July 13, 2021 | Corey Smith
As a runner, it is important to test your health. Although competition is the best way to measure your health and training effectiveness, fun and less stressful methods can be the main test of fitness exercises like 65 Special.
Every running coach I have worked with has performed an iconic fitness exercise test. A so difficult, completing it in accordance with the regulations is a ritual of passing.
Normally, these trainings are carried out after a long period of hard training without competition, and are repeated year after year. Before we enter a period of fierce competition, they serve as a yardstick to measure our health. Not to mention bragging for a few successful people.
My high school coach Jim McCoach will train us for under 5 years old before August 5th. Before the off-road season officially starts, this is a tough workout. Our goal is to have five one-mile track intervals on August 5th, all within 5 minutes.
My college coach Jim Tuppeny conducted a tough track and field training called 65 Special. At the beginning and end of lane one finish line, our goal is to complete a lap in 65 seconds. Then we will move to the finish line of the second lane and repeat. This will be repeated, one lane at a time, until our last interval is in lane 8.
What makes this exercise so challenging is that as you exercise deeper and move from one lane to another, the distance of each interval becomes longer. However, the time to complete it remains the same: 65 seconds. In other words, you need to run faster than the previous lap.
For example, a normal lap around the track in the first lane is 400 m. But on track 5, it was 430 m, and for your last representative, it was 453 m.
Unless you can comfortably run 450 m at 3:50 miles on tired legs, you will need to adjust your exercise to suit your abilities. I recommend beginners and intermediate runners to use your 5K pace, and more advanced runners to use your 3K pace.
To calculate the goal for each lap, divide the 5K or 3K average mile pace by 4. For example, if your 5K time is 21:00 minutes, or an average of 6:45 per mile, divide 6:45 by 4 and the target time per lap is 1:41.
Although I don't recommend regular exercises like 5 under 5 or 65 Special, I do recommend doing 65 Special strategically several times a year as a fun way to test your health.
On an IAAF-certified track, when you move out of a lane, the distance will increase by 7.7 m. The distance of each lane on the IAAF certified track is:
On an IAAF-certified track, four laps plus 9.34 m equals one mile. The IAAF certified track has a length of 400 meters in the first lane. The metric equivalent of one mile is 1,609.34 m.
Most tracks have a black curved one-mile mark behind the starting line. If you want to run a mile in the first lane, you will cross the start/finish line four times.
Cory Smith is an athlete, online running coach, and freelance journalist based in Santa Barbara, California, specializing in content and equipment reviews related to running and rock climbing. He drew ideas, inspiration and expertise from being an elite runner and rock climber for more than 25 years. Check out his portfolio here.
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