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Aerobic Interval are what many runners think of when they hear 'interval training'. These are often runs of 1-8 minutes at a high perceived effort, repeated so that the total mileage is around 3-6 miles. The longer intervals (5+ minutes) are often used with a recovery time of 1:1. The shorter intervals have disproportionally shorter recoveries (half the interval time or less). A measured distance is normally used, such as a track, but any reasonably flat surface you can mark with the distances works. (I use the local greenway, which is marked at quarter miles). [[Jack Daniels Running Formula]] refers to these as simply 'interval training' or 'I Pace intervals'.
= Defining aerobic fitness =
There are two useful measures of aerobic fitness for most runners. The first is how fast your body can use oxygen. This should make sense, as the body produces energy over extended periods by burning fuel, which consumes oxygen. This is termed 'aerobic exercise', literally 'with oxygen.' The measure of this fitness is called [[VO2max]], which is maximum Volume of Oxygen (O2). The second measure is how efficiently you can run. If you can go faster for the same energy expenditure, you will be faster for a given aerobic fitness level. This is called vV̇O<sub>2</sub>max, for Velocity at [[VO2max|V̇O<sub>2</sub>max]]. Most people can run at vVO2max v[[VO2max]] for about 6 minutes.
Improving either of [[VO2max|V̇O<sub>2</sub>max]] or vV̇O<sub>2</sub>max will make you faster (or make a given pace feel easier).
= How fast to run (intensity) =
Intervals can be run at differing paces, which achieves different things. If you are not used to speed work, then starting off at a slower than optimum pace can reduce your chance of injury. The most effective pace is generally considered to be 1 to 8 minutes at 90 to 100% of vVO2max v[[VO2max]] pace; however, that's only useful if you know your vV̇O<sub>2</sub>max pace! While you could have a [[VO2max ]] test, there are easier options. One is to see how far you can run in 6 minutes and assume that is your vV̇O<sub>2</sub>max pace. However, Jack Daniels (the coach, not the distiller) has found that you can calculate an effective [[VO2max ]] value based on your race performances. This number, which Jack Daniels calls [[VDOT]] can then be used to determine the speed for training runs, including interval training. There is an online calculator at [[VDOT Calculator]] though I would encourage you to buy [[Jack Daniels Running Formula]]
= How long to run =