The Different Types of Speed Workouts Every Runner Should Know
You know you should probably be doing some kind of speed work in your running training. But do you actually know the difference between intervals, tempos, threshold runs, and hill repeats? Do you know which ones you should be doing based on your goals and fitness level? If not, this is the breakdown you need.
I’m Dr. Alyssa Olenick. I have a PhD in exercise physiology, and I’m a running, lifting, and hybrid training coach. Today I’m going to walk you through the different types of speed workouts you’ll see in a running program, what they actually mean, and how to know which ones belong in your training.
“I should be doing as many hard workouts as possible each week to get faster. More speed work = more progress.”
🚨 MYTH BUSTED: More hard workouts doesn’t mean more progress. Using speed work intentionally and strategically based on your specific deficits and goals is what makes you a better runner.
So many programs out there throw a hard interval workout, a tempo session, a long run with pickup paces, and striders all into the same week—and sometimes it’s just too much. Doing more of everything all the time isn’t what makes you faster. It’s what burns you out, gets you injured, and leaves you frustrated on the sidelines. The key is understanding what each type of speed work does and using the right tool for the right job.
Let’s break them all down.
Striders
Striders are short accelerations—about 20 to 30 seconds—where you build up speed, sustain it in the middle, and decelerate back to baseline. Think of it in equal thirds: roughly 10 seconds accelerating, 10 seconds holding at about 85–90% of your max running speed, and 10 seconds decelerating.
Technically, striders are supposed to be distance-based, but most of you aren’t measuring out a specific distance on your runs. A time reference is easier to work with and program into your watch.
🔑 Key Point: Striders are the lowest-stakes way to add speed into your training. They don’t require much recovery or create significant physiological stress, which makes them a great option to tack onto the end of easy runs or use as warm-ups before harder speed sessions. They’re where beginners should start with speed work.
Intervals (VO2max Work)
Intervals are the classic track-style speed workouts: 400m repeats, 800m repeats, 1K repeats, or mile repeats done at high intensity with specific rest between each one. These are often called VO2max work because they push you into zone 4 or 5—working at or above your lactate threshold at very high, race-pace-level effort.
What Interval Workouts Do:
Goal: Drive up your faster running paces by pushing your VO2max higher and working above your lactate threshold.
Effort: All-out or near-maximal. These are physiologically stressful and taxing. You’re repeating hard efforts with appropriate rest or easy recovery between each.
Frequency: Most runners are doing no more than one of these per week, or one every so often depending on their training phase. These are demanding and need recovery.
What these intervals look like will vary based on your race distance and goals. Training for a 5K looks different from training for a marathon. You might see a heavy block of VO2max intervals before a marathon season to build your top-end speed, then shift to race-specific speed work later. Or if you’re training for a shorter, faster race, you might have more of these in your tune-up block.
The key is that these are used strategically within a program—not thrown in randomly every week just because they feel hard.
Tempo Workouts (Zone 3)
Tempo workouts live in your zone 3 effort. And yes, I know zone 3 gets a bad rap, but it’s not the gray zone doom and gloom that the internet wants you to believe. Zone 3 is a tool, and when used intentionally, it’s a really effective one.
🔑 Key Point: Tempo workouts involve intentionally running in zone 3 for specific periods of time—maybe 5, 10, 15, or 20-minute intervals—and building up your ability to sustain moderate effort paces for longer. These are especially valuable if you’re training for a half marathon, marathon, or ultramarathon where you’ll be holding a moderate pace for extended periods on race day.
Tempos might look like mile repeats built into a run, sustained moderate-effort blocks within otherwise easy running, or standalone tempo sessions. They work below your lactate threshold, training your body to get better at lactate clearance and maintaining those paces comfortably.
Threshold Workouts
Threshold workouts live right at the cusp of your lactate threshold—that tipping point between tempo efforts and those hard VO2max intervals. It’s the pace that’s just hard enough to be fatiguing and very difficult to sustain, but just easy enough that you can hold it for a significant period of time.
