TRAINING RUNS / SESSIONS
Training Caution
As you become fitter, there is a temptation to over train as your body begins to cope with greater
and greater demands and more and more miles. But as mileage increases, the body needs to recover
– rest days are important. Avoid doing your long runs at race pace – leave this for shorter, more
intense sessions.
LONG RUN
Long runs form the foundation of all marathon training programs. Generally speaking they are
between an hour and three hours. Because long runs are done at a relaxed pace, there's great
latitude in how fast you actually run. In general, slower is better than faster. Save your legs for other
days of the week when you will be training at a faster pace. The long run is at a comfortable pace
NOT your anticipated race pace. Walking breaks are allowed!
When starting out, the goal is to build up to at least one run of 20 miles, over a period of three to
four months. Ideally add one mile a week. Every 3 or 4 weeks drop back on distance then start
building again, one mile at a time or as general guide increase the volume by 10 per cent a week.
From beginner to advanced, incorporate only one long run per week - this is enough. It takes longer
than you realise to fully recuperate from a long distance run. The important thing is building up the
distance and training your body to keep going for 3, 4, 5 or however many hours it's going to take
you.
EASY RUN
These allow your legs to recover from hard effort and prepare you for the next day of training. Run
them at the same pace as a long run.
RECOVERY SESSIONS
The day following your long run you may experience DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). Rather
than resting completely on this day, it will aid recovery if you do some light cross training. Recovery
training can help to remove waste products like lactic acid that has pooled in the muscles and can
also help to alleviate muscle soreness. This is not the time to try and improve your level of fitness.
The ONLY goal is recovery - it's just that active recovery is more beneficial than bed rest! The form of
exercise you choose should not be physically taxing. Cross-training such as swimming, cycling, the
elliptical trainer at the gym or even brisk walking is more suitable than jogging.
Example Recovery sessions:
Warm up: 5-10 minutes of light aerobic exercise (walking, swimming, cycling etc)
Time: 30 minutes
Intensity: Low-Moderate. On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 is a very fast run, 1 is a leisurely stroll) aim for a
level 4 to 5
Cool Down: Finish with 5-10 minutes of light aerobic exercise (walking, swimming, cycling etc) and
plenty of stretching
Steady runs
These runs are slightly faster than easy runs.
TEMPO OR THRESHOLD
Tempo runs (sometimes called threshold runs) help you improve your running economy and your
running form. They will help prepare your body for running at a faster pace for longer, as well as
boosting what's known as your lactate threshold. This is the top end of your aerobic zone, the point
before you go into anaerobic exercise (without oxygen). When you run anaerobically your legs can
turn to jelly as lactic acid kicks into your system, and it's hard to keep going.
They are often described as "hard but controlled" runs, and they will help you prepare for races of
10k to the marathon. A session is made up of one or more periods of tempo running with some easy
running in between.
After a 10-15 minute warm up you run at a sustained pace for anything from 20 min up to an hour
with a 10-15 min slower jog at the end. The pace is between 10k and half marathon pace, seven to
eight out of 10 on a perceived rate of exertion - or more simply at a comfortably hard pace – you can
talk, but only a few words. You should not finish feeling exhausted. Increase your pace from your
long run pace by extending your stride. Stay relaxed and breathe deeply and rhythmically.
Use your first tempo session to get used to the feeling of running at a faster pace. For example, start
with a five-minute warm-up before running at tempo pace for five to 10 minutes. Then return to
your steady run pace for five minutes to recover before repeating another five to 10 minutes at
tempo speed. Run at a steady pace again and then try five more minutes of tempo speed.
Remember not to go too fast and don't forget to have a five-minute cool down jog after the tempo
session.
More examples: Warm up for 15 minutes, then do 10 minutes at half marathon pace, five minutes
jog, and 10 minutes at 10k pace. Or do three reps of 10 minutes at 10k pace with five minutes
jogging between the reps.
A longer interval session such as continuous 800s will also improve lactate tolerance. Run 800m in
the same minutes/seconds as your hours/minutes goal time for a marathon, so, if you're looking to
run a 3:30 marathon, run your 800s in three minutes and 30 seconds. Start with six and aim to build
up to 10. Make the recovery time the same as the time run at speed, ie for our example, 3:30.
A beginner's 30-minute tempo session might include:
 Five-minute warm-up walk or slow jog
 five minutes at an easy pace followed by five minutes of tempo running, repeated twice (20
minutes)
 five minutes' walk or jog to cool down
An intermediate 40-minute tempo session might include:
 10-minute warm-up walk or slow jog
 20 minutes of tempo running
 10 minutes at an easy pace
SPEED SESSIONS: REPETITION / INTERVAL TRAINING
Speed work will make you a stronger more efficient and faster runner and you will notice a big
difference to your fitness and speed in short period of time. It will help take you from a jogger to a
runner. Fitness rewards are gained because running fast will increase type-two muscle fibres (the
ones that help you run fast); strengthen quadriceps; improve the strength of the ventilatory muscles
(which will help you breathe more efficiently); and prepare you mentally for racing - whatever the
distance.
