Time ladder · 1 to 4 min
1, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, 1 minutes hard, jogging half as long between.
Pyramids and ladders · Beginner, Intermediate
The session
Total distance
7.68 km
Est. duration
~43:30
Structure
9 blocks(7 reps)
Phases
Warm-up jog · 10min
6:30 /km
1 min hard · 60s
5:00 /km
Recovery jog · 30s
2 min hard · 120s
5:00 /km
Recovery jog · 60s
3 min strong · 3min
5:15 /km
Recovery jog · 90s
4 min strong · 4min
5:15 /km
Recovery jog · 120s
3 min strong · 3min
5:15 /km
Recovery jog · 90s
2 min hard · 120s
5:00 /km
Recovery jog · 60s
1 min hard · 60s
5:00 /km
Cool-down jog · 10min
6:30 /km
How to run it
Warm up for 10 minutes, then run 1, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2 and 1 minutes with a jog of half the time after each. The short efforts are at 5K pace and the longer ones at threshold pace. It goes by time, not distance, so it works anywhere: a park, a trail, or a road with no markings.
What it's for
A ladder mixes speed and sustained running in one session, and the shortening efforts on the way down let you finish fast when you're tired. Running by time also teaches pace by feel.
In these programmes
Follow a programme to run it on a schedule, paced from your goal.