Are you racing your speed workouts… or finishing them with a little gas still left in the tank? Coach Sandi Nypaver breaks down why she prefers consistently “good” workouts over a few “great” workouts.
One of my favorite reminders comes from Mark Coogan who is an Olympian himself and coach to stars like Emily Mackay and Elle Purrier St. Pierre:
“Ten weeks of B+ workouts are better than four weeks of A+ workouts.”
Coogan has coached two athletes to the Olympic 1500m final, so he knows a thing or two about smart, sustainable training. And the more I read from his book Personal Best Running, the more I find myself nodding along because his principles echo what I tell my own athletes every week.
What Does a “B+ Workout” Actually Mean?
The point isn’t the exact paces but rather the intent. You train hard, but not so hard that you’re emptying the tank every session.
For many runners, “10K pace” can mean very different things (running a 30-minute 10K versus a 48-minute 10K are completely different physiological demands). That’s why I often cue athletes to run intervals at their 30-minute race pace instead, because it anchors the intensity more precisely than a distance alone.
But the message behind the workout is the same:
Finish feeling like you could have done one or two more reps. Not that you couldn’t.
Why Backing Off a Little Works Better
Here’s what I’ve seen again and again as a coach:
Runners who “race their workouts” arrive at race day feeling flat. They’ve already spent their best effort in training.
Runners who train just a notch below their limit stay healthier, fresher, and more consistent. This is where long-term gains actually come from.
When you leave a workout with strength instead of depletion, a few things happen:
You can gradually increase mileage without breaking down.
You can handle more total reps at quality pace.
You avoid the spiral of exhaustion → illness → injury.
You show up on race day feeling sharp instead of drained.
It’s one of the least glamorous but most powerful truths in endurance training: Consistency beats hero workouts. Every time.
Do YouEverDo an A+ Workout?
Yes, but rarely.
Every once in a while (especially if an athlete isn’t racing tune-up 5Ks or 10Ks before a longer race), I’ll put in a single “A+ effort” workout: something that lets them go all-in and feel that competitive gear before race day.
Try This for a Few Months
If you’re someone who loves to “win the workout,” try dialing things back just a touch for a training cycle.
You might be surprised at how much stronger, healthier, and faster you feel on race day.
Hello Higher Running Family! Coach Rachael here and we have an article for you that may be of some interest for those of us who are now being thrusted into summertime training! The long, beautiful days do come with one notable challenge……heat! Training in the heat can lead to some wonderful fall/winter performances but we must be careful to stay healthy while our bodies take on the additional load of both cooling us while staying dedicated to our day-in and day-out training. That leads us to today’s topic of using a sauna to help the body better adapt to heat.
What are Saunas (hint there are multiple)!
Dry Sauna:this is a traditional sauna people will most readily find at their local gyms, YMCAs, etc. The temperature typically ranges between 150-185F (65.5 – 85 C) and the relative humidity is low 10-30%.
Infrared Sauna: a type of “radiation” that is also dry but at a lower temperature ~120-150F (49 – 65.5 C) and reportedly produces a more direct body heat. They are gaining popularity.
Wet Sauna or “Steam Room”:these are also typically not as hot as a regular sauna BUT they are very humid as the name indicates.
What Does the Research Say:
Something that should be noted about studies is their potential limitations. Sometimes data can be “self-reported” and, even with the best of intentions, this can lead to data error. Secondly, it is very costly to do long studies with numerous participants. Another consideration is individuals who have been training for a long time and do not opt to participate in studies that require deviation from their normal routine/training methods. The data in less experienced runners will show significant improvements because they are not close to their “genetic ceilings” while individuals who have been training a long time may show more subtle changes. With that said, these studies are still worth our time!
One study (cited below) showed very promising results by breaking up participants (both men and women) into two groups. One group received a dry sauna protocol while the others did not. They were given the same testing protocol at the beginning and then again after the seven-week study. What is particularly interesting is that they tested the participants at a particular blood lactate level: 4 mmol of lactate (30-minutes effort on a treadmill). Peak core temperatures and heart rate were lower in the group that received the sauna protocol and who also ran at a faster pace in their second test. The group that did not receive the sauna protocol did not show the same improvements.
It is believed that some of these adaptations occur from a positive change/increase hematocrit and hemoglobin levels (these are beneficial blood profile markers). Bonus! There are other noted health benefits to sauna, but for the purposes of this article, the athletic side is being discussed.