You only need to work at a high intensity (at 85 to 95 percent of max heart rate, or eight nine out of
10 on a perceived rate of exertion, or one mile to 5k pace), over a series of short intervals to reap
rewards.
Different types of speed work are designed to improve different aspects of running. For marathon
runners, who want to develop speed endurance, a general rule of thumb for planning interval
training is to make the whole distance covered longer and the recoveries shorter. So for short 30second bursts, you might do 20, with a 30-second recovery. You will also benefit from doing longer
intervals.
Other examples (making sure you warm up and cool down for 10 to 15 minutes either side):
 Pyramid: 400m, 800m, 1600m, and then work your way down 1600m, 800m, 400m, with
recovery jogs of 1 minute between each burst.
 4 to 6 x 1 mile at 10k pace, with 90 second recovery.
 6 to 8 x 800m with 1 minute recovery.
For marathon training long intervals of at least 800m or longer (1000m or even a mile) are
acknowledged to be most beneficial.
HILL TRAINING
These are a variation on repetitions on the flat. They are a great variation with a similar benefit of
building leg strength. Hills are a good way for beginners to get started on speed sessions at the track
as they build strength.
This training increases your aerobic capacity (you'll need to use less oxygen at longer distances) and
improves your running economy (you use less oxygen to run faster) - and as it's high intensity it's a
great calorie burner. It builds strength in your glutes, quads and calf muscles - so is fantastic for
toning and sculpting your bottom half. Hill work increases your ankle flexion meaning you "pop" off
the ground quickly when you run. Hills will also improve your stride length (from uphill running) and
your stride frequency (from downhill running).
Find an incline of approx 4-600 metres or one that will take about 2 minutes. Run hard up the hill
and slightly over the crest, turn around and jog slowly down the hill before repeating the run up
again etc
Hill technique tips
Uphill
 Don't lean too far forwards and keep looking to the top and keep yourself upright. If you
look down you'll lean into the hill, which is less efficient.
 Make your stride shorter and use a high knee drive.
 Keep the elbows close to the body.
 Push off the back foot - think antelope not elephant. And run on the balls of your feet.
 Keep on running when you reach the top - only relax when you’re over the top.
Downhill
 Relax - unclench your fists, let your arms go loose, and just let it happen - don't put on the
brakes - but don't sprint either.
 Your stride length increases as you run downhill, but if you're running down lots of hills,
conserve the strength in your quadriceps by shortening your stride.
 Running down hills works on your leg turnover, which is key to fast running during races.
Your maximal stride rate is controlled by your neuromuscular system, and quick leg turnover
is best achieved through practice. Downhill training teaches your nervous system to let you
run fast.
YASSO 800
These are an invention of Runner's World staffer Bart Yasso, who has run more than 50 marathons
and ultramarathons. Because of their simplicity, Yasso 800s have proven popular and useful for
marathoners worldwide. Basically, Bart says that if you want to run a marathon in 2:45, 3:29 or 4:11,
you should train to the point where you can run 10 repeats of 800 meters in the same time?2:45,
3:29 or 4:11. The only difference is that your marathon time is hours:minutes and your 800 time is
minutes:seconds. Bart suggests doing Yasso 800s once a week as part of your marathon training.
Start with perhaps 4 x 800 and build up to 10 x 800. Between the 800s, take a recovery jog that lasts
as long as your 800s. (Additional hint: Yasso 800s are a great workout for any runner. Because they
are "strong but controlled," they're basically a form of tempo training.) A good Yasso 800 workout: 6
x 800 at Yasso pace with recovery jogs between the 800s.
FARTLEK
This is Swedish for speed-play, a no-brainer speed session. You don't need GPS or a measured
course, you simply run fast and slow - run between lamp-posts, or do timed bursts (30 seconds to 3
minutes). Or, try a pyramid fartlek session, for example, run hard five, four, three, two and one
minute bursts with equal recovery time. This is a great way to run fast with no pressure and ideal
when you're starting out
PACE RUN
Pace runs are training runs, run at approximately your estimated race pace. That is if you are
aiming for a 3 hour 30 marathon averaging approx 8 min miles (5 min km) then your pace runs are
run at 8 min miles. For a planned sub 3 hour marathon you are running just under 7 minutes a mile.
They help build pace judgement and even paced running. It is important to note that unless you are
very experienced or have good guidance, it is unusual to run all of your weekly long run at your
planned race pace. The long training run is there to build endurance, not speed, and running your
long run at a faster pace than you are ready for could lead to you taking longer to recover each week
and upset the steady gradual improvement all schedules are designed to bring.