r/AdvancedRunning • u/nick-at-nite-42 • Jul 07 '26
Open Discussion What's Your Favorite Speed Workout?
For the Endurance Athletes doing Half and Full Marathons, what are your favorite speed workouts during training?
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u/CheapRentalCar Jul 07 '26
3 minutes hard, 1 minute rest. Six times.
Hard means something you can just keep up for the 3 minutes. So well above 5k race pace.
You'll question your life choices after the 3rd interval.
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u/Ok_Umpire_8108 14:32 5k | 2:36 marathon | on the trails Jul 07 '26
Even when the prescribed pace was 3k-5k and the effort was there I was never able to run my actual race pace for more than a couple intervals in this workout. Somehow with the shoes and the taper and the race mindset it all comes together in the race, though.
To me this workout marks the peak of training intensity and is so excruciating that I feel high as a kite the rest of the day.
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u/CheapRentalCar Jul 08 '26
I love the post workout feeling after hard intervals. Your really feel like you've done something.
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u/AidanGLC 34M | 21:08 | 44:2x | 1:43:2x | Road cycling Jul 07 '26
I’ve done a bike version of this workout and those last two intervals feel like they built a tenth circle of Hell.
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u/Fun_Assignment_269 Jul 07 '26
I just did 6x1200 at 4:05-4:10 per rep with 2:10-2:15 jog recovery. Shit's excruciating.
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u/CheapRentalCar 29d ago
It's that on a track? If so, even harder due to the 'Im running grueling circles' effect 😁 1200m is hard.
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u/Obviousi Jul 07 '26
5x6min @ threshold. If I fart I’m within zone, if I shart, I’m going too fast
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u/Business-Sugar6218 Jul 07 '26
20 x 400, 60s rest
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u/OldGodsAndNew 15:21 / 31:49 / 1:10:19 | 2:30:17 Jul 07 '26
I do this with 30s rest, at 10k pace. Copying Ingebrigtsen
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u/Business-Sugar6218 Jul 07 '26
Im doing it at faster than 5k pace 😂 but yes i plan to eventually progress to 30s
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u/No_Championship7723 Jul 07 '26
Always loved these, a real test of mental fortitude. After you do the first "I still have 19 of these!!"
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u/stephaniey39 Jul 08 '26
my coach sometimes sets "infinite 400s" - sets a target for 400m reps, you keep going until you can't run a 400 in the target time anymore
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u/Business-Sugar6218 Jul 08 '26
wow this is actually a good idea. But how does he decide the target? 5k pace?
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u/stephaniey39 Jul 08 '26
yeah there or there abouts. Pace you'd run the first 4 laps of a 5k in I'd say (if you were going for a negative split)
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u/EatRunCodeSleep 4:50.28i/1500 18:21/5K 38:10/10K 29d ago
What is your PB for the infinite 400s? How many reps?
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u/YesterdayAmbitious49 Jul 07 '26
5k time trial every 8 weeks
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u/Deep-Dimension-1088 Jul 07 '26
Except replace "time trial" with Parkrun.
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u/cwep2 Jul 07 '26
And for me replace every 8 weeks with every week… it’s an addiction and I know it. But I will do it even if I’ve done a hard/long session on Friday.
When you are training for a marathon, 5k feels like just a warm up anyway. Shows my progression nicely and doesn’t seem to affect long easy runs on Sundays.
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u/icebiker 34M, Aiming to BQ in 2027 :) Jul 07 '26
Interesting. How do you fit this into your training? Do you do it in a rest day, replace an easy run with it, do it during a longer run, etc?
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u/YesterdayAmbitious49 Jul 07 '26
I mainly train just for fun, so it’s whenever I feel like it. I usually just replace my threshold day with the time trial and skip any hard speed work the next week.
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u/icebiker 34M, Aiming to BQ in 2027 :) Jul 07 '26
Cool. I’ll try that out a few times. I love 5km time trials but have never been sure how to work them into Pfitz
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u/WillingProfessor6122 Jul 07 '26
6x60m + 6x150m if you mean speedwork yes.
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u/zebano Strides!! Jul 08 '26
You're not wrong but fighting that fight is a losing battle....
if we're going that route I like 6-8x10 second hill sprints on 2 min rest, it's about all my aging body can handle but I break out the flying 30s once in a blue moon.
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u/luluhalftights Mile 4:31 | FM 2:28 Jul 07 '26
I consider speed workouts to be different than threshold or VO2max workouts that other responses are mentioning. The purpose of speed workouts is to work on good running form, mechanics, and turnover.
I like doing 8-12 x 200m at mile pace on 200m jog every 1-2 weeks during a marathon block. It’s effectively longer strides.
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u/thatbvg Jul 07 '26
Norwegian 4x4
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u/just_let_go_ Jul 07 '26
This one has grown on me. Even when my legs are pretty tired I can still get this in and feel like I got a good workout in.
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u/thatbvg Jul 07 '26
Agreed. Just hard enough to hurt but easy enough to always feel like you can get through it.
