Recently at the running club, we’ve been focusing on shorter distances, so this week we stepped it up and tackled some longer intervals. To keep it interesting, we varied the hard rep distances. This is a great session to build the strength you need for racing. The workout incorporates shorter recoveries after the first hard rep to maintain intensity, with longer recoveries between sets to ensure quality remains high throughout.

This workout is ideal for 5K-10K runners and half marathoners looking to build strength and endurance.

The session helps develop strength by improving lactate tolerance and working the legs hard. The short 200m recovery means you’ll have accumulated lactate when starting the next rep. This forces your body to process and clear the lactate while continuing to move through the rep. The 400m recovery between sets is important - it provides enough rest to maintain quality but keeps you slightly tired when starting the next set. It’s similar to weight training, where your muscles are progressively fatigued and challenged.

As always, make sure to warm up properly with a 15-minute jog, activation exercises, strides, and dynamic stretches. After completing the session, cool down with a light jog and stretches to aid recovery.

At the club, we work with four different ability levels, where group 1 is the slower group and ability increases from there. Choose your group based on your current 5K time.

Session Details

Pacing: Each hard effort should be run at your current 5K pace. The longer rep in each set can be taken slightly slower. Aim to keep the hard reps at a consistent pace.
Recovery: The 200m recoveries should be a light jog. Use the 400m recoveries to properly recover before the next set.

Group 1
2 sets
800m (200m) 1000m (400m) per set
Total: ~4.8km

Group 2
3 sets
600m (200m) 800m (400m) per set
Total: ~6.0km

Group 3
3 sets
800m (200m) 1000m (400m) per set
Total: ~7.2km

Group 4
3 sets
800m (200m) 1200m (400m) per set
Total: ~7.8km