher Pace Finish — One of My Favorites!

On a long workout of any distance, I love to see people push the last phase of a workout to finish it off faster.

Pick your long distance and set a timer, so your last 30 minutes are where you are going to pick up the pace.

This is especially good if you are training for a marathon or an ultra-endurance event.

Being able to push the pace a little faster than you’ll need in the race is beneficial both physically and mentally.

If you are a runner, then an added challenge would be to run this on an out-and-back course, finishing with a slight uphill.

4. Distance With Ascending Pacing

This one can really test your fitness!

After a good warm-up, perform 2 x 20-minute intervals at Zone 2 heart rate, then do 2 x 12-minute sets at Zone 3 heart rate. After that, and near the end of the workout, your goal is to hit Zone 4 for 8 to 10 minutes.

This may sound easy, but it’s a hard one to execute properly. Those final minutes toward the end will be challenging.

5. All Spice Long Workout

Finally, the one workout that will bring it all together for you.

You’re going to need a good base of endurance (and a fair amount of time) before you attempt this one. After a solid warm-up, start with a 20-minute effort at Zone 2 piece, followed by 15 minutes in Zone 3. 5 x 2-minute intervals are up next, and to really finish this right, you have 10 x 1-minutes, with 1-minute active recovery pace.

This will definitely leave a mark, and you’ll know if you pushed too hard, so it’s a good workout to determine if you are pacing well, or if you need to back off your fitness expectations.

This will be around a 2:20 to 2:30 long run — the cherry on top of all your other long workout variations. Here’s a breakdown of the complete workout:

• Warm-up building to Zone 2.
• Then, 20 minutes at Zone 2 with 5 minutes of easy recovery.
• Next, move into 15 minutes Zone 3.
• After 5 easy minutes, perform 5 x 2-minute intervals with 2 minutes of recovery between efforts.
• The last set will alternate between 1-minute work and 1-minute active recovery for 10 reps. This is 20 minutes of solid work.
• Finish up with a nice, easy cooldown.

There you have it — five solid, long workouts that are anything but your classic, monotonous plods. If you want more training plans for those longer distances of 1/2 or Marathon distance, then head to https://darkhorserowing.com/workout/ and come join us in The Crew.