Track repetitions
Short, fast repeats with full recovery — for mechanics and speed, not lactate.
Also called: R-pace reps, 400m repeats.
Repetition work is about how you run, not how much you can suffer. Reps are short, the pace is close to current mile race pace, and the recoveries are long enough that each rep starts fresh. Under-recovering turns an R session into a bad interval session: same fatigue, none of the mechanical benefit. Take the full rest even when you feel ready sooner.
The session
Shown at a 4:00 marathon reference — 45 min total, about 6.8 km, including 8 min of quality work.
Warm-up
- 12 min easy (6:43–7:24/km)
- 4 × 20 s strides, jog back between
Main set
- 5 × 300 m @ 4:23/km (rep) — 79 s, 300 m jog between
Cool-down
- 10 min easy (6:43–7:24/km)
Why this session works
Short reps at ~mile pace with unhurried recoveries sharpen mechanics and recruit fast fibres without meaningful lactate cost. Full recovery is the point — each rep should feel as smooth as the first.
Source: Daniels 2014; Barnes & Kilding 2015. 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 track repetitions?
Short, fast repeats with full recovery — for mechanics and speed, not lactate. Repetition work is about how you run, not how much you can suffer.
How long is this session?
At a 4:00 marathon reference it comes to 45 min and about 6.8 km, of which 8 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
- 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.
- Speed ladder — Reps that step up and back down in length at repetition pace.
- Strides — Easy running with short controlled accelerations — 15–20 seconds building to fast, relaxed running.