The Easy Interval Method: My Experience Training Like a 1980’s Dutch Miler
5 months ago I cut my mileage in half and started running an interval workout almost every day, in hopes of setting a PR in the mile. I’m writing this article to document the experiment, and to share the details of my training during this period.
My Training History
No training happens in a vacuum. Every great training block is influenced by the work you’ve done in the years prior, so before jumping into my experience with the Easy Interval Method, it feels necessary to let you know about my running up to that point.
The Beginnings: High School and Early College
Track Spring of ‘17
I started running as a freshman in high school. My high school training was fairly basic; 35-40 mpw, a few weekly track workouts, some steady state runs, longs runs, and lots of racing. It was an approach that touched on a little bit of everything, but didn’t emphasize anything.
In HS I gravitated towards middle distance events, running 1:57 for 800m and 4:08 for 1500m my senior year. I had good speed for a distance runner, probably around 53-54 for a quarter, but nothing to suggest I should really focus on the 800.
For my first 3 years in college I would classify my training as “low-volume aerobic.” Most weeks were between 50-60 mpw and workouts were typically structured fartleks, tempos, and long runs, on soft trails at 6,000 ft. Our team rarely worked out on the track, and post-run strides were usually the only time I was running faster than mile pace.
I had a great college coach, but misdirected ambition was my undoing in these years. I wanted to be great and I fell into the trap of working harder not smarter.
A lot of easy runs were done between 6:30-7:00. My teammates and I often raced workouts, against the direction of our coach. I was doing 4 mile tempos at paces faster than my 8k races; I did long runs so hard I could barely leave the couch for the rest of the day.
My improvements on this training were unsurprisingly modest – I ran a 3:59@ and 15:11 for 5k. Also, I hadn’t run under 2:00 for 800m.
My 2018 track season ended with a15:33 5k, 22 seconds off my PR and far from what I knew I was capable of. 3 years into my college running career I was disappointed with my progression.
So, I decided to change things up
High Mileage Phase
In the summer of 2018 I didn’t imagine that within 24 months I’d be running 110 mile weeks. But as I changed my approach to training, more mileage kept leading to better results.
A few of the major changes I made were:
Slower easy runs (I had previously run a lot of my easy pace at 6:30-7:00, and I was now running between 7:30-8:00 pace a lot of days).
More focused speedwork (speed wasn’t just trying to rip 27’s at the end of a track workout. It meant doing short sprints, hills, and pace work 2-4 times a week. It also meant trying to focus on form and relaxation at submaximal speeds, instead of trying to race the final reps of workouts.)
Doubling as much as possible
Not running threshold workouts too fast
Track Spring of ‘21
That first fall I built up to 70-90 miles a week, and I saw huge improvements in cross country. That winter I kept it rolling, and by March of 2019, I had run my first 100 mile week.
That track season I ended up running 3:55@, 14:46, and 1:57.
By the spring of 2020 I was consistently running 90-100 mile weeks and I was in the shape of my life. I had just finished 6th in the mile at the RMAC conference race, and I felt ready to take on my PR’s 800-5k.
Then came corona, the shut downs, and the cancellation of races. I was also laid off from my job during this time, and with all the free time, I went all-in on volume. I bumped running up to consistent 100-110 mile weeks, and supplemented with as much biking as I could do. I was tripling a lot of days. In my highest volume week I ran 124 miles (including workouts and speed development) and I biked 104.
By spring of 2021 the 110 mile weeks were a regular thing, and I had run PRs of 4:11@, 8:08@, 14:22, and 65:46. The high volume weeks consisted of lengthy workouts, 2-2.5 hour steady long runs, double workouts somedays, plyos, sprints, weights, sharpening track sessions, and normal work/life stuff.
Running over 10,000 miles in 3 years had taken me a long way, but with stagnating track PRs, a rough 5k DNF, and a waning passion for running, I knew my time with the high mileage experiment was coming to an end.
