How To Make The Most Of A Tuesday Workout
📅 23/11/2025 | ✍️ Tony
This is the official guide to making the most of our classic Tuesday Workouts. Whether you are absolutely new to running or are trying to achieve a big PB, this guide will help you join a session and enjoy it from warm-up to cool-down.
If you want to improve your running, making the most of your training sessions will not only make them more enjoyable but also give you the confidence to tackle bigger goals as you progress in your running journey.
Here are some points to help you make the most of our OPEN and FREE running sessions.
About our running workouts
Every Tuesday, we do interval workouts to help runners of all levels improve their aerobic capacity and run faster for longer.
When we say runners of all levels, we really mean it. You don't need to "be fast" (or even be able to run the whole time!) to join us for a workout. We are all about effort, not pace! The point of the sessions is to learn to manage your efforts so you can run at a pace that feels challenging but doable FOR YOU. You want to gently push yourself out of your comfort zone without overdoing it.
It's helpful to think of a running workout as a "gym session for your heart and lungs", just as you do 3 sets of 10 reps for bicep curls at the gym, we structure our running workouts into sets of efforts followed by rest. For example, we may complete up to 10 reps of 300 meters around the oval, taking 100 meters to walk and recover between each rep.
The suggested workout on the board is always an upper limit, you don't have to do it all. The distance shown as the "Full Session" distance is the sum of the effort and rest components of the workout; it doesn't include warm-up/cool-down, so always consider that on the day you will be running a couple of extra kms if you count warm-up/cool-down.
Here is some helpful advice to make the most out of our OPEN and FREE Tuesday's workouts:
Take the warm-up easy
While warming up, you should never feel that you are pushing, not even a little bit. We are just getting ready for the workout. Take it easy and do a very gentle jog. If you are a newcomer, a brisk walk mixed with a slow jog is good.
Don't get caught up trying to run at other people's paces. We welcome runners of all levels, so what feels easy for someone more advanced in their running journey may be harder for you. It is totally OK to slow down a bit so you can make someone company and have a chat, though.
The warm-up involves about 15 minutes of running on the outside of the oval.
How much should you run?
Depending on your previous experience and how much you run each week, you should be able to choose how much of the session to do on any given day.
As a rule of thumb, for an interval workout, don't run more than 8-10% of your weekly distance. e.g., if you run 20km on any given week, you don't want to run more than 2km "fast" in any given session.
Here is a general guideline based on your level of running experience:
You should do about 30% of the workout, alternating between walking and running. For example, if the workout for the day includes 400m reps with 200m jog recovery, you can jog 400m and then walk 200m. If the session contains reps longer than 1km, keep it up to 800m jogs at a time, with walk recovery in between. We don't recommend you try to go "fast" yet. Get used to the jog/walk reps, and we can help you progress as you continue joining the sessions.
You should do between 40% and 60% of the workout. The aim is to get used to how your body feels during the different repetition types. You want to get used to the feeling of running 800/400/200m with purpose and get an idea of what pace is challenging but not a killer for each distance we run in the workout.
You should do between 60% and 100% of the workout. This will depend on where you are in your current training block. You can focus on the longer reps if you want to build speed endurance in your training, or on the shorter, faster reps if you are sharpening for an upcoming 5k/10k event.
If you are in doubt, please ask our coach for guidance. Our advice here is to always be on the conservative side and do a bit less than you think you could. Consistency will help you reach your goals, not trying to run faster or longer every week.
Don't neglect your cool-down
After a good workout, your legs have gone through a fair amount of stress, which is the first component of improving your fitness, as you need a stimulus that shocks your body a little bit. You will only reap the gains of this stress if you recover properly. That is when the actual fitness adaptation occurs. This recovery starts right after you finish your workout, and you take at least 5-10 minutes to cool down with a slow jog or walk, depending on your running level.
Don't overthink it, just come and give it a try
Unsure what to expect? Totally normal. Just show up, we’ve all been the new person before. We’ll be genuinely excited to have you there, support you, and help you find your rhythm. We’ve watched people go from their first jogs to half marathons, marathons, and even ultras. This community exists so beginners and seasoned runners alike can show up, learn, grow, and enjoy running together.
See you next Tuesday at the Alan Davidson Oval in Sydney Park!