Session of the Month: 3 x 8 minutes (10-minute cycle), 2 x 3 minutes (5-minute cycle)

This month’s session is a true progression workout, combining longer sustained threshold efforts with shorter, sharper running to close. The structure challenges both aerobic strength and late-session speed, making it a favourite when building race readiness without stepping fully into the red.

Why We Love It

It blends control and pressure beautifully.

The 8-minute reps give you time to settle into rhythm and accumulate quality threshold work, while the 3-minute efforts at the end force you to change gears on tired legs - just like the back half of a race.

It’s tough, but incredibly honest. Pace judgement, discipline, and mental focus all come into play.

How to Run It

  • Warm-up: 4-5km easy + drills and strides

  • Main set:

  • Run hard for 8 minutes

  • Recover easy for 2 minutes

  • Repeat 3 times

  • Run hard for 3 minutes

  • Recover easy for 2 minutes

  • Repeat twice

  • Cool down: 3-4km easy

Approach the 8-minute reps with control and patience, aiming to settle into a smooth, sustainable rhythm within the opening minute. The effort should feel comfortably hard, strong but never strained, allowing you to focus on posture, breathing, and efficiency as the rep unfolds. Use the two-minute standing recoveries to reset without fully switching off. 

When you move into the 3-minute reps, the intention shifts. This is where you lift the intensity and change gears. The pace should feel assertive from the outset, with a quicker cadence and more purposeful drive through the ground. Form becomes key - staying tall, relaxed through the shoulders, and composed as fatigue sets in. You should finish each rep feeling challenged, but still in control.

Training Zones & Focus

The 8-minute efforts sit firmly in the threshold zone, roughly aligning with your 10km to half-marathon race effort. Breathing should be controlled and rhythmic, where conversation is limited to short phrases. The focus here is on aerobic strength, efficiency, and learning to stay relaxed while working at a sustained intensity.

The 3-minute reps move into VO₂ max territory, closer to 5km race effort. The increase in pace should be noticeable, bringing deeper breathing and a sharper neuromuscular demand. Here, the emphasis shifts to turnover, running mechanics, and maintaining strong form under fatigue after the longer threshold work.

Key Benefits

  • Builds sustained aerobic strength

  • Teaches pace control over longer reps

  • Develops the ability to change gears late in sessions

  • Improves fatigue resistance

  • Bridges the gap between threshold work and race-pace running

 

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