Here we come with a new series of workouts all based around the ladder format of starting and finishing with short, sharp reps and getting through some solid grind in the middle of the session.

Legs, Lungs & Lactate Ladder Pt.1
2x30s, 2x60s, 2x90s, 2x120s, 2x90s, 2x60s, 2x30s
@ mile-to-5k race pace
1min jog recoveries

Terrain: Undulating terrain for a fartlek session or flat, measurable pathway for accurate GPS readings.

The idea with a ladder session like this is that you set the tone with shorter, sharper reps at the start—focusing on good technique—before moving into more intensity and grind in the middle. And finally finishing off with two quality 30-second efforts.

Make the shortest reps about mile pace/effort and then 2-minute reps no faster than 5k race pace/effort—and find paces somewhere in-between for the 60s and 90s reps.

This workout tests and strengthens legs, lungs and lactate.

We want to really dial in the legs with great technique in the 30-second efforts at the start and then really test out your ability to run well when fatigued for the final 30-second efforts.

The lungs get a great workout in the middle stages and we also test your body’s ability to flush out the fatigue by only having relatively short 1-minute jogs.

You could run this session as a pure fartlek run by going off-road and not worrying about exact paces, but do it all by feel. Or you could keep it on a flat measurable pathway so you have better feedback from watch on how fast you’re moving.

Be sure to keep the 1-minute jog recoveries VERY light.

One of the best things about running is that it can make us feel better and experience freedom. This is a workout designed to tick both those boxes and can be tailored to meet your training needs whether that’s for intensity or recovery.

Feel Good Freedom
3x 30sec strides
3x 1k @ 5k race pace … or faster or slower .. you choose!
2mins jog recoveries

Terrain: Flat, measurable pathway.

The idea with this workout is to just get the juices flowing without letting them totally escape down the drainpipe! So, 3x1k at 5k pace for most people is a fun but not massively challenging session.

But you can turn up the dial if you like and run 3k pace in order to make this a true high intensity interval session. Or for more of a chill, turn-the-legs-over style session slow it down to 10k or half marathon pace.

This is a classic workout to have up your sleeve for when you’re a little short on time and need something fast-ish that will get you amping on running. The ability to tailor it to suit your training and how you’re feeling on the day makes it especially appealing.

Remember that strides are short bursts of fast controlled running. They’re not sprints. They’re designed to set the tone for the remainder of the session by practicing good technique and staying relaxed and in control.

Head to the Race and Pace Calculator at tempofit.org to calculate your pace for this session.

You’ll also want some terrain that allows you to measure your splits accurately so fine somewhere flat and GPS-friendly.

Keep the recoveries as light jogs or even slow to a walk if you haven’t done much endurance training recently.

This month we cover all the action from the New Zealand Cross Country Challenge in Dunedin, talking to Hayden Wilde, Eva Goodisson, Sam Tanner and many of the other competitors. Plus we talk about fartlek training with Hayden and Stefan sharing their all-time favourite fartlek sessions. Be sure to check out Hayden’s other podcast Workout of the Week for weekly workout ideas and training tips and inspiration.

TempoFit: https://www.tempofit.org

Hayden Shearman on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haydenshearman/ and on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/haydenshearman/

Stefan Smith on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smithstefan/

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