The Progression Run
“Change is the watchword of progression.”
—Ella Wheeler Wilcox, American poet (1850-1919)
The concept of the progression run is pretty simple—begin at an easy pace and then increase effort steadily through your run until you reach a pace that feels a bit more difficult than “comfortably fast.”
It’s a classic example of an “unstructured workout”—much like a fartlek run—and differs from a “structured workout” in that the discrepancy exists in the definition (or lack thereof) of the workout bout and pace.
Example Progression Workouts:
Select a route that has three physical markers—three different signs, or three turns—and progress effort through each of these markers.
Have a starting pace and a finishing pace. See how well you can gradually increase the pace from beginning to end.
Run shorter progressions of five minutes each, then repeat two or three times.
A structured workout is one that defines the specific distance of the bout, along with the desired pace target, and rest interval. An example of a structured workout would be 4 x Mile @ 6:53-7:06 w/ 90-second recovery jogs. (This is my current tempo interval target.) Notice the defined elements to this workout. I like structured workouts because they force me to focus on the immediate moment—this current repeat that I’m running. I find success in shorter segments separated by a brief recovery. When I get to the end of the workout, I’m always surprised by the amount of volume I run. A structured workout like this will train the body to run a given pace over a total distance that is often longer than the target race.
Instead of being defined by assigned bouts and paces, an unstructured workout is determined by feel. The definition of when to increase or decrease effort is subjective, patterned by our whims or perhaps a rough predetermined schedule. In a race situation, you won’t have the luxury of racing in accordance to structured bouts, so it is common to slow down or “settle” in the middle third of a race as the body fatigues. A progression workout combats this tendency and trains the mind and body to increase pace as fatigue sets in. When you think about it, a race is the ultimate unstructured workout—a continuous effort that is not broken up with recovery—and a personal best is often the result of running a tactic of increased progression.
When running a progression workout, keep the targets vague and based on feel. What effort “feels” easy? What effort “feels” like 5k race pace? A 50-minute progression run can be divided in three parts—20 minutes easy, 20 minutes moderate, 10 minutes comfortably fast. Feel the change in effort as the workout progresses. The shift in gears may be subjective, but are no less intentional than what you might run in a structured workout. The body’s aerobic capacity is not shaped by structure or the lack of structure, but by the sustained effort. As runners, we can tend to be overly compulsive with workout structure, with target repeats, with objective data. These are important factors, to be sure, but learning to trust the subjective elements of a hard running effort is just as important.