Running workouts: easy pace, intervals, weekly volume and a training log

A well-built running week mixes different paces, increases volume gradually and leaves a record of what was done. This guide brings together what studies show about easy pace, interval training, weekly volume for each race and the habit of logging your runs, with templates to use starting next week.

Easy running: the talk test and a sample week

When researchers followed 7 world-class runners for 50 weeks, 87% of the kilometers were at an easy pace [1]. The talk test helps you recognize that pace without a watch: in 16 active people who ran 30 minutes guided only by speech, all finished the run at the level where they spoke comfortably, 13 at the level of doubt and only 2 at the level where they could no longer speak [2].

• After 5 to 10 minutes of running, say a whole sentence out loud, two or three lines long.
• If you can speak comfortably, the pace is easy. If you are unsure, it is already moderate. If you cannot, it is hard.
• Repeat midway and near the end; it is normal to slow down as time goes on, especially in the heat.

The 80/20 split is a nickname, not an exact rule: in 8 high-level runners, about 71% of the time was easy [3]. In amateurs, 77% or 46% of time at an easy pace improved 10 km times by 5% and 3.6%, a difference that may have been chance [4], and an analysis of 13 studies with 348 athletes found no difference in race time between splits [5]. Beginners can do all 3 runs easy for a few weeks, alternating running and walking.

Your first interval workout: 4 sets of 4 minutes

In 40 trained men, 8 weeks of 4 hard 4-minute sets with 3 easy minutes between them, 3 times a week, increased maximum oxygen uptake more than continuous training with the same energy cost [6]. A review of 28 studies with 723 adults found large gains with both types of training, with a small advantage for intervals [7]. Both approaches work, and most of the week can stay easy [4].

Before adding hard sets, build a base of 30 minutes of continuous running. At first, do 1 interval session per week and keep the other runs easy. The original study used 90% to 95% of maximum heart rate; the suggestion for starting out is more modest.

How much to run per week for each race

World-class runners do 11 to 14 sessions per week mid-preparation, with at least 80% of volume at low intensity [8]. Among 997 Dutch amateurs, training about 3 times a week, the typical half-marathoner ran 26 km and the typical marathoner 40 km. More volume was associated with better times, and a long run under 25 km was associated with a slower marathon [9]. At the Boston Marathon, the average was 64 to 68 km per week [10].

The 5 km and 10 km ranges for amateurs are our starting point and do not come from a study. To build up, the well-known 10% weekly rule did not reduce injuries in 532 beginners [11], and increases above 30% over two weeks had more injuries in an exploratory study [12]. What mattered most was a single run that was too long: among 5,205 runners, running 10% to 30% beyond the longest run of the past 30 days was associated with 64% more injuries, and more than double that distance with 128% more [13]. Evidence on sudden load changes is still limited [14].

• Add up the kilometers of the last 4 weeks and divide by 4: that is your starting point.
• Note the longest run of the last 30 days and avoid a run far beyond it.
• If pain changes the way you run, cut back and see a health professional.

Training log: what to write down and how to read it

Eliud Kipchoge has kept training logs since 2003, writing down time, kilometers, massage, exercises, the shoes used and how he felt [15]. The habit does not depend on his pace: a sheet and a minute after training are enough. In a survey of 1,022 amateur marathoners, the median time was 3:28 for men and 3:54 for women, with about 64 km of training per week [16]; having your own numbers written down is what lets you compare one week with the next.

A sample logged week:

• At the end of the week, add up the kilometers or the time.
• Check whether hard and easy days alternated.
• Look for patterns: pain always with the same shoes, a bad run after a short night.
• Change only one thing the following week.

How CatLena uses it

On the Training screen, each run is logged with distance, time and pace, next to your strength workouts. In the example below, Friday’s easy run covered 6 km in 33 minutes, at 5:30 per kilometer. With your runs logged, the week’s total and the longest run of the last 30 days are in view, which helps you apply the volume rules above.

When to see a professional