80/20 Running

HILL REPETITION RUNS A hill repetition run is essentially an uphill interval run, featuring short segments of uphill running in Zone 5. Hill repetitions offer many of the same benefits as interval runs (namely, increased aerobic capacity and high-intensity fatigue resistance, as well as improved running economy). But hill repetitions are less stres

Typically, these adjustments are achieved by increasing and decreasing overall running volume rather than by fiddling with the balance of intensities.

RULE #6: PRACTICE STEP CYCLES Step cycles take the hard-easy principle to a broader time scale. Also known as mesocycles, step cycles are multiweek training blocks in which the running workload is intentionally varied from week to week. In a step cycle, each week of training is slightly more challenging than the preceding, until the last week of th

SPEED PLAY RUNS A speed play run is a cross between a foundation run and an interval run. Like foundation runs, speed play runs are done mostly in Zone 2. But this low-intensity backdrop is punctuated by short bursts at high intensity,

LONG INTERVAL RUNS A long interval run features repeated efforts of three to five minutes in Zone 4. Long interval runs maximize high-intensity fatigue resistance.

Also known as microcycles, these recurring seven-day workout schedules typically include three designated hard days, which are buffered on either side by at least one day of lighter training. Two of the three hard days feature moderate-intensity or high-intensity runs while the third is reserved for a longer run, which is done mostly or entirely at

LONG RUNS WITH SPEED PLAY A long run with speed play is an endurance run that’s done mostly at low intensity but has short bursts in Zone 3 sprinkled throughout it.

LONG RUNS WITH FAST FINISH A long run with fast finish is an extended run at low intensity with a relatively short effort at moderate intensity tacked onto the end. Like long runs with speed play, long runs with fast finish serve to further increase fatigue resistance toward the end of a training cycle after you’ve already developed basic endurance

High-Intensity Runs Speed play runs, hill repetition runs, and interval runs featuring long, short, and mixed intervals include high-intensity efforts in Zones 4 and 5.