The Pyramid

This session takes you up and down a pyramid of distances, starting sharp with a 400m, building to a mile at the peak, then working back down. The challenge comes on the way down, can you run the second half of the pyramid faster than the first?

The structure forces you to manage your effort carefully on the way up, knowing you’ll need to find another gear on the way down. It develops both pacing discipline and the ability to push through fatigue when it matters most.

Session Details

Pacing: Run controlled at 10km race pace for the longer efforts, settling into rhythm. On the descent, aim to run each distance slightly faster than you did on the way up—closer to 5km pace for the shorter reps.

Recovery: 200m light jog after the opening 400m and after the 600m reps. 400m light jog after the 800m reps and the mile.

Groups 1 and 2

400m → 800m → Mile → 800m → 400m

Groups 3 and 4

400m → 600m → 800m → Mile → 800m → 600m → 400m

The goal is simple: make the second slope faster than the first. That final 400m should be your fastest rep of the day.