Running Interval Workout for Kids

A timer or stopwatch (phone timer works)

Running shoes

A flat running surface — a track, field, or path

Find your running route. A school track is ideal (400 meters around). A flat path, sidewalk loop, or large field also works.

Warm up: 5 minutes of easy jogging. Not fast, just getting the legs moving and heart rate up. Add some arm swings and gentle leg swings.

Start the intervals. Sprint at about 80-90% effort for 30 seconds. This should feel hard but sustainable — you shouldn't be completely out of breath at 30 seconds.

After the sprint, drop to an easy jog for 60 seconds. This is recovery time. Breathe deeply, let your heart rate come down, but keep moving.

When the 60-second jog ends, sprint again for 30 seconds. Then jog for 60 seconds.

Complete 8 total intervals (30 seconds sprint + 60 seconds jog = 1.5 minutes per interval x 8 = 12 minutes of intervals).

Cool down: 5 minutes of walking, followed by static stretches. Hamstrings, quads, calves, and hip flexors each held for 30 seconds.

Note how far you ran in total. On the next session, try to cover slightly more ground in the same interval structure.

Interval training is more effective at building fitness than steady-state running. The alternating effort pushes the cardiovascular system to adapt faster.

Start with 4-5 intervals if 8 feels overwhelming. Build up by adding one interval per week.

The sprint doesn't have to be 100% all-out. Eighty percent effort is the sweet spot — hard enough to be challenging, sustainable enough to complete all intervals.

Running with a partner makes intervals easier. You push each other during sprints and recover together during jogs.

Keep a running log. Date, number of intervals completed, how it felt. Looking back at progress over weeks and months is incredibly motivating.