What Have I Personally Noticed:
I have been getting into a sauna 2-3 times a week for the past month, typically, after workout sessions. The sauna is rather dry and is about 170F (76.6 C). The first time I stepped into the sauna, I had to remind myself to take a few deep breaths (I have only ever stepped foot in a sauna once or twice in my whole life) and then I calmly sat for 20 minutes. I admit this was probably too long for the first session. Interestingly, it took me almost half the time I was there to get a noticeable sweat rate. During the second sauna session, I sweated much sooner (within a few minutes). My sauna sessions since then have been about 25 minutes.
NOW for the good part! Just a few days ago, I had a 5 x 1-mile repeat workout. The temperature was about 75F (24 C) and humidity was around 85%. Just a nasty day! Now that I have years of running under my proverbial belt, I know that I struggle in the heat and really pull back paces in the summertime. So, an average of ~6:20 minutes per mile pace for the 5 reps would have usually met expectations in a heat adjusted sense. However, I split 6:03 down to 5:52 which made that one of the best ever performances in the heat ever. Those paces were assigned without adjustment. Needless to say, I could not believe it when the paces were hit. I won’t lie, halfway through the final mile repeat, I was feeling the heat and effort, but this was a huge victory. The recovery time was about 2:15 – 2:20 minutes between each one. I started sweating early on during my warmup and sweated a bit more while working hard and this was desired. It is ideal to sweat a bit earlier to keep the body’s core temperature lower, but the heat adaptation occurs when the body may not need to sweat “as much”. I did go to the sauna right after this workout.
Now here is the thing: the gains will not be exponential from the sauna. There is an upper limit to how much the body will assimilate the benefits of the sauna and translate that into faster splits, lower heart rate at lactate threshold, etc.
Going forward, I plan to continue using the sauna about 2 times a week to maintain the newly acquired heat adaptation. The sauna is another training stimulus of sorts, and I will be watching for fatigue levels and adjust accordingly. Just like speed workouts and long runs, this is an additional stress to the body, and I will always put recovery first. If a sauna session needs to be missed, then that is ok!
Now onto an explanation for the below image! I usually do not bring electronics into the sauna, but this time, I used my running watch and chest heart rate monitor strap to record the heart rate during a 25-minutes session. As you can see, my heart rate crept up the whole time, and it correlated with sweating and the sensation of getting hot. Around the 10-minute mark, I was sweating noticeably and at the end of the session, I had sweat “pouring” off me. I felt a bit uncomfortable around the 20-minute mark but perfectly safe to go the last 5 minutes. For context, this sauna session was after an 11-mile run which was a workout (8 x 800 meters and 2 x 200 meters intervals).
How to Implement, Cautions, and Who Benefits:
Please consult with your doctor if you have any concerns utilizing a sauna. While the sauna is well tolerated, there are certain medical conditions in which using a sauna is not advisable. For those who elect to use a sauna, hydration is very important! Not only do endurance athletes have to re-hydrate from their runs, but they also need to account for the sauna. Those prone to anemia/low iron stores, are well served paying special attention to their blood work. Lastly, please consider your total training volume. If the sauna proves to be too much of a stressor, it is arguable that more damage may happen than the modest gains from sauna exposure. Furthermore, if you are in the biggest block of training and only a few short weeks away from a major goal race, I personally would not recommend sauna exposure. A notable exception to this could be for athletes who are going to race in much hotter conditions than their current climate. Heat adaptations from the sauna can happen within just a few sessions and it would be a benefit provided the athlete monitors their recovery. The runner may need to scale back on intensity just a bit to make space for sauna sessions. Key take away: stay in tune with your body! There does not seem to be any need to go more than 4 times a week to the sauna. 2 times a week will also give benefits. If the sauna is completely new to you, 5, 10 or 15 minutes for the first session works just fine. Most protocols do not go past 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, I think the principle of diminishing returns comes into play as more hydration and recovery is required. Work the time up carefully and consider adding another day instead of long sauna sessions. The sauna is most effective if done very soon after completing a run.
The climate we live in could also indicate who gets the biggest gains from a sauna protocol. If someone is living in a cool climate and has opted for an early spring marathon in a warmer climate, this would be a great example of someone benefiting much more than a person already training in less-than-ideal conditions. Blood plasma volume (a marker of someone’s body prepared for heat) for someone who lives in Texas is, arguably, built up a bit more in early spring than someone from the far north. Therefore, the person living in the north could “play catch up” and build their blood plasma volume. Again, using a sauna should be done with caution and build up the time in the sauna gradually.
