If you want to run faster, you’ll probably spend a lot of time on a track doing speedwork. Or, if you live in a hilly area, you might wish you had a nice flat track to run on. But how do you find one that you can go to? It’s easier than you might have thought. There are many public high school tracks that anyone can use.
How do I find a nearby running track?
I run on a school track, and it was easy to figure out how to get there. I called the local high school and asked if they had a track that the public could use. They said I could come as long as I didn’t come during school hours. They also suggested that I go to a different school in the district whose track has fewer evening events. I now run most often on that track.
I just looked for circle forms on the Strava world grid, which shows famous running routes, to find another track near me. Google Maps’ satellite view is another great way to find nearby tracks. Most outdoor running tracks that are the right size are near a football or soccer field. They are usually at a school, but they can also be in a park or community center. When you zoom in, you can see that they are long and bent at the ends. They usually have a red rubber surface with white lane lines.
Run Track Run is another great place to look for tracks. It has a list of tracks and running routes all over the U.S. Some of the tracks have details like what kind of surface they have, if they are open to the public, and if they are free to use.
How does running on a track work?
First, look for any rules or hours that are written down. Most of the time, school tracks are closed to the public during school hours. However, they are generally open in the evenings, on weekends, and during school breaks. Don’t assume that the track at every school will always be open. Private schools might not let the public use theirs, and public schools might still set a plan or close the track for events. Check the park, gym, or community center’s website or give them a call to find out who can use the track and when.
Once you get there, the most important rule is to stay in your lane (if there are marked lines). Think of them as traffic lanes: You can pass someone if you give them enough space, and you should always look behind you before changing lines. Don’t stop in the middle of a lane; instead, find a place off the track to sit down and stretch.
The faster runners will be in the middle lane, so if you just want to walk or warm up, stay in the outer lanes. Also, pay attention to the way. Most people run counter-clockwise.
How do you work out by running on a track?
You can do anything you want on the track, so there is no set way to use it. But as a general rule, you’ll break up the work you want to do into quarter-mile chunks. (One lap around a track in the inside lane is 400 meters, or almost a quarter of a mile.)
You can jog the whole time you’re at the track, which is fine, but most people use the track for speed work. You run fast for a short distance, then stop to catch your breath by walking or standing still. Then do another fast interval, and keep doing this until you’re ready to go home.
Here’s an easy workout you can do on a track for the first time:
- Warm up by running around the track four times (1 mile). This can be a fast walk, a slow, easy jog, or a mix of the two. You want to feel ready to work when you’re done with this step, not tired.
- Walk the 100 meters around the curve of the track.
- Run the straight part of the track, which is also about 100 meters long. Don’t try to do everything you can, just keep a strong, fast pace.
- Do steps 2 and 3 as often as you’d like. You can do eight 100-meter runs in one mile, which is a good workout for your first day. Then you can do more.
- Run at least one or two laps or more if you want to cool down.
The above workout is called “8 x 100” by runners because you do eight 100-meter runs. (The time spent walking in between is called “recovery.”) Here are some common gap lengths:
- 100 m (the straight part of the track)
- 200 m (the bend plus one straight, or half the track)
- 400 meters (1 lap)
- 800 meters (2 laps)
You can rest or walk for about as long as it took you to run between running segments of your workout. For example, if you can run 400 meters (one lap) in about two minutes, you would rest for another two minutes before going again.
