Effort Sessions

• 15 Minute Warm Up
• 1 mile as fast as you can.
• 5 minutes cool down.

A Magic Mile effort session refers to a running workout where you run a single mile at a high intensity, essentially pushing yourself as hard as you can for that one mile distance, to gauge your current fitness level and predict your potential race times. It's a good way to determine your ideal training paces for longer distances based on your current capabilities.

Calculate your pace from your Magic Mile using the calculator below.

• 5 Minute Warm Up
• 400m Sprint 10 times with 2 minutes rest.
• 5 minutes cool down.

A Spencer 400s effort session is a road workout that involves running 10 repetitions of 400 metres at a fast pace, with short rest periods in between. The goal is to develop speed, pace, and endurance. The idea is that your average time per 400-metre repeat corresponds to your potential half marathon time. For example, if you run your 400-metre repeats in 1 minute and 30 seconds, you might be able to run a half marathon in 1 hour and 30 minutes. The time between reps should be the same as your rep time.

• 5 Minute Warm Up
• 10 times hill repeats, walk or slow jog down the hill.
• 5 minutes cool down.

Hill repeats can help build strength, speed, and power. They can also help your legs recover faster after a climb.

Tips for doing hill repeats

• Run with good form, keeping your head up, back straight, and chest out
• Adjust the number of repetitions and effort level based on the hill's difficulty and your skill level
• Make sure you're warmed up before you start
• Rest enough between repetitions so your heart rate recovers

• 5 Minute Warm Up
• 30 seconds Sprint 10 times with 2 minutes rest
• 5 minutes cool down.

A 30 second sprint running effort session is a type of interval training that involves sprinting at top speed for 30 seconds, followed by a period of rest or low-intensity exercise.

Benefits

• Improves speed, endurance, and overall fitness
• Burns fat, even after the workout
• Improves anaerobic fitness, the ability to break down glucose for energy without oxygen
• Improves cardiorespiratory fitness

• 5 Minute Warm Up
• Run up and down a hill keeping to the same pace up the hill as you do down the hill.
• 5 minutes cool down.

Kenyan hills running effort session is a conditioning workout that involves running up and down a hill at a steady pace. The session is designed to strengthen leg muscles and tendons without putting them under the same stress as fast interval running.

The main difference between Kenyan Hills and a normal hill session is that on the downhill you'll be looking to maintain the same effort (akin to running a tempo-paced session) and should not use this section as a traditional recovery.

Tips for doing a Kenyan hills session

• Focus on maintaining a steady pace and feeling relaxed
• Don't worry about how fast you climb
• You can use a loop that's 200 metres to a kilometre or longer
• You can also find a long route with undulating hills

• 5 Minute Warm Up
• 1km Sprint 3 times with 2 minutes rest.
• 5 minutes cool down.

A 1km sprint running effort session is a workout that involves running 1 kilometre intervals with rest periods in between. It's a type of speedwork that can help improve your speed endurance, pacing, and form.

Tips

• Run on a flat surface or track so you can gauge your distance and effort
• Aim for even splits throughout each interval
• Start slowly and don't go out too fast
• Adjust the number of repetitions based on your fitness level
• Run at a pace that feels like an 8 out of 10, meaning it's hard but not all-out
• By the end of each interval, your breathing should be labored and you should only be able to speak a word or two at a time

• 5 Minute Warm Up
• Run 15 minutes away from the starting point
• Get back to the start point in 14 minutes
• 5 minutes cool down.

An out and back running session is a run where you start at a point, run to a halfway point, and then return to the starting point.

• 5 Minute Warm Up
• Run for 30 minutes at Race Pace
• 5 minutes cool down.

1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1 min, with 1 min jog in between each. A longer, harder pyramid workout. Aim for 10k pace for the 3-4-5-4-3 legs and shoot for 5k pace for the shorter ones.

• 10 Minute Warm Up
• 2 x 90 secs, 90 secs rest
• 4 x 60 secs, 60 secs rest
• 4 x 30 secs, 30 secs rest
• 4 x 15 secs, 15 secs rest
• 5 minutes cool down.

Perfect for 5K training no matter what ability. 2 x 90s, 4 x 60s, 4 x 30s & 4 x 15s with the rest after each rep being that of the rep itself — 90s after first rep etc!

• 5 Minute Warm Up
• Run 200m up a hill and walk back to the start
• Run 400m up a hill and walk back to the start
• Run 600m up a hill and walk back to the start
• Run 600m up a hill and walk back to the start
• Run 400m up a hill and walk back to the start
• Run 200m up a hill and walk back to the start
• 5 minutes cool down.

A pyramid running session is a training session that involves alternating between high-intensity running and low-intensity recovery. The distance or pace of the runs increases and then decreases, forming the shape of a pyramid.

• 3km warm up at Half Marathon Pace
• 3 minutes recovery
• 5 minutes then 4 mins, 3 mins, 2 mins then 1 min at 5km PB Pace with 60 seconds between reps
• Cool down

Use a light jog or walking recovery between intervals to allow for partial recovery while maintaining muscle activation.

• 5 Minute Warm Up
• Sprint downhill 8 times, walk or jog back up as recovery.
• 5 minutes cool down.

Downhill sprints are a highly effective speed workout that uses a gentle downhill gradient to help you run faster than you normally could on flat ground. By letting gravity assist your stride, your legs are forced to turn over more quickly, training your neuromuscular system to fire at a higher cadence.

Tips for downhill sprints

• Choose a gentle, consistent slope — too steep increases injury risk
• Keep your posture upright and lean forward slightly from the ankles, not the waist
• Focus on quick, light foot strikes rather than bounding strides
• Use the walk or jog back up as full recovery — don't rush it
• Start with 4–6 reps if new to this session and build up to 8–10 over time

Benefits: Improves leg turnover and running economy, develops fast-twitch muscle fibres, and builds confidence at faster paces with lower perceived effort than flat sprints.