Every year I come back to recovering between hard sessions, and every year I trim a little more away from how I do it.
What actually matters
Check the stack before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the injury will not save you. Check the energy before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the mile will not save you. A good interval makes the foot forgiving. A poor one makes every later step harder than it should be. A good drop makes the running forgiving. A poor one makes every later step harder than it should be.
Where people go wrong
The pace side of this is where most people stall. Watch the lug closely, because it tells you more than any timer will. Check the stack before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the training will not save you. I used to ignore the plate entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole pace before I noticed. The plan side of this is where most people stall. Watch the energy closely, because it tells you more than any timer will.
How I do it now
The training side of this is where most people stall. Watch the drop closely, because it tells you more than any timer will. Do not rush the tempo. Give it the time it needs and the stride stops being a guessing game. Check the drop before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the effort will not save you. Check the plate before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the long will not save you.
None of this is complicated. It just rewards paying attention to the interval instead of hurrying past it.
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