8 Stamina Building Workouts

Here are 8 great stamina building workouts that for distance runners that I wanted to share with you in this blog post. These are workouts that will help improve either your lactate threshold (LT) or your aerobic threshold (AT) and help you hold a faster pace for longer in your distance races.  

Lactate Threshold Centered Workouts

Lactate Threshold Tempo Run (LT Tempo)

Workout: Continuous run of between 24 and 30 minutes at as even a pace as possible

Pace: Lactate Threshold (LT)

Benefits: improves lactate threshold, builds efficiency at and familiarity with LT pace

Use: Used frequently in the Fundamental Phase and marathon Specific Phase, and extensively in the Specific Phase for a half marathon goal race

Example:  A continuous 27 minutes at LT pace

Lactate Threshold Progression Run (LT Progression)

Workout: Continuous run of between 24 and 30 minutes at a progression pace

Pace: Starting the run at AT pace and gradually progressing to 4-5% faster than LT pace the end of the run

Benefits: improves lactate threshold, mirrors the effort profile (increasing effort/intensity) of a race

Use: Used frequently in the Fundamental Phase and marathon Specific Phase and extensively in the Specific Phase for a half marathon goal race

Example: A continuous 27 minutes starting at AT pace and progressing to LT - 1x pace by the end

Lactate Threshold Wave Run (LT Wave)

Workout: Continuous run of between 24 to 30 minutes alternating every 2-5 minutes between 2 paces

Pace: 2-5 minute segments alternated at AT pace and LT - 1x pace

Benefits: improves lactate threshold, promotes focus and mentally staying in the moment

Use: Used frequently in the Fundamental Phase and marathon Specific Phase and extensively in the Specific Phase for a half marathon goal race

Example: A continuous 27 minutes alternating 3 minute segments at 4-5% slower than and 4-5% faster than LT pace

Lactate Threshold Repeats (LT Repeats)

Workout: Repeats of between 5 and 20 minutes, totaling between 30 and 40 minutes in total

Pace:  Lactate Threshold (LT) pace

Recovery: a very slow recovery jog of between 15% and 25% of repeat duration

Benefits: improves lactate threshold, builds efficiency at and familiarity with LT pace

Use: Used sporadically in the Fundamental Phase and Specific Phase as stamina work

Example:  3 x 12 minutes at LT pace with 2:30 jog recovery

Aerobic Threshold Centered Workouts

Aerobic Threshold Tempo Run (AT Tempo)

Workout: Continuous run of between 48 and 60 minutes at as even a pace as possible

Pace: Aerobic Threshold (AT) pace

Benefits: improves aerobic threshold, builds efficiency at and familiarity with AT pace

Use: Used sporadically in the Fundamental Phase and half marathon Specific Phase and extensively in the Specific Phase for a marathon goal race

Example: A continuous 54 minutes at AT pace

Aerobic Threshold Progression Run (AT Progression)

Workout: Continuous run of between 48 and 60 minutes done at a progression pace

Pace: Starting the run at 4-5% slower than and gradually progressing to LT pace by the end of the run

Benefits: improves aerobic threshold, mirrors the effort profile (increasing effort/intensity) of a race

Use: Used sporadically in the Fundamental Phase and half marathon Specific Phase and can be used regularly in the Specific Phase for a marathon goal race

Example: A continuous 54 minutes starting at 4-5% slower than AT pace and progressing to LT pace by the end

Aerobic Threshold Wave Run (AT Wave)

Workout: Continuous run of between 48 and 60 minutes, alternating 5-10 minutes at between 2 paces

Pace:  5-10 minutes segments alternated at 4-5% slower than AT pace and LT pace

Benefits: improves aerobic threshold, promotes focus and staying in the moment

Use: Used sporadically in the Fundamental Phase and half marathon Specific Phase and extensively in the Specific Phase for a marathon goal race

Example: A continuous 55 minutes alternating 5 minute segments in 4-5% slower than AT pace and LT pace

Aerobic Threshold Repeats (AT Repeats)

Workout: Repeats of between 10 and 40 minutes, totaling between 60 and 80 minutes in total

Pace: Aerobic Threshold (AT) pace

Recovery: a very slow recovery jog of between 10% and 20% of repeat duration

Benefits: improves aerobic threshold, builds efficiency at and familiarity with AT

Use: Used sporadically in the Fundamental Phase and Specific Phase as stamina work

Example:  3 x 24 minutes at AT pace with 3:00 jog recovery

Paces

Need help determining what your lactate threshold and aerobic threshold paces are?

Here is a quick guide:

LT Pace:  roughly the pace you can hold for 60 minutes in an all out effort (i.e. race)

AT Pace:  4 - 5% slower than LT pace.

If you are more distance oriented runners (i.e. a marathon type with high % of slow twitch muscle fibers) than you can use 4% to calculate your AT.

If you are a neutral runner (i.e. competes equally as well at 5k as you do half marathon or marathon) than you can use 4.5% to calculate your AT.

If you are a shorter distance oriented runner (i.e a 5k-10k type of runner who does better at those distance than the HM or marathon) than you can use 5% to calculate your AT.

Still need help?  Here is a link to my coaching training paces pace where i have some links to charts where you can use recent race times figure out your current LT and AT paces.

http://mprunning.com/training_paces.html