Free 8-week run speed training plan to improve your run times

A run speed training plan will help you pick up the pace and stop you squandering your swim and bike efforts at the end of a triathlon.

Every triathlete’s been there: you’ve had a great swim, nailed the bike and the race is going to plan. Then your legs come off in the last phase of the race – the dreaded run. The good news is you’re not alone.

Many triathletes set themselves up for a great race but then simply work their way through the run, hanging on and hoping for the best.

Now is your chance to correct that with our eight-week training plan to boost run strength and speed.

The training plan is for those working towards Olympic-distance triathlon and is run-dominant. As a result, you might need to make some sacrifices to your bike and swim volume. But these can pay dividends in the run leg.

We have alterantive free Olympic-distance training plans which put more even emphasis on all three sports. Preparing for an entirely different triathlon distance? You’ll find something suitable in our collection of free triathlon training plans.

If your race focus is on sprint, reduce the volume by about 30%. Or if you’re going longer then increase by about 20-30%. To improve run form, fitness and speed in the last weeks, we’ve reduced rest days to one, inserting an easy run to up weekly run distance.

Run speed training plan guidance

It may seem obvious but first and foremost is the need to include the long steady run each week, in order to make the distance comfortable.

Once you have this and are confident about finishing the distance, you can begin to focus on improving your average steady run pace. The long steady run is also the best chance to include different run routes and I’d urge a mix of undulating, hilly and flat long runs.

Also, a structured plan will include interval sessions above race-pace speed, tempo sessions around race pace and finally bike/run sessions to hit race pace on tired legs. Above all, you must focus on the sessions that make your run faster, so expect these workouts to create fatigue.

To keep you focused through the plan, you can execute two time trials – there’s nothing more nerve-racking on a triathlete’s plan than the letters TT. But these will ensure you monitor how effective the training is. If you’re improving, set new pace targets.

While we’re encouraging an increase in run volume, don’t forget most triathlete injuries are caused when run training, so include stretching and foam rolling in recovery. It’s not the most glamorous part of training but often the most crucial. Good hip strength is important for running too, so do weights like the best kettlebell exercises for running to work on this.