To give you a sample of what you’ll get in our Premium Training Plans for Runners, we’ve asked Greg McMillan and his team to share some of their favorite workouts. This week’s workout is especially great for those training for a half marathon or a marathon.
McMillan Coach Jonny Wilson prescribes Cut Down Ks because they are a great workout to get you ready for the mental and physical toughness required over the last half of a race. By cutting down the rest between intervals you are getting used to the same pace with less recovery.
What it is: Perform 5-6 x 1 “k” (kilometer) at 10K race pace* w/ descending rest (3 minutes after 1st rep but then 15 seconds less rest after each successive repeat).
This can be done on a track (1,000 meters is 2 1/2 times around a standard track) or on a flat dirt or gravel path.
Those experienced in the half-marathon and marathon can do up to 8-10 reps.
1000 meters then 3:00 rest
1000 meters then 2:45 rest
1000 meters then 2:30 rest
and so on until your 6th and final rep has 1:45 rest
*To help determine your 10K race pace, use the McMillan Calculator
Variations: Coach Jonny notes that advanced runners can even drop the pace by 1-2 seconds per K across the workout as well.
Another variation is to do these for time. For example, if your 10K race pace is 8:00/mile, your 1K time would be 6:00. In this case you’d do 6 reps at 6:00 at your 10K pace with decreasing rest as described.
What it looks like: If done correctly, the workout would look visually similar to this using our newest Workout Analysis feature. Notice the shorter recovery bars between each of the dark one kilometer laps!
If you are Premium, don’t forget to use your lap button and tag your workout WoW: #CutDownKs so we can see how it looks with this new feature.