The Best Reasons for Adding Track Workouts to Your Training

THE OVAL AT your nearest high school or college can serve up equal parts intimidation and welcomed challenge. Running on a track means you have a predictable and controlled environment to check off 400-, 800-, or 1600-meter repeats. But you also have that next curve or lap staring you in the face, hollering at you to run a little faster.

- LAUREL LEICHT

That's the beauty of workouts on the track, though: They help you increase your speed. "Track workouts are absolutely something runners should have in their repertoire of workouts," says Alex Ostberg, a competitive middle-distance racer and running coach with RunnersConnect in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. "Whether you're training to race a mile competitively or gearing up to run a marathon, there's a time and a place for the track-and lots of benefits specific to it."

Here's exactly why pays off to be a track star and everything you need to know to make your laps around the loop time well spent.

The Benefits of Track Workouts

You'll get instant feedback / The quick assessment you get on a track is unlike what you can get on the road. Yes, your watch or phone should give you splits with accuracy, but it's not as foolproof as a clearly marked track. "You know exactly when you're hitting each 100- or 200-meter interval," says Ostberg. "There could be delays with GPS, or it might not be accurate in a wooded area out on the roads or trail."

Paces also feel different on a track because you have more spatial awareness, which can contribute to the feedback you get from your runs. "We've all had the experience of running on roads that seem to stretch infinitely into the distance," Ostberg says. "That can feel very daunting. Even if you are covering the same distance on a track, having a feel for where exactly you are and how quickly you are progressing through an interval can help adjust your effort and ease the mental burden."

You might develop a cue for your progress, like counting down laps, and that offers an advantage you can't get on the road.