It’s all too easy to get stuck in a rut, doing the same speeds and distances week in week out and with so many different types of running workouts out there, it can be difficult to figure out what you should be including and when you should do it within your regular routine.
Your ideal training plan will mostly depend on what your end goals are, but it doesn’t matter whether your goals are to hit a certain distance or to hit a fast time or to just enjoy running – you still need to incorporate different types of running workouts to see real improvement.
The following types of running workout all serve different purposes within your training, and understand what each one does will help you on your way to achieving those running goals.
If you’re a complete beginner, here’s a full guide to running to get you started.
Why you should vary your running workouts
As it goes with any type of exercise, constantly doing the same running workout won’t help to push your body that extra mile. Your body will get used to it and whilst the exercise itself might feel easier over time, you probably won’t be improving as much as you’d like.
Tina Muir wrote a blog post during her marathon training to document the running workouts she was doing in a particular week, and again you can see that the majority of her week is filled with easier paced runs, with a tempo run and cross training mixed in.
This second example is a little more extreme due to the crazily high mileage, but a sample running week from Eliud Kipchoge shows the variety within his training. Now of course, I imagine the mileage and amount of sessions that he does on a weekly basis is far out of reach for the majority of us, but he does 11 running workouts in that week. Seven of those runs are classed as easy or moderate, he has one track speed workout, one long tempo run, and one fartlek.
Incorporating different types of running workouts within your regime will allow you to take active rest days with your easy paced runs filling out most of the week, so you can really get the most out of those 1-3 harder sessions in order to keep improving. This kind of training schedule is set up and spaced specifically to offer your body the adequate amount of hard work and easy recovery running.
Types of Running Workouts
Base run
The base run is what should make up the majority of your training routine. Short to medium length runs done at a comfortable pace. This means you can hold a conversation, and it doesn’t feel too hard to breathe whilst doing so.
Base running is an essential component because this is what helps you to build your aerobic base. It can also help to develop better running form and establish that base mileage and routine throughout your week.
Hill Repeats
Ah those dreaded hills. This is probably one of the tougher types of workout you can add into your running routine, but hill repeats are perfect for helping you to work on that strength and power in your legs.
Hill repeats work as a form of interval training, with you sprinting up the hill and then jogging or walking down. This is repeated a number of times depending on your fitness/goal/plan and is a good addition to the end of a base run. You’ll want to find a long and steady incline for this.
Intervals / Speed Workouts
This is where you will be working on your speed. Obvious, right? Intervals should feel tough. You want to be pushing yourself for each interval – no chatter possible – with a rest period in between to recover. Interval lengths and the speed you run at can vary depending on what you are training for. For example, shorter distances such as 5k will benefit from shorter and faster interval lengths.
Ideally you want to find a really flat course to run your interval sessions on. Athletics tracks are perfect if you have access, but if not they can still be completed on the road and using a watch or timer is useful to keep the workout intervals consistent.
Looking for more information on running workouts? Check out these other posts:
> Using the Garmin Workouts Feature To Help Plan Your Run Sessions
> Keeping Up Marathon Training with a Full Time Job
> Online Running Coaching with Runners Connect
Fartlek
The Swedish word for ‘speed play’. This is a form of interval training, but is less structured and more suitable for doing on roads. This workout involves running at different speeds, but without the strict timers or distance goals.
It is a good way to build speed and efficiency without the structured format and is a good way to prepare for the uneven paces you might experience within a race due to the gradients of the road. During fartlek training you can use what’s around you to manage the intervals – such as running to the next lamp post, or to the end of the road.
Progression Run
This run workout includes starting at a comfortable pace, and ending with a medium to harder effort. This format of changing pace means you workout using both your aerobic and anaerobic system without pushing the body too hard. It also doesn’t require as much recovery afterwards compared to a traditional speed workout.
Threshold/Tempo Run Workouts
The threshold run workout is designed to help you to go faster, without the quick fatigue you’ll get from going all out sprinting. When you hit your anaerobic threshold, lactic acid begins to accumulate in your blood because your body cannot supply your muscles with enough oxygen quick enough. Not managing this correctly is how you might ‘hit the wall’ during a race.
The goal with a threshold run is to train at a speed that is as close to your anaerobic threshold as possible. You should start with a warming up pace, hit your tempo pace and then end with a cooling down pace. This pace should feel ‘comfortably hard’. Being able to speak in short bursts, but not having a comfortable conversation as you would during a base run.
Osprey Dyna 6 Running Vest / Osprey Kitsuma Running Pack
Long runs
Adding long runs into your running workouts helps you to build up endurance both physically and mentally. Running for longer lengths at a time can be challenging to begin with if you can’t get into the right headspace.
Long runs should be run at a similar pace as your base runs, and the length should increase fairly slowly, in order to avoid injuries. You don’t want to be starting at 10 miles and then going up to 15 miles the next week. A good way to manage building up distance is to focus on time on feet rather than distance – so for example increasing next week’s run by adding 10 minutes on.
Another aspect to think about when getting to the longer distances is the extra things you need to prepare for. Hydration, energy and comfort. For longer runs, I personally always run with a running vest. This means I can carry water, snacks and also have somewhere easy to stick my phone, keys and money. Depending on the weather forecast, I will often stick a rain jacket in there too if I’m not already wearing it. Just in case. Properly preparing for longer runs will ultimately make them more enjoyable.
Recovery run
Recovery runs are important, and should be as slow as you can go. Running slow and easy helps to get oxygen-rich blood through the legs, and with that helps to heal micro-tears and other damage. Always keep this in mind: you cannot run too slowly on a recovery day, only too fast. These runs are generally used for after hard races or really intense sessions, to get your body moving whilst still allowing the muscles to recover.
Don’t forget, your warm up, cool down and stretches are important too!
Adding Strength Workouts To Your Running Routine
On top of all that, adding in strength workouts and cross training is recommended to keep your body in top shape. Strength training helps to maintain muscle mass which in effect can improve your overall fitness and athletic performance.
Some of the benefits from adding strength training into your running routine include:
- Reducing the risk of injury: it strengthens your muscles, tendons and ligaments helping with both stability and in helping your body to absorb the force placed through each leg when running.
- Muscle power: Running works some muscles more than others, so strength training regularly allows you to activate different muscles to avoid imbalances.
- Improves running efficiency & biomechanics: strengthening the muscles that support your body can improve efficiency because you utilise energy better. Running relies on the whole body for balance and movement, so working on strength will help with this and in turn help you to keep better form.
For more information: Strength running has a great article on weight training for runners with some information on research that has taken place.
Workout ideas for runners: Runners Connect have some great sample workouts to try.
Now you know about all the different types of running workouts available, it’s time to think about how you will incorporate them into your training to get the most out of your run training.
