20 min Threshold Run
A continuous 20 minute run at threshold pace, the effort you could hold for about an hour, a compact session that trains lactate clearance.
- Duration
- 45 min
- Distance
- 8.9 kmestimated
- Effort
- 60
- Level
- Intermediate
- Focus zone
- Threshold
Your values
Targets relative to your threshold values. Enter your values to see absolute numbers.
100% is your threshold pace. Higher values are faster, lower values are slower.
| # | Step | Length | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Warm-upEndurance Easy jog | 15 min | 78-88% threshold pace68-78% HRmax72-82% FTP |
| 2 | IntervalThreshold Threshold, controlled | 20 min | 98-102% threshold pace88-92% HRmax95-101% FTP |
| 3 | Cool-downRecovery Easy jog | 10 min | 70-78% threshold pace55-68% HRmax60-72% FTP |
About this workout
This is the continuous form of threshold training. After a thorough warm-up you run 20 minutes at the pace you could hold for about an hour in a race. It is harder than a tempo run at marathon effort and still well below the strain of a 5k.
Twenty minutes is long enough to stress the systems that clear lactate and short enough to recover from in a day or two. Settle into the pace in the first two minutes and then hold it. Heart rate climbs slowly during the block and should end near the top of the threshold range.
It suits intermediate runners preparing for anything from 5k to the half marathon. Use it once a week in the build phase. If 20 minutes continuous is too much, run 2 x 10 minutes with a one minute jog first.
Tips
- Warm up for at least 15 minutes before the block.
- Choose a flat course or a treadmill to keep the pace exact.
- Check that your last five minutes match the first five.
Origin
The 20 minute run at threshold pace is the tempo run described by coach Jack Daniels.
Good for5k10kHalf marathonFTP
Season phaseBuild