Types of runs you should include in your training

Want to improve your overall fitness and have more fun while running? Keep reading!

Introduction

If you reached this blog post, then probably you’re already comfortable with your daily, easy miles and want to spice things up a little. Some are looking forward to preparing for a race, others will want to improve their fitness level and we always have those that want to mix different runs only for fun and to push themselves, and that’s great because this way you will prevent being bored of doing the same type of runs every time!

Whatever your reason, you’ll find here the most common types of runs that elite and non-elite runners include in their training plans.

This list is not intended to cover all types of runs, only the major ones, so do know that there are a few more, but this post only pretends to cover the most important for the majority of runners.

You can do all of these different runs with the same running shoe, but you can maximize your training if you run with specific shoes for each type of run. Check out my post “How to set up a running shoe rotation” to know more.

The different types of runs can be grouped into 5 categories: recovery, easy, workouts, long, and races.

Active recovery runs

After a long effort or when you feel your legs pretty beaten from your last run, you might benefit from an active recovery run. The active recovery run should be done within a 24-hour window from your last run and is intended to be a very easy run at a pace below your easy run pace. 

The recovery run will bring you two major benefits:

1. You did a hard session and pushed your limits. By doing a recovery run, you are pushing those limits a little further without having to put a big effort into it.
2. The major purpose of the recovery run is to… recover. So, what this run will do is keep your blood flowing throw your body bringing a greater amount of oxygen to your muscles and that will help you recover quickly and be less fatigued after a hard run session.

Now, let me mention another type of “recovery run” that I will not include in this post. The rest day! Of course, it’s not a run but you better not think you should always do recovery runs when resting from the hard runs. Rest days or no running days are equally important for muscle tissue repair and recovery.

Easy runs

The easy runs are those daily miles that you run at a comfortable pace. A comfortable pace means that you can talk while running without showing uncontrolled breathing or you can breathe with your nose for a while without feeling the urge for more air (test it, but please, breathe with your mouth while running).

These runs aren’t long (up to 15 km / ~10 miles) and should be 80% of your weekly runs so these are the ones where you will be putting the bigger chunk of your weekly mileage. 

The goal of these runs is to build your endurance, improve your cardiovascular system, and strengthen your muscles. This run is an aerobic run so it will also help to burn that extra fat in case you need it!

This is supposed to be a relaxed run at your easy pace, meaning you should be able to sustain a conversation while running while keeping your breathing under control.

Long runs

The long run is like a longer easy run, but because it’s longer it will be a harder session. The pace is somewhat the same as the easy run, just a little bit slower if you wish. Some long runs can also be workouts, but I’ll explain that later.

The length of a long run will differ from runner to runner but there are some guidelines that you can follow. For example, a long run can be up to 20% or 25% of your weekly mileage. I personally like to follow the rule that states that a long run is 1.5 times or 2 times your daily run mileage. Meaning that if you run 10K (~6 miles) on your easy daily runs, then a long run should be 15K (~9 miles) or 20K (~12 miles).

The goal of the long run is similar to the easy run (remember it should also be an easy run). These runs will improve your endurance, strength, and stamina. I mentioned strength, but I am referring to both physical and mental. By completing these runs you’ll get a mental boost, proving to yourself that you’re capable of running long distances.

If you’re training for a half-marathon or marathon, this run is the one where you must test all the gear and fueling strategy.

Now, is there a maximum mileage for the long run? Well, theoretically no, but unless you are training to be an ultramarathoner you should cap your long runs to protect your legs, joints, and overall body. Most marathon runners only run up to 35K (~22 miles). I like to go up to 38K (~24 miles) to get that confidence that I’ll perform well in a marathon race, but I only do it twice in a marathon training block. Running more than this raises both the recovery time and the injury risk and there’s no need to run more mileage per run even if you’re training for a marathon. The rest of the training that you need will be done in the workouts.

The long run is usually done once per week on weekends because it is when you have more time. I like to do mine on Sunday morning and come home with a takeaway lunch for my family!

Workouts

There are several workout types, but before that, why do we need to do workouts?

