Speed and sprint sessions for runners
Speed in running can be trained in three ways. The first targets your top speed, with very short efforts and full recovery: hill sprints, flying sprints, speed endurance. The second works relaxed speed and running economy, like Daniels R pace. The third taxes your anaerobic capacity over efforts of 15 seconds to a minute, well above your vVO₂max: supramaximal 15/15s, 45-second efforts, 30-second sprints and Tabata.
On foot, speed comes at a cost cycling doesn't have: every stride takes your body weight, and your hamstrings work at their limit. The 8 sessions on this page therefore call for a thorough warm-up and a safe surface. Every pace is a % of your vVO₂max: without a recent measurement, start with a fitness test. Each page gives the exact structure, the distances for a vVO₂max of 14, 16 or 18 km/h and what the sources say.
7Z7 · Neuromuscular
How to choose
You've never done speed work
hill sprints, open to beginners: the gradient limits speed and impact.
You want a higher top speed
flying sprints, then speed endurance once they feel natural.
You want a more efficient stride, from 1500 m to the half
Daniels R pace, fast but controlled, with long recoveries.
You're training for an 800 m, 1500 m or 5K
anaerobic capacity intervals, 45-second efforts for holding on through the burn at the end of a race.
You're already comfortable with short intervals
supramaximal 15/15s, punchier than classic 15/15s.
You're experienced, with no history of injury
all-out 30-second sprints or Tabata, very intense, with an injury risk worth taking seriously.
The sessions
Running Tabata (8 × 20 s / 10 s)
Eight all-out 20-second efforts with 10 seconds' walking: four very hard minutes. A protocol born on a cycle ergometer, with thinner evidence on foot.
Supramaximal 15/15 at 120% MAS (2 × 12)
Two sets of 12 × 15 seconds well above your vVO₂max, with 15 seconds' walking: punchier than classic 15/15s, and a different session altogether.
Hill sprints 8 × 10 s
Eight 10-second sprints uphill, walking back down between. Drive and speed, with little fatigue and less risk than sprinting on the flat.
Running sprint intervals (6 × 30 s)
Six all-out 30-second sprints with 3 min 30 of jogging to recover. Plenty of intensity for very little volume, and an injury risk worth taking seriously.
Flying sprints 6 × 6 s
A gradual build-up, a few metres at top speed, then 4 minutes' walking. Six times. For top-end speed, staying fresh from start to finish.
Anaerobic capacity 6 × 45 s at 120% MAS
Six 45-second efforts well above your vVO₂max, with a long walk between each. For running very fast for one to two minutes and handling the burn.
Daniels R pace: 8 × 400 m
Eight fast but controlled 400s, with a walk long enough to start each one fresh. Speed and stride work, in the sense of Jack Daniels' tables.
Speed endurance 2 × 5 × 10 s
Ten near-maximal 10-second sprints in two sets, with long walks between. For holding a very high speed over 60 to 80 metres without your stride falling apart.
Frequently asked questions
How many speed sessions a week?
One is enough for most runners, on fresh legs, never the day before a race. Hill sprints and strides are low-fatigue and can go at the end of an easy run once or twice more. These are common training guidelines, not rules drawn from studies.
Does a distance runner need speed work?
A little. Your top speed sets a ceiling: the higher it is, the easier your race pace feels by comparison. No need for draining sessions: short, well-recovered hill sprints or flying sprints are often enough to maintain it.
How do I avoid injury when doing speed work?
Three safeguards: a longer warm-up than usual, with drills and strides; a flat, dry, safe surface; and stopping at once at the slightest tightness in the back of the thigh. Start with hill sprints, where the gradient limits speed and impact.
Speed work or VO₂max intervals: what's the difference?
Your vVO₂max is the speed at which you reach your maximal oxygen uptake, sustainable for a few minutes. Top speed is the fastest your legs can go, over a few seconds. The sessions on this page are run well above your vVO₂max; the VO₂max sessions, around it.
Other types of running sessions
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