Speed sessions plans
We've pulled together some of our favourite speed sessions. Not every session is for everyone - try a mix of these out and see which work for you. Remember - everyone's 'fast' pace is different. Not sure what pace you should be training at? Check out our training pace calculator to give you targets for the different paces.
1. 500m reps
Location: Flat road or loop (no road crossings) approximately 0.50 miles long.
Distance: 4.1 miles
Warm-up: 1 mile running at an easy pace.
Session:
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3 x reps of 0.3 miles, 60 seconds walking rest.
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60 seconds static rest
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3 x reps of 0.3 miles, 60 seconds walking rest. Try to make this second set of 3 reps faster than your first set.
Cool down: 1 mile running at an easy pace. Static stretching.
2. Drop it like it's hot
Location: Flat road or loop (no road crossings) approx 0.75 miles long.
Distance: 5.4 miles
Warm-up: 1 mile running at an easy pace.
Session:
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2 x reps: 0.60 miles at threshold pace, 90 seconds walking rest
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2 x reps: 0.5 miles at interval pace, 90 seconds walking rest
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2 x reps: 0.35 miles at V02 max pace, 90 seconds walking rest
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2 x reps: 0.25 miles at sprint (all out!) pace, 90 seconds walking rest
Cool down: 1 mile running at an easy pace. Static stretching.
3. Sprint repeats
Location: Flat road or loop (no road crossings) approx 0.4m long.
Distance: 3.25 miles
Warm-up: 1 mile running at an easy pace.
Session:
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5 x reps: 0.25m at sprint pace, 60 seconds walking rest
Cool down: 1 mile running at an easy pace. Static stretching.
If you want to make this session longer, have a 2 minute walking rest after your fifth sprint pace, and complete a further 5 reps again to make this 4.5 miles long. Aim for the same pace for all reps.
4. Pyramid intervals
Location: Flat loop (no road crossings).
Time: 48 minutes
Warm-up: 10 minutes running at an easy pace.
Session:
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1 minute threshold pace, 1 minute easy pace
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2 minutes threshold pace, 2 minutes easy pace
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3 minutes threshold pace, 3 minutes easy pace
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4 minutes threshold pace, 4 minutes easy pace
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3 minutes threshold pace, 3 minutes easy pace
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2 minutes threshold pace, 2 minutes easy pace
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1 minute threshold pace, 1 minute easy pace
Cool down: 10 minutes running at an easy pace. Static stretching.
5. Kenyan hills
Location: A hill between 400m and 800m long
Time: 46 minutes
Warm-up: 10 minutes running at an easy pace.
Session:
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3 x reps: Run for 2 minutes up your chosen hill at your tempo pace. Turn immediately at the top and run down the hill, maintaining the same pace that you ran up in. Repeat without resting.
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2 minute static recovery
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3 x reps: (Same again) Run for 2 minutes up your chosen hill at your tempo pace. Turn immediately at the top and run down the hill, maintaining the same pace that you ran up in. Repeat without resting.
Cool down: 10 minutes running at an easy pace. Static stretching.
6. Continuous mixed tempo run
Location: Flat road or loop (no road crossings) approx 0.5m long.
Time: 40- 50 minutes
Warm-up: 10 minutes running at an easy pace.
Session:
In this session you'll run continuously for 21 minutes. You will be switching between faster and slower paced sections using the slower sections as active recovery. Depending on how you feel after the 21 minutes, you can extend this session by an additional 6 minutes (ie and extra fast and slower section). During this time, alternate your paces between:
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3 minutes at threshold pace
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3 minutes at 30-40 seconds slower than your threshold pace
Cool down: 10 minutes running at an easy pace. Static stretching.
7. Mile efforts
Location: 5 to 8 mile route
Distance: 5 - 8 miles
Warm-up: 1 mile running at an easy pace.
Session:
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1 mile at marathon pace. Static rest of 90 seconds
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Repeat for a total of 3 - 6 reps (so 3 - 6 miles) depending on your ability level. Aim to increase the speed on each rep by a few seconds.
Cool down: 1 mile running at an easy pace. Static stretching.
8. Hill repeats
Location: A hill or continuous road with incline that would take you 2 minutes to run up steadily.
Time: 50 minutes
Warm-up: 10 minutes running at an easy pace.
Session: 3
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1 x rep: Run for 60 seconds at effort up the hill. Mentally, mark your spot (or use a pebble or chalk if easier). Jog back down to your starting point
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4 x reps: 60 seconds effort uphill, with a jog down recovery back to your starting point. You are aiming for the reps to be consistent, so try to keep aiming to reach your marker.
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2 minute static rest
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4 x reps: 45 seconds hard effort uphill, with a jog down recovery back to your starting point. Again try to keep these reps consistent, aiming for as close to your marker as you can get.
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1 minute static rest
Cool down: 10 minutes running at an easy pace. Static stretching.
9. Intervals
Location: Road or loop (with no road crossings) that would take you at least 3 minutes to run at a comfortable pace.
Time: 60 minutes
Warm-up: 10 minutes running at an easy pace.
Session:
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1 x rep: Run for 2 minutes at interval pace. Put a marker at the point you get to (pebble, chalk mark, stick etc.) then jog back to the start point along your same route. Your jog back should take at least 3 minutes as it should be at an easy pace.
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7 x reps: Repeat running for 2 minutes at interval pace, recovery back to your start point. The aim is to be as consistent as possible, so you should aim to arrive at your marker in each rep.
Cool down: 10 minutes running at an easy pace. Static stretching.
10. Save the fast 'til last!
Location: 4 - 6 mile route
Distance: 4 - 6 miles
Warm-up: 1 mile running at an easy pace.
Session:
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This is a flexible session you can adapt to work for you. It's a good way to test 'what you have got left' in your legs!
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Go for an easy paced run, and run the final quarter at a considerably faster pace. For example:
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4 mile run: 3 miles easy, 1 mile at 5k pace
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5 mile run: 3.75 miles easy, 1.25 miles at 10k pace
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6 mile run: 4.5 miles easy, 1.4 miles 10k pace
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If you're feeling good, you could try boosting your fast finish by running the last 300-400m at an even quicker pace.
Cool down: 1 mile running at an easy pace (this is really important as you have finished the workout at full stretch and need to reduce lactic in your legs). Static stretching.
Training paces
These session plans often refer to paces such as 'tempo', 'threshold' or 'easy'. To give you an idea of what these mean, we've pulled together a handy guide.
Still unsure? Check out our training pace calculator to give you exact paces you can aim for in these sessions.
Rate of perceived exertion scale
Frequently asked questions
Speed sessions are a type of running workout in which you run certain intervals at a faster pace, alongside recovery sections to allow your heart rate to recover. They're intended to train your body and muscles to run harder for longer distances, and will help you to run both faster and further.
To run faster over longer distances, you need to start by practicing running that speed at shorter distances. Running faster over a short sprint distance, with rest periods in between, will help your body to gradually adapt to these faster speeds. As a result, you will increase the pace you can run continuously at - helping you to achieve that next personal best.
Speed sessions tend to be shorter sessions (often around 30 minutes), but are tougher on your body and muscles. Afterwards, you will often feel fatigue and soreness. You should allow yourself ample time to recover, and aim to do a maximum of 1 speed session a week.
Your V02 Max is a measure of the maximum volume of oxygen you can consume per minute per kilogram of body weight at your maximum performance, and is an indication of your cardiovascular fitness. If you have a sports watch, such as Gamin or Apple watch, these will often provide you with an estimate of your V02 Max. This figure will help you to calculate a race pace speed you could aim for, and train at in your speed sessions.
Ready to hit your goal?
Not sure what pace to do these sessions at?
Our training pace calculator will help you to determine at what pace you can do each of your training sessions.