Klaas Lok and the Easy Interval Method
This past summer (2021) I took most of June and July off of running completely, and thought a lot about whether I wanted to continue pursuing the sport at a high level. The years of high mileage were weighing on me, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to keep going.
Around this same time my brother Jamie started raving about some 1980’s Dutch Training Method known as the Easy Interval Method, popularized by Klaas Lok, which called for daily interval workouts run at easy paces.
Klaas believes too many runners focus too much on the metabolic aspects of training, and neglect the muscular contributions. His coach, Herman Verheul, used the term “reactivity” to describe the benefit of the Easy Interval Method. Their theory is that long, slow, continuous running can develop the aerobic system but does little to develop a “reactive” or “bouncy” stride.
Klaas’ other main belief is that runners do too much anaerobic work, leaving their races in training and never reaching the level they could’ve with a more intelligent approach. Verheul developed a method that still trains the aerobic system while keeping the emphasis on improving running economy.
At first, I wasn’t very enthusiastic. But eventually the idea began to grow on me. It just so happened that fellow Elmwooder Brian Marshall had left Klaas’s book at my house, and with an afternoon to spare, I picked it up and read the whole thing in a day. After finishing I was sold – I planned to build Rome by nightfall.
I signed up for a half-marathon 6 weeks later. I was ill-prepared and raced like a dunderhead, finishing in 67:58. That was the final straw. I took 3 days off, and started up the next week with full on Klaas Lok training; daily intervals, lower mileage, and weekly fartleks.
My Easy Interval Method Stats
Here’s a breakdown of every aspect of my Easy Interval Method Training over the past 5 months:
Check out Klaas Lok’s book for more details on The Easy Interval Method: https://easyintervalmethod.com/
Duration: 19 weeks
Focus: Mile
Average Weekly Mileage: 56.7
Workout Paces: 400’s were run on a dirt track at 76-78 sec pace. 200’s were run on an indoor track or outdoor rubber track in 34-35. 100s were completed on an outdoor rubber track in 14-15.
1ks or 2ks were run on flat dirt or road loops for the most part. I’d usually run 3:35 1ks and 7:25 2ks. I adjusted the pace of the 1ks and 2ks because they were almost all completed at 6000-6,500 ft elevation on a dirt trail.
Longest Run: 75 continuous minutes. I did this two times. Both included surges every eight or so minutes.
Races: Five 1 mile indoor track races. These were run at different altitudes, with pacers and solo, different pacing tactics, and different track sizes/banks. I ran an indoor 4x400 on a flat 200m track in 54 following a mile race. Also, I paced 2k of a 3k and 3k of a 5k on different weekends. In the fall, I ran four cross country/trail races in the first eight weeks of the buildup. The distances ranged from three to seven miles.
Number of workouts: Averaged about 6 sessions per week for the first 17 weeks. I tapered hard the last two weeks completing one session and race each week.
Anaerobic Workouts: I aimed for tougher anaerobic type efforts once every 8-12 days. These included races, mixed anaerobic sessions, or track sessions. My big session for one eight day period was 3 x 800 in 2:14 (68, 66), 2:11(68, 63), 2:07 (68, 58).
Recoveries: Usually each interval was completed with 10-20 sec walking before and after each recovery jog. I took 1-1 recovery jogs for 200s and 400s. The recovery for 1ks and 2ks was an 800m jog.
Mixed Anaerobic Sessions: I completed three of these in the early/mid period of the 19 week season. These were high intensity including combinations of sub threshold, V02, jogging, plyometrics, anaerobic work, alactic sprints, and more.
Mixed Sessions usually included an hour and a half of work including longer rests between interval sets. In each I’d run a mile cutting down every 200-400m.
Surges: Most continuous runs incorporated surges of 30-60 seconds every 5-8 minutes. The surges were usually very controlled at threshold-subthreshold type effort which was usually about 5:30-50 mile pace.
Pace Changes: Would throw in a 15-30 sec surge on occasional 400s, 1ks, or tougher anaerobic sessions.