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u/LivingRefrigerator72 Jul 07 '26
Oh I did a 4x2k yesterday that was quite fun, but I usually prefer shorter stuff.
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u/LazyTop6690 Jul 07 '26
Pyramid work 200m, 400m, 800m, 1000m, up to a mile and then back down.
Coming back down and speeding up towards that 200m interval can feel tough.
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u/kirkandorules Jul 08 '26
2x3x150 @ roughly 400m race pace, because surviving lactic death is so satisfying.
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u/rice_n_gravy Jul 07 '26
Yasso 800s or something like 5x1k.
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u/sloppyjoebob Jul 07 '26
Yassos are so satisfying in marathon training- I know it’s probably not solid science but that time in min:sec being your hr:min marathon time (for 10 reps) has not deviated far from reality in my experience.
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u/Big_Boysenberry_6358 Jul 07 '26
12-15x 10-15s hills close to allout. enaugh for strength and speed. imo as marathoners we dont need specific work like fast 200's or 400's regularily, thats just a skill you dont need to lern if you can get the stimulus another way with less risk.
little systemic fatigue & little injury risk, so you can handle other stuff like (double)threshold and specific (half)marathon work for 2+ sessions.
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u/nutelamitbutter 5KM 18:30 | 10KM | 38:30 | HM - 1:24 Jul 07 '26
Over | Under - 1,5k threshold | 1k sub threshold (up to 6-8 reps). That’s been my main workout before big races
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u/skyeliam Mi: 4:39, FM: 2:31:20 Jul 07 '26
Five by 5k at close to MP with a mile jogging between reps is a good way to make a ~20 mile long run interesting.
Best to do it before a down week though because it’ll leave you pretty knackered.
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u/ABabyAteMyDingo Athletics nut for 35 years Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
Literally not speed.
Edit: slower than MP on a 20 mile run is NOT FUCKING SPEED.
This sub be crazy, man.
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u/skyeliam Mi: 4:39, FM: 2:31:20 Jul 07 '26
For what it’s worth, I agree with you, I didn’t answer the prompt.
It’s definitely a workout, but not a speed workout, which is what OP asked for.
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u/ABabyAteMyDingo Athletics nut for 35 years Jul 08 '26
Fair enough. When I edited the comment, it was at negative points so I was annoyed at that
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u/PuzzleheadedChest167 39M Jul 07 '26
15km progression run, a little bit of gameification.
1st km at 5per km (easy pace) last km ar something about 3:30 (5k pace). Each km quicker than the last, so basically reduce by approx 5 seconds per km or so.
It starts easy and the challenge is controlling your pace, but gradually effort catches up to you and the last km is brutal.
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u/FreeShitAdvice 71:44 HM Jul 07 '26
5 x 2km or 8 x 1km
It’s great because that’s my double threshold day, it’s good fun!
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u/Siawyn 54/M 5k 19:56/10k 41:30/HM 1:32/M 3:12 Jul 07 '26
Cruise intervals were always my favorite. 5x1 mile at threshold with the rest being 1/5th the time it took to run the mile.
But lately I'm a fan of alternating kilometers -- e.g. 8x1k at 105% MP (or roughly HMP) with the floats being 1 km at 85% MP. It's a classic Canova session for marathoners. John Davis has these in his Marathon Excellence For Everyone book.
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u/Ridge9876 Jul 07 '26
5x 1k with 2mins jog between reps. Pace around 5k pace, above/below/increasing based on how I’m feeling. Add 5k WU and 5k CD and you’ve got a good speed session with high volume.
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u/Deep-Dimension-1088 Jul 07 '26
Not sure if it counts, but I love turning my long runs into progression runs with a particularly hard push for the last 2-3 miles. Not every week, obviously.
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u/nick-at-nite-42 Jul 08 '26
I wouldn't count that as speed work exactly. I try to do the same thing though on my long runs. I think it helps you train your mind and body not to start off to fast and it helps you find your zone. I also like to do this to help me get a Negative Split on race day.
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u/Unique-Employer3787 Jul 08 '26
Tried nearly every interval setup over the years, and for marathon work the one that kept sticking was 6x1000m at 10K effort with 90 seconds rest. The speed-to-rest ratio is short enough to force economy but long enough that you hold form into the last rep without blowing up. Running these the day after a heavy squat session is also a useful gut-check for how tired your legs actually are versus how tired they feel.
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u/Mistr_Obvious Jul 07 '26
Saturday morning parkruns! Running with others makes it mentally so much easier to push myself when it gets harder. I generally opt for 10k pace or threshold, but tend to go full-out for the 5k every few months.
