Hawaii From Home: Run Workout #1
This workout from former Olympian and elite-level coach Ryan Bolton is the first of six running workouts that'll lead to the Hawaii From Home race week.
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
Join us for Hawaii From Home—one week, 140.6 miles. Swag, prizes, training tips from coaches, bragging rights. Get all of the details at triathlete.com/hawaiifromhome. Each week we’ll be providing four key workouts (one swim, one bike, one run, and one brick) that you can work into your overall training plan.
Before you head out to tackle the 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, and 26.2-mile run, from Oct. 5-11, Bolton has created a progressive plan that’ll identify one key run per week—alternating between one quality run and one purposeful long run. The long run on week five should be the last long run before attempting the challenge. Bolton prefers to use heart-rate zones for his run workouts, but feel free to use Rate of Perceived Exertion (on the below scale) if you don’t have a heart-rate monitor available. Each workout includes an option for a newer triathlete who has either never done a long-course event or is still building up mileage and an option for a more experienced triathlete who has a solid running mileage foundation already. Depending on the rest of your volume and where the session will fall in your training week, feel free to alternate between beginner and advanced.
The first week will be one of the more basic runs in the training plan, working on form, cadence, and covering the distance well. It’s less important that you do this run quickly than it is that you feel in control the entire time. Find a flat course to truly lock into your form—running tall, leaning forward with your hips, and getting off the ground quickly. Once you find that rhythm, focus on maintaining that form, even in the face of fatigue.
Heart Rate Zones to RPE (1-10)
Zone 1 – Active Recovery -> 1-2
Zone 2 – Endurance -> 2-4
Zone 3 – Tempo -> 5-6
Zone 4 – Threshold -> 7-8
Zone 5 – VO2 Max+ -> 8-10
