Speed ladder
Reps that step up and back down in length at repetition pace.
Also called: ladder reps.
The changing rep length keeps concentration high and gives you a built-in structure to hold pace against — the shorter reps at the end should be the fastest of the day, which is a clear pass/fail on whether you paced the early ones properly.
The session
Shown at a 4:00 marathon reference — 56 min total, about 8.8 km, including 14 min of quality work.
Warm-up
- 12 min easy (6:43–7:24/km)
- 4 × 20 s strides, jog back between
Main set
- 200 m @ 4:23/km (rep) — 53 s
- 90 s jog
- 300 m @ 4:23/km (rep) — 79 s
- 90 s jog
- 400 m @ 4:23/km (rep) — 1:45, 105 s/400 m lap
- 90 s jog
- 300 m @ 4:23/km (rep) — 79 s
- 90 s jog
- 200 m @ 4:23/km (rep) — 53 s
- 90 s jog
- 3 min easy jog / walk between sets
- 200 m @ 4:23/km (rep) — 53 s
- 90 s jog
- 300 m @ 4:23/km (rep) — 79 s
- 90 s jog
- 400 m @ 4:23/km (rep) — 1:45, 105 s/400 m lap
- 90 s jog
- 300 m @ 4:23/km (rep) — 79 s
- 90 s jog
- 200 m @ 4:23/km (rep) — 53 s
- 90 s jog
Cool-down
- 10 min easy (6:43–7:24/km)
Why this session works
A short ladder keeps rep speed honest while varying rhythm — the 400 in the middle teaches relaxation at pace right when it gets hard.
Source: Daniels 2014. Training phase: build.
Run it at your own paces
Open the workout generator and enter a recent race time — every rep length, recovery and target pace is recalculated for your fitness, and the session exports to .fit for a Garmin watch.
Frequently asked questions
What is a speed ladder?
Reps that step up and back down in length at repetition pace. The changing rep length keeps concentration high and gives you a built-in structure to hold pace against — the shorter reps at the end should be the fastest of the day, which is a clear pass/fail on whether you paced the early ones properly..
How long is this session?
At a 4:00 marathon reference it comes to 56 min and about 8.8 km, of which 14 min is prescribed quality work. The generator scales both to your own paces, so a faster runner covers more ground in the same time.
Who is this workout for?
It is written for the build phase of a marathon build. The distances shown suit a 4:00 marathoner; enter your own recent race time in the generator and every rep length and target pace is recalculated for you.
More speed and mechanics sessions
- Track repetitions — Short, fast repeats with full recovery — for mechanics and speed, not lactate.
- 200 m repeats — Sets of very short, fast reps with generous recovery between them.
- Hill sprints — Maximal 8–15 second efforts up a steep hill with full recovery — strength work disguised as running.
- Strides — Easy running with short controlled accelerations — 15–20 seconds building to fast, relaxed running.