How Tempo, Threshold, and Intervals Relate:
Tempo (Zone 3) → Working below your lactate threshold. Training lactate clearance and sustained moderate effort.
Threshold → Working right at your lactate threshold. Your threshold pace is roughly what you could sustain for a 10K or about 60 minutes of all-out running.
Hard Intervals (Zone 4–5) → Working above your lactate threshold. Driving up VO2max and pushing your ceiling higher.
These three work together as a system. Tempo builds your base underneath the threshold, threshold pushes the threshold itself forward, and hard intervals raise the ceiling above it. Understanding how they fit together is what turns random hard workouts into an intelligent training plan.
Hill Repeats
Hill repeats come in two flavors, and which one you do depends on your goals:
Two Types of Hill Repeats:
Short hill repeats (15–30 seconds) → All-out maximal efforts on a hill, repeated 5–7+ times depending on your capacity. These build power, efficiency, and raw speed. Great for runners who want to get faster.
Long hill intervals (1–4 minutes) → Sustained climbing efforts at a hard but manageable pace. These build strength and endurance on inclines. Especially valuable for trail runners who need to get stronger at long uphill grinds.
Hills pay the bills, as the saying goes. Hill repeats make you a stronger, faster, more powerful runner—and they’re a valuable addition to any speed work rotation regardless of the distances you’re training for.
So Which Speed Workouts Should YOU Be Doing?
This is where it gets personal. No type of speed workout is inherently better than another. It all depends on your fitness level, your goals, and where you are in your running journey.
No zone, interval, or effort type is inherently bad. It’s all about what you need for where your fitness is at and the goal you’re working toward.
Speed Work by Runner Level:
Beginner runners adding harder efforts → Start with striders, then ease into tempo and threshold work as you build confidence and fitness. You probably don’t need to jump straight into hard VO2max intervals yet.
Recreational and intermediate runners → You likely need more tempo and threshold work to shift your lactate threshold forward, widen your zone 2, and become a more efficient aerobic runner.
Advanced runners → You may need more high-effort VO2max intervals and hard sessions to continue driving the needle forward on your fitness.
How many hard workouts you can handle in a week also depends on how much total running volume you’re doing and what your body is trained for. The amount, frequency, and intensity of speed work needs to match your actual capacity—not some arbitrary program template that throws everything at you at once.
⬇ THE BOTTOM LINE
Speed work is a toolbox, not a checklist. Striders, intervals, tempos, threshold runs, and hill repeats each serve a specific purpose. The key isn’t doing all of them all the time—it’s using the right ones strategically based on where your fitness is, what your deficits are, and the race or goal you’re training for. Intelligent speed work makes you faster. Random hard workouts just make you tired.
✅ YOUR ACTION PLAN:
1. Know where you are. Be honest about your fitness level. Beginners start with striders and tempos—not VO2max intervals.
2. Understand the spectrum. Tempo works below the threshold, threshold works at it, and hard intervals work above it. They’re a system, not random options.
3. Match speed work to your goal. Training for a marathon? You’ll need more tempo and threshold. Training for a 5K? More short, fast intervals.
4. Don’t overdo it. Most runners need no more than 1–2 quality sessions per week. More isn’t better if it’s burning you out or getting you injured.
5. Use hills. Short hill repeats for power and speed, long hill intervals for climbing strength. Either way, hills pay the bills.
6. Be strategic, not random. Every hard workout should have a purpose. If you can’t explain why you’re doing it, you probably shouldn’t be doing it.
🏃 Want a Program That Programs Speed Work for You?
The Lyss Method offers over 30 running programs—beginner through advanced, 5K through ultramarathon—that strategically build in the right speed workouts for your level and goals without blowing you up. Take our quiz to find your perfect program, or email us at hello@thelyssmethod.com and a coach will personally help you build out a training timeline.
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