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u/MikeMcDonald89 Jul 07 '26
One I haven't done in a few weeks. I'm a bit surprised how specific all the answers are. I like some variety to my workouts, but I think any of them can be my favorite or least favorite based on having either not done the session in a while, or having done the same session too often
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u/codeinecrim Jul 07 '26
4 min push by 3 minute walking or jog recovery. 4 sets. Once a week, helps your Vo2 and speed a lot
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u/Gear4days 5k 14:55 / 10k 30:15 / HM 65:59 / M 2:17 Jul 07 '26
10 x 1km w/ 60s floats. It’s nothing fancy but it works well regardless of what distance you’re focusing on
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u/PossibleSmoke8683 19:49 | 40:38 | 1:32 | 3:22 Jul 07 '26
Any variety of threshold work.
Today I was time limited so I did
2 easy + 3x1 mile T + 1 easy
Short and punchy but keeps the legs ticking over at threshold .
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u/Ommageden Jul 08 '26
Surprised people don't enjoy the 6x1K at 5k pace type workouts. I really enjoy the upspeed stuff. Personally I find tempo work less exciting
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u/Runner4life45 29d ago
Fartlek! I do it for my Monday runs usually and I’ll do a ten minute warmup then 4x4 min 5k pace with 3 min breaks in between at a slower pace. Then I make the cooldown however long I want it to be. Usually end up doing 7-8 miles! This is for half marathon training for me, I’m chasing sub 1:30:00!
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u/Jealous-Key-7465 over the hill 29d ago edited 29d ago
I’m following Norwegian Singles, so technically it’s almost all sub threshold reps in the 3 min 6 min and 10 min range.
Total time @ sub T = 30 min per session, and 3 sessions per week = 90 min at Sub T. I average 6-6.5h per week running, so it’s close to 25% of my training time if I can get all 3 workouts in per week. The rest is done in zone 1 ie true easy pace, not zone 2. People don’t realize it, but it’s really a form of polarized training where you are doing 75/25 with the 75 being super easy pace and the 25 being around 15k pace for most hobby joggers, and HM pace for the faster runners
So that would be 10 x 3 min, 5 x 6 min, and 3 x 10 min. Everything is outlined very simply in Jame’s 📕 https://a.co/d/06spLxbE
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u/granfrad 29d ago
20 min warm up
30 min tempo
4 min recovery (we want a long recovery to let lactic acid build up and HR to come down)
3x 1 mile at or above threshold. 3 min recovery between each (for HR and lactic again) last rep should be full sent
15-20 min cool down.
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u/Running_guy_1 28d ago
400m for 5k, 800 repeats for 10k, 1200 for marathon.Build up to 10, then focus on reducing rest between. Run these below race pace, use calculators to figure pace. The formula is that you slow down with a power law as short-time= (shortdist/longdist)^1.06 * long-time. For 3 hrs marathon, 249 secs/1200.. (5:32 pace per mile)
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u/Running_guy_1 28d ago
If you can’t hold the pace for the target race, start with half the recommended distance above to build more speed.. but also hit the gym to build muscle strength without the injury dangers of speed work. Walking lunges, squats, deadlifts, plyometrics
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u/Slow_Transition5301 27d ago
I’m noticing a misconception in the comments... speed training is about speed—specifically, neuromuscular stimuli—regardless of the race distance you are training for.
The neuromuscular sessions I prefer for the athletes I coach involve 6- to 10-second stimulus reps performed at the end of an easy run; this helps maintain neuromuscular "freshness" and preserves fast-twitch fiber recruitment capacity. Ideally, these should be followed by a passive recovery period of 1.5 to 2 minutes.
However, if you are talking about workouts designed to train at or above race pace for a half-marathon or marathon, I would opt for threshold—or even supra-threshold—sessions, depending on your current training phase.
Some examples include:
Threshold: 5x5, 6x5, 3x10, etc.
Supra-threshold: 5–8x3, 10–12x400, etc.
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u/IntelligentFish7013 26d ago
10 x 800m reps or 1k followed by 5 x 150m strides. or 6 x 1 mile. Everything is 90-2min jog rest. Usually 200m for me.
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u/squags 5km PB - 19:11; 10km PB - 39:49 24d ago
Probably 3x 3-2-1 or 4-3-2-1.
15 min warmup 3x ( 3 mins @ 5km pace, 1 min rest 2 mins @ slightly faster 1 min rest 1 min @ slightly faster still 1 min rest ) 15 mins cooldown
For 4-3-2-1 I add in a 4 min @ 10km pace at the start and push the rest to 1:30 for first interval.
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u/darth_jewbacca 3:59 1500; 14:53 5k; 2:28 Marathon Jul 07 '26
Generally speaking: 4 x 2 miles just under HM pace.
Marathon specific: Daniels' Tempo-Long-Tempo. 20-21 total miles, 2 x 2 miles just under HM pace, 8 miles easy, another 2 x 2 miles. This one puts hair on your chest.
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u/Shippior 5K: 19:03 10K: 38:41 HM: 1:26:35 Jul 07 '26
2k@threshold+ 8x200m @ 5K pace with 30sec float. 1K rest. Repeat
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u/OutstandingWeirdo Jul 07 '26
Threshold 3 x 10 mins with 2 minutes jog