15 Jan workout: Compound hill repeats (yay!)

Feeling a little sluggish following the holidays? Gung-ho about your new year’s resolutions? No matter your mood, this week’s Wednesday night workout is a crowd favorite——and the forecast is for fabulous conditions for this time of year (high 40s!)–as we run compound hill repeats.

We will meet at 730p Wednesday at the usual spot, the Southern Pump House bridge (north of The Met, closest park entrance is E85th). If you are late or it is more convenient, we’ll finish our warmup ~740p on West Drive at The Yard (base of operations for the Central Park Conservancy staff) and Swedish Cottage (near Delacorte Theater).

In compound repeats the distance is divided into two segments run at different intensities. In this case we’ll run fast up until the end of the Winterdale Arch (which we run beneath on SMGR), then faster to the crosswalk at the top. There is no designated target speed for either portion. The idea is to raise the intensity and pace in the second half, and then duplicate that effort with subsequent repeats. Recovery is to the bottom of the hill, then turn around and blast out another.

We’re targeting 4-6 repeats for this workout, the goal is solid form rather than bigger quantities where we might become a little sloppy at the end. Each repeat is about 400m, so with warmup, repeats and recoveries we are looking at 4k-5k.

Glad to safeguard backpacks, extra layers, fluid bottles and croissants while you run. Bring a watch and your happy selves!
Brett