Strides: 3-5 x roughly 100m strides before or after most sessions.
Adaptations: Sometimes I would substitute track sessions with similar fartleks on the roads or dirt. About once every 3-4 weeks, I’d run a 25-26 sec 200 at the conclusion of the easy 200 or easy 100m intervals. Spontaneously, I’d conclude 20 x 100m with 3-4 x 100m in 13 if I felt snappy. Once in a while, I would perform 10-12 x 200 in 30-32, aiming for a current estimation of mile pace instead of 16 x 200 at 3k-5k type pace.
Injuries: With plenty of flat 200m indoor track running, I was lucky to only sustain a few minor hiccups. Four weeks out from the pr race, I had to take a couple of days off/super easy to let my soleus heal. The other soleus bugged me two weeks before and I had to follow the same protocol. With a little rest, mobility, icing, calf sleeves, and massages, both recovered pretty quickly.
Racing Schedule: I raced or paced five weekends in a row leading up to my 4:05 pr. I adapted the weekly schedule these weeks but sill followed guiding principles of the Easy Interval Method. My season progression of mile races was: 4:10@, 4:06@, 4:07@, 4:09, 4:05.
Feedback: I loved this training method. I believe people can learn from the Easy Interval Method even if they train with a more traditional method. No matter the focus, staying on top of reactive training combined with controlling the aerobic or anaerobic emphasis can prove beneficial.
People mentioned that my stride looked smoother and more explosive. It felt like I was more biomechanically efficient. The time commitment was far more enjoyable. I never forced mileage, took days off, adjusted the training as needed, and genuinely looked forward to most sessions and races. I will continue to implement some Klaas Lok principles in my running and coaching career.
One of the drawbacks was trying to find training partners because it is such a unique approach.
You can see all the workouts, stats, and data on my Strava.
Race Report: Washburn Invite Mile (my goal race)
Result: 4:05.82 mile, a lifetime best.
200m Splits:
31.7 (209m), 29.9, 30.6, 30.4, 30.6, 30.9, 30.9, 30.6
How it unfolded: UCCS middle distance runners, Adam Maal and Joey Hamilton paced us through 809m in 2:02.6. At 1009m, the class of the field took off, closing in 58 for a 4:01. The UCCS mile school record holder, Evan Graff, took it up running even 30s. I followed Evan until 150m to go when he began to falter. I held up for 4:05, finishing second overall.
Evan faded a little, finishing in 4:07. It was only Evan’s second race and he did the hard labor in the third quarter. In his first race, he ran 4:04@ indicating there is much more to come for him and Gavin Harden, who had a tough day, having run 4:06@ two weeks ago.
Without Adam, Joey, and Evan, there is no way I would have accomplished my little slice of running heaven. Eons from elite, 4:05.82 would put me 220th on the D1 TFRRS Indoor Mile Rankings for 2022. The question becomes when to celebrate?
We live in a go-go-go, work 60 hours per week, Starbucks charged, McDonalds fueled, while commuting 45 minutes from your job, talking to family, coworkers and posting on Instagram simultaneously, driving fifteen over…society. It’s easy to take things for granted and never be satisfied. I’m not saying you shouldn’t aim to accomplish more no matter where you end up, but appreciating a moment, place, or person pokes at inner fulfillment.
I dream and scheme to break four, but I’m going to spend some time appreciating this one.
What’s Next?
For now I’m moving on from this experiment to try something new. It was a great 5 months, and I’m certain I’ll do another block of EIM training somewhere down the line. There are principles I learned from this approach that I will take with me into every other training I approach I do.
My next experiment will be the Norwegian/Ingebrigtsen approach in an attempt to run a fast 1500-5k this spring. Coined by Marius Bakken, the Norwegian’s focus on double subthreshold/threshold work while maintaining their speed with 200m hills and plenty of supplemental work.
Note: Times with an “@” indicate a time converted from altitude, per the NCAA conversion calculator. While the conversions aren’t always perfect, they definitely give a more accurate representation of the performance than the raw time.
