The latest installment from McMillan Running in our Workouts of the Week is a very popular workout for half marathoners and marathoners. It was developed from training with Ronaldo da Costa back when he set the marathon world record in 1998.
His coach had him perform 3 x 5K starting at marathon pace and getting faster with each repeat, but still controlled on the last one.
They worked for Ronaldo as he not only had enough energy to set the WR but also did cartwheels after in celebration.
What it is: For this workout, we will slightly alter the Ronaldo Repeats by shortening the distance, but increasing the pace. Run 3 x 3k at half marathon pace, taking 2-4 minutes between.
3K at half marathon pace; 2-4 minute recovery jog
3K at half marathon pace – 5 seconds per mile; 2-4 minute recovery jog
3K at half marathon pace – 10 seconds per mile; 2-4 minute recovery jog
Don’t know your half-marathon pace? Check out the McMillan Calculator to figure out your best pace to do the workout.
What it looks like: Use the lap button on your GPS device and tag your run as a workout to see how your Ronaldo Repeats panned out. Premium Workout Analysis allows you to visualize your workout in a more comprehensive way.
Check out our Training Plans for Runners to get an even more comprehensive plan that will help make you stronger and faster.