Run Faster

Run Faster, from the 5K to the marathon

Brad Hudson and Matt Fitzgerald

Adaptive Running Principles

consistent, moderately high volume - avoid the extremes of high numbers of easy miles and low numbers of intense miles
progression from general training to race-specific training as peak race nears
three-period training cycles - base, fundamental, and sharpening periods
lots of hill running - regular hill sprints and uphill progressions
extreme intensity and workload modulation - a mix of easy, moderate, and hard workouts
multi-pace workouts - progression run might be 4 miles easy then 2 miles hard
non-weekly workout schedule - be willing to shake up the standard 7-day training week
multiple threshold paces - mix of 5K, 10K, half-marathon, and marathon paces
constant variation - don't do exactly the same workouts every week
one long run every week
one rest day per week - may involve a short run or complete rest
some core strength training

TODO: insert running volume table here
follow 10% rule for increasing weekly mileage
progression run is an easy run followed by a short moderate or hard segment
threshold run (aka tempo run) is a hard steady effort sandwiched between warm up and cool down, may be broken up into two or three intervals of hard running with one-minute easy jogging in between
fartlek run is an easy run injected with several short fast bursts (e.g. alternate 1 minute at 10K pace with 1 minute easy)
long run generally run at easy pace. Length of long run should also obey 10% rule from week to week.

hill sprint sprint for 6-10 seconds up a steep hill, then jog back down
hill repetition a longer uphill charge, 200 - 400 meters.
repetition intervals example: 10 x 400 meters at 5K pace with 2-minute jogging recoveries
ladder intervals example: 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 minutes at a fast pace with 1-minute jogging recoveries. The 6-minute interval is run at 10K pace, while the last one-minute interval is run at 1500 meter pace.
fartlek intervals are 20-60 second bursts injected into an otherwise easy run

Any workout at 5K pace or faster should be preceded by strides and drills

Focuses on preparing for peak race distance. Workouts should progress from less-specific to more-specific during the sharpening phase of training.

These are examples of the last specific-endurance workout you would do before a target race:

5K-specific workout: 5 x 1K at goal pace with 1-minute recoveries
10K-specific workout: 5 x 2K at goal pace with 90-second recoveries
half-specific workout: 3 x 5K at goal pace with 90-second recoveries
marathon-specific workout: one hour easy + 4 x 3K on / 1K off, on = goal pace, off = goal pace + 15 sec/mile

Do these every five or six weeks to monitor progress:

5K test: 5 x 1K at goal pace with 2-minute recoveries
10K test: 5 x 2K at goal pace with 3-minute recoveries
half test: use a heart-rate monitor to identify the heart rate of your half-marathon pace. Run for 20-30 minutes at that heart rate.
marathon test: there is no good marathon test