Running is more than making kilometres. Whoever trains smart, varies. Not because variety is fun in itself, but because your body needs different stimuli to grow. Each type of training has a different goal, a different intensity and a different place in your week.
Below you will find an overview of the five most commonly used training types for runners. Click through to the detail page for full explanation, schedules and tips.
Interval training
For whom? Runners with at least 6 months of running experience who want to become faster.
Interval training is the most direct way to improve speed and VO2max. You alternate hard effort (zone 4-5) with active recovery. These can be short sprints of 200-400 meters, but also longer blocks of 1-3 kilometers at 10 km pace.
The training effect is significant: your heart becomes stronger, your muscles learn to deal with higher acidification, and your running technique improves at higher speeds. Disadvantage: it is heavy and requires good recovery.
Frequency: 1x per week (beginners), maximum 2x per week (advanced).
Tempo run
For whom? Runners who want to improve a 10 km, half marathon or marathon.
A tempo run is all about your lactate threshold: the point at which lactic acid accumulates faster than your body can remove it. By training just below or at that threshold, you shift that limit to a higher pace.
The pace of a tempo run is "comfortably fast": you can just say a single word, but you can no longer have a conversation. Heart rate is in zone 4. You can maintain it for 20-60 minutes.
Frequency: Once a week in a training block.
Zone 2 training
For whom? Everyone: from beginner to elite.
Zone 2 is the calm, sustainable pace at which you can easily have a conversation. It almost feels too slow to deliver anything. But this is the zone in which you build your aerobic engine: more mitochondria, more capillaries, more efficient fat burning.
The 80/20 rule states that about 80% of your training kilometers should be in zone 1-2. That is also why elite marathon runners take their easy runs really easy (sometimes at paces of 5:30/km or slower).
Frequency: most of the workouts in your week are zone 2.
Fartlek
For whom? Runners looking for variety, or just starting out with speed work.
Fartlek is Swedish for "speed game". It's interval training without a stopwatch. You accelerate when you feel like it (to a tree, a bridge, the end of the street...) and then you recover quietly. No set schedule, no job needed.
Fartlek is ideal as a transition from easy endurance running to structured intervals. It teaches your body to deal with changes in pace and makes training more fun.
Frequency: Once a week, as a replacement or addition to the interval.
Hill sprints
For whom? Runners who want to become more powerful, faster and technically better.
Hill sprinting is probably the most underestimated training for runners. It combines strength training, technique training and speed work in one. The slope automatically forces you into the correct technique: high knees, short steps, active arm swing.
In addition, the impact on your body is lower than flat sprints, which means the risk of injury is lower. Running coach Ruud van der Laan: "It is the most specific strength training for runners."
Frequency: Once a week, 4-8 repetitions of 8-15 seconds up to 200 meters.
Comparison at a glance
| Training | Intensity | Primary zone | Best for | Recovery time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 2 loop | Low | Zone 2 | Aerobic base | 1 day |
| Fartlek | Variable | Zone 2-4 | Variety, speed | 1-2 days |
| Tempo run | High | Zone 4 | Lactate threshold | 2 days |
| Interval training | Very high | Zone 4-5 | VO2max, speed | 2 days |
| Hill sprints | Maximum | Zone 5 | Power, technique | 2 days |
Which training do you choose when?
Are you just starting to run? Build a base of zone 2 running first. Only add fartlek after 3-6 months, and then interval training.
Do you want to get faster on the 5 km or 10 km? Interval training and tempo running are your best friends. Don't forget hill sprints.
Are you training for a (half) marathon? Lay a broad foundation with many zone 2 kilometers. Add a tempo run every week and the occasional fartlek.
Do you have little time? Hill sprints and fartlek provide relatively large training gains for little time.
You can read more about how to combine all these training sessions into a weekly schedule on the training main page.
Bart Vandenbussche is passionate about sport and never shies away from a sporting challenge. He has run several marathons (including sub-3h), is an Iron+Ultra Viking, and currently has the Hyrox bug.
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