Workouts have several benefits for runners:

1. Workouts are fun! Instead of doing the same run every day, add one or two workouts per week to do something different and perhaps try different (speed) shoes.
2. They will challenge you both physically and mentally. You’ll improve your top speed, your strength, and your fitness, and you’ll train your mental resilience by acknowledging that you still have much more to give when your brain is telling you to stop (please, don’t confuse the brain telling you to stop with the body telling you to stop; you can train your brain, but you must always listen to your body).
3. Improve your lactate threshold: this is when the lactate acid begins to accumulate and you can feel it in your stomach. The lactate threshold will dictate how much time you can keep up with a high-intensity effort.
4. Improve your VO2 max: VO2 max is a number that indicates you much oxygen your body can use while exercising. A higher VO2 max means that your body can better handle aerobic activities like running.

So, do you want to include some workouts in your running routines? See some examples below and get ready to sweat! Don’t forget to do a proper warm-up before doing any speed work.

Fartlek

This is my favorite workout. 

Fartlek is a Swedish word that means “speed play” and mixes high-intensity running periods with lower-intensity running periods for recovery. 

Fartlek is an unstructured workout, meaning that you can ignore time or distance and just hit it at full speed until you reach some landmark, then do a slow jog, and repeat these 2 steps until you’re done with the workout. 

The intensity periods should be kept short so that you have the energy to do all the repetitions that you included in the workout.

So, as you already guessed, the pace for the fartlek workout will be a very high pace. This should be your 5K race pace.

Tempo Run

The Tempo run is a continuous workout done at a medium-hard pace (a little slower than your 10K race pace).

This type of run will help you improve your lactate threshold and VO2 max, allowing you to run at fast paces for more time. It will also allow you to measure your fitness level because it’s not that different from a 10K race.

Thresholds Run

Just like the Tempo run, the Threshold run is also a continuous workout done at your 10K pace. It’s harder than the Tempo, so it should be a shorter session.

The benefits of doing this workout will be very similar to the Tempo run and instead of doing this workout, why don’t you jump in a 10K race and test your fitness?

Intervals

Intervals workouts are like Fartlek but with structure. A typical interval workout combines a repetition of a hard running effort for some predefined distance and a short recovery period. 

The pace can be at tempo, threshold, or other. So, you can do Tempo Intervals or Threshold Intervals for example.

I really like this type of workout because it allows you to give your best at the target pace and then you have some time to recover before starting all over again.

Keep your pace controlled on the first repetitions or you’ll be exhausted on the last ones.

Fast finish

This workout is great to test your race strategy. A fast finish is just what it says. Finish faster than you started. 

For example, in a half-marathon training, do the initial 15K (~9 miles) at your easy pace, and push the pace up to your 10K pace for the remaining distance.

This is what you should always do in your races. Start at your desired pace and finish stronger. For example, I always start a race at my goal pace, and in the last part of the race I run by feeling, letting the body dictate how much more effort he can deliver. If everything is going according to the plan, this could mean a personal best.

Progression Run

A progression run is almost identical to the fast finish, but typically instead of having 2 different paces, a progression run has at least 3. The starting pace, a medium effort pace, and in the end a hard pace.

This workout is also very useful to practice your race strategy and you can apply the same principle to your races.

Yasso’s 800s

Finally, the last workout that I include in my training is the Yasso’s 800s. This workout is a specific interval workout that is used to predict your marathon time and has the name of its creator, Bart Yasso. The 800s part of the name are the 800 meters that you’ll be running in each repetition.

To do a Yasso’s 800s, you first need a time goal for your marathon. Let’s say you want to run a marathon in 3 hours and 30 minutes. Then your Yasso’s 800s workout will consist of 6 to 10 repetitions of 800 meters completed in 3 minutes and 30 seconds followed by a recovery period of 3 minutes and 30 seconds. 

The formula is the same for any time, but even if you want to complete the marathon in more than 4 hours, the rest period should not be more than 4 minutes.

Remember, this is a prediction and not a rule. It’s not 100% accurate, but it will be enough to give you a hint about how well you are compared to your marathon time goal.

Races

So, you did all of these workouts and now it’s time to have even more fun while running.

If you are a non-elite runner, like me, races are all about having fun. No matter if you trained hard to improve your personal best or just to complete the distance, a race must be all about fun. 

Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today.

- Jordan B. Peterson, 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos

Have fun!

What type of runs do you do? Tell me about it in the comments below.

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