Workout of the Week: Descend the Ladder

One of the biggest keys to racing a successful half-marathon is honing the ability to stay under control early so you can close hard late. The Descend the Ladder workout is a great way to simulate that shift in both effort and mindset. It teaches you to stay composed while also building the resilience required to dig in when every fiber of your being is screaming at you to back off. Here are the details:

What: 10-8-6-4-2 minute pickups with 2 minutes jogging recovery between reps. Run the 10-minute pickup at half-marathon effort/pace, the 8 and 6-minute pickups at 10K effort/pace (~15 sec/mi faster than the 10-minute pickup), the 4-minute pickup at 5K effort/pace (~10-15 sec/mi faster than the previous two pickups), the and the 2-minute pickup all-out.

Why: This session is tough, but then again, racing is too! This workout is a great way to simulate the shift in gears and increase in effort that you experience in the final third of such a race.

Warmup/Cooldown: Warm up before the workout with 15-30 minutes of easy running followed by a set of drills and 4-6 x 20-second strides (i.e., accelerate for 5 seconds, spend the next 10 seconds at near-top speed, and then gradually decelerate to a jog over the final 5 seconds. Catch your breath for 40-60 seconds and then repeat 3-5 more times). Cool down after the workout with 5-15 minutes of easy running.

Where: Road, trail, track, or treadmill, this one can be done just about anywhere—if possible, try and simulate the environment you’ll be racing in as closely as possible.

When: There’s never a bad time to use this workout after you’ve built a solid foundation of fitness but I would avoid doing it within a week of a key race just to be safe.