Written by Shawn Gerber
This post is a quick rundown of the various types of run workouts you may see in your schedule, and an explanation of what they are.
Warmup: easy run or drills before a workout.
Cooldown: easy run or drills after a workout.
Recovery Run: super easy run within a few days after a workout / long run.
Easy Run: an easy run with the purpose of adding low intensity volume to your training.
Long Run: long run (usually the longest of the week) with a specific purpose to build endurance. Intensity is usually lower.
Fartlek: Swedish for “speed play” fartleks are endurance training in which the runner alternates periods of sprinting with periods of jogging at their desire (unstructured).
Intervals: higher intensity runs with recovery periods of walking/easy running.
Hill Repeats: intervals up hill.
Tempo Run: running done in zone 3 (heart rate).
Threshold: running done in zone 4 (heart rate).
Cruise Intervals: Typically longer duration intervals in zone 3 or 4.
Strides/Pickups: a number of short, strong efforts with a purpose to get legs turning and shape the running form.
Progression Run: the power slowly picks up throughout the run, typically to reach a race paced effort or above race paced effort.
Pace Run: race paced run.
Race: a race effort.
Critical Power Test: a manual Critical Power test or a run designed to contribute to your auto-calculated Critical Power.
Run-Walk: a run designed with running and walking sections to either help build fitness for newer runners, or to focus on changing run form.
Walk: mostly walking activity as a recovery.
Hike: walking done mostly off-road.