Hi again!
Looks like I didn't explain pickups very well, my apologies! They are short bursts of speed.
So, any run 'with pickups" is an easy run at 140bpm....with a twist! At the end of each mile, after you hear the lap 'beep' on your watch, pick up the pace and run HARD for 10 to 20 seconds. "hard"= 10k pace, or "whatever your pace is at 140 minus 2 minutes per mile."
So, if your pace at 140 is usually 10:30, then you want these max twenty second pickups to be at 8:30. During these twenty seconds, your heart rate will spike, more than likely quite close to the 180 "red line" zone. That's totally fine. Overall heart rate average for these runs still needs to be 140. :-)
This pace will be hard, but try to give me at least 10 seconds, even if you have to walk right after to catch your breath. Do not try to extend the pickups beyond 20 seconds, there is no benefit. Overachieving is doing an extra set of SSCs and adding a minute of burpees. WHO WANTS TO OVERACHIEVE?!?!?!?!?!?
(yeah, me neither!!!!)
Have fun!
Coach Fleming