To summarize, I believe sauna training has a place in one’s training! Please let us know if you have used a sauna and what you noticed with your own running!
It’s okay to be a little tired. It’s not okay to be exhausted.
Feeling a little worn out is normal, especially when you’re training hard—but there’s a line between manageable fatigue and full-blown exhaustion.
When you’re tired you might want an extra cup of coffee, but you can still think clearly, get tasks done and generally feel okay.
When you’re exhausted, it’s harder to focus, you struggle to get things done, and your mood often declines. You may start to see your performance decline as well. Extra caffeine may mask your low energy a little, but you’ll still feel far from 100%. Being constantly exhausted from training can lead to illness, injuries or underperforming. More importantly, it can take the joy out of running.
Even during your peak training weeks, you should enjoy what you’re doing and feel pretty good, even if you’re a little tired some days. This is how you know your training smart and in a position to improve.
We can’t stress it enough: listen to your body. Here at Higher Running, we create running training plans that allow for flexibility, adaptability, and give you tips for when things don’t go the way you expected.
Coach Sage Canaday discusses the ‘fartlek’ workout. He’ll explain…
What a fartlek workout is
Why it’s one of his favorite types of workouts to do
A few workout examples to work with!
What Is a Fartlek Workout?
‘Fartlek’ is a Swedish word that translates to ‘speed play,’ which is fitting because it’s all about enjoying your running with unstructured intervals! A fartlek workout involves alternating between running fast and recovering at a slower pace, but without strict timing or structure. For example, you might sprint to the next lamppost or tree, then jog to catch your breath, and repeat this using various landmarks along your route. The sprint distance and recovery time can vary, making it a flexible, fun way to incorporate speed work. But overall, it’s a great way to add variety to your training while building speed and endurance.
Why The Fartlek Is a Favorite of Mine
Fartlek training doesn’t require a set pace, and there’s no need to check your GPS constantly. You run by feel and intuition, which is a key aspect of effective training—learning to read your body’s signals. You might choose to wear a heart rate monitor, or you might not. I personally love the fartlek workout because of how flexible you can make it: on an easy day, if you feel good, you might sprint on the uphills and jog the downhills, or vice versa. The intervals don’t have to be precise—whether it’s 30 seconds, 45 seconds, or a minute, what matters is that you’re getting a good heart rate spike.
In many of our Higher Running training plans for half marathons, marathons, and ultras, we incorporate fartlek workouts. You could even add a fartlek to a run spontaneously. For example, during a 20-mile or 18-mile long run, you might do some fartlek intervals in the second half.
Fartlek Workout #1
A structured example of a fartlek workout could involve six sets of three-minute hard efforts. For instance, you might run three minutes at your 10K race pace or effort, followed by a two-minute recovery jog. This workout consists of six sets of three minutes fast with two minutes easy between each, totaling 18 minutes of high-intensity work at around 85–90% of your maximum heart rate.
Including the recovery jogs, this 30-minute workout keeps your heart rate elevated for most of the session. If you check your heart rate data afterward, you’ll see spikes where your heart rate rises during the hard efforts and drops during the recovery jogs. This pattern also appears in your leg turnover, as you develop speed, stimulate fast-twitch muscle fibers, and improve running economy at your 10K pace. Furthermore, this type of workout helps improve stride rate, leg turnover, and reduce ground contact time.
Ultimately, this workout is a great way to keep your heart rate elevated over 75% of your maximum for 30 minutes with peaks over 90%. It’s an unstructured form of interval training that provides an excellent lactate threshold stimulus by helping clear lactate, similar to a tempo run.
I like to think of it as a ‘pre-VO2 max’ workout. It’s not excessively hard, and you can adjust the intensity on the fly. You don’t have to hit a strict 10K pace or specific speed; just go by feel. For example, if you’re tired from work or didn’t sleep well, you can reduce your effort instead, and this approach can be more manageable than facing tough splits on a track workout.
Fartlek Workout #2
It you are looking for a more structured, track-focused, fartlek session, you might run 400-meter repeats at 5K pace, followed by 200 meters at a “float” recovery pace. This means running 400 meters in about 90 seconds, then doing a lighter jog for 200 meters in about a minute. You could repeat this for a full 5K without stopping. Though more formal and measured, this workout follows the same principles, keeping your heart rate and speed oscillating, which provides similar benefits.
A continuous workout like this keeps you moving without stopping to catch your breath. You accelerate, ease off, and repeat, but it’s all fluid. That’s the beauty of fartlek training—you can do it on trails, up and down hills, using landmarks rather than constantly checking your watch. It’s a great lactate threshold workout that can even be added to the end of long runs.
In summary, fartleks are an excellent way to ease into more structured interval training while developing speed and running economy. They’re beneficial for any distance runner, whether training for a mile or 100 miles. Fartlek training provides a fun, low-pressure way to work on key aspects of your running fitness.
I hope this helps give you a better idea of what a fartlek workout is. Give it a try this week!
Coach Sage Canaday shares his KEY workouts and training tips to run a sub 22-minute 5k.
With cross country season and fall 5k/10ks right around the corner, I thought I would share some of the most popular workouts and training tips I give my athletes so that they can run their best 5k possible. This advice is best applied towards those looking to run a sub 22-minute 5k, but the principles can be applied to nearly any time goal!
Let’s get the math out of the way: In order to run a sub 22-minute 5k, you will need to be able to run 7 minute per mile pace, or about 4:24 per kilometer pace for 5 kilometers or 3.1 miles.
Consistency is Key
The first tip is something you’ve probably heard me say before, so I won’t harp on it too much. But it’s this: To improve in distance running for events from 5k and up is to increase your weekly mileage, volume, and consistency. If you’re only running three times a week, it’s much harder to improve your time compared to running four or five times a week.
This doesn’t mean you need to run hard every day or do specific workouts like track intervals daily. Instead, aim to run at least five kilometers, or up to ten kilometers, at an easy, conversational pace where you can talk without being out of breath. You may need to start with shorter runs and gradually build up, including occasional rest breaks. The key is to be consistent, run more frequently each week, and include distances of at least 5k in your training.
The Twenty Minute Tempo Run
For 5k racing, a key workout is a 20-minute tempo run, which you can do once a week or every other week. Start with a one- or two-kilometer warm-up jog to loosen up, followed by some strides.
Then, move into the 20-minute tempo run at about 80-85% effort. For example, if you’re aiming to break 22 minutes in a 5k, running at a 7-minute mile pace or 4:24 per kilometer, your tempo pace should be slower. For a 22-minute 5k runner, the tempo pace would be around 7:25 per mile or 4:35 per kilometer. This pace should feel comfortably hard but not all-out; it’s a steady effort designed to help you build consistency.
As you get in shape for your sub 22-minute goal, you’ll be able to race at a pace that’s about 25 seconds per mile or 16 to 20 seconds per kilometer faster than what you would do for this 20-minute tempo, assuming 100% effort.
Key INTERVAL Track Session: 6 x 1k Repeats
Another key workout to improve 5k fitness is a traditional track interval session, which you can do once a week or every 10 days. This involves running six 1,000-meter repeats (six times one kilometer) on a standard 400-meter outdoor track.
Start at the 200-meter mark, run two and a half laps, and finish at the start/finish line. Aim to run each kilometer in 4:20 to 4:15, with a three-minute rest between each repeat. During the rest, you can walk or jog lightly before starting the next repeat.
This workout totals 6 kilometers of running at a pace faster than your goal 5k race pace. The purpose of interval sessions like this is to help you develop speed, build muscle memory, and train your heart and lungs to deliver oxygen more efficiently. This is a crucial workout for improving your 5k fitness!
Key SPEED Session: 8 x 400m Repeats
The final key workout in any well-rounded distance running program for improving at the 5k is a traditional speed workout involving shorter repeats at a higher intensity. A typical session would be eight 400-meter repeats (one lap around a standard outdoor track), each run in 1:36 to 1:39. Aim for 2:30 of rest in between each interval. This totals two miles of high-intensity work at a fast pace, helping to improve your running economy, spike your heart rate, and make 5k race pace feel more comfortable.
This speed work complements the 20-minute tempo run and the 1,000-meter repeats, rounding out your training program. There is a lot of misinformation online about quick fixes or magic workouts that promise to shave minutes off your 5k or 10k time with minimal effort. However, reaching your potential in the 5k, 10k, or any distance running event requires a well-rounded training program that includes a variety of workouts at different speeds, along with building your easy base aerobic mileage. This balanced approach is what will lead to significant long-term gains!
