Running is a great way to exercise but it can be frustrating if you don’t feel like you are making any improvements. Interval running is the perfect training technique to challenge yourself and get results.

Online coach and personal trainer Charlotte Lockett suggests that interval training is a great tool for any runner: “Since interval training is highly customisable, anyone who can safely jog or run can do it,” says Lockett. “If you are just starting out, I would recommend a longer warm up to avoid the risk of injury, and then aim to increase work and decrease rest ratios during each session.”

A 2020 study into the effects of HIIT, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, found that this kind of training is “a time-efficient means to improve CRF [cardiorespiratory fitness] in as little as two weeks in adults”. As a form of HIIT, interval runs can help to increase your cardiovascular fitness and improve your stamina, power and endurance.

Hannah Walsh, women’s ultramarathon running coach, tells Stylist that “interval training is a good complement to easy base running”. However, one of the most common mistakes that beginners make, she warns, is “not balancing the interval running with lots of easy mileage. It shouldn’t be considered a shortcut to fitness or a standalone method of training”.

While I definitely prefer my longer runs, interval running provided me with a fresh method of training that challenged me in new ways. I can’t say that I’ll stick with doing an interval session every week, but I’ll definitely come back to it, should my Parkrun times plateau again.

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