Intervals on Demand: Go When You've Recovered

Three 300-meter intervals per person where each runner decides when to start the next one: they go when they feel recovered enough to repeat the same time. Their partner times each rest and each rep, and at the end they analyze whether the chosen recovery was enough or too much.

How to play

1. Explain the start criterion: "I go when I can say a long sentence without gasping and my legs feel ready" (2 min).
2. First turn: 3 × 300 meters; the partner records each rep's time and the length of each chosen rest (8 min).
3. Second turn: the partner does their 3 reps while the first runner records (8 min).
4. Partner analysis on the worksheet: did the rep times hold up? Did the rests get longer? How does rest length relate to the next rep's time? (4 min).
5. Group share on how long each person takes to recover and what affects it (sleep, fitness, heat) (3 min).

Rules

• The minimum rest is 45 seconds, even if someone feels recovered sooner.
• Rest by walking in the waiting area, outside the running lane.
• Reps are hard but sustainable, never an all-out sprint.
• Data are personal and not compared between classmates.

Variations

Adaptations

• Asthma: extends the minimum rest to 90 seconds and keeps the inhaler near the waiting area.
• Autism: has the start criterion written down and their own stopwatch to see their rest time.
• Wheelchair user: does the reps pushing the chair on a flat 200-meter section and uses the same start criterion.

Learning goals

• Sense one's own recovery state after a hard effort.
• Connect rest length with the quality of the next rep.
• Self-manage an interval workout based on one's own sensations.

Equipment for a class of 25

• stopwatch: 15
• cones: 6
• worksheets: 30

Teacher tip

This session pairs really well with fixed-start intervals: afterward, ask which one students prefer and why. Watch for anyone who always goes after the minimum rest because of peer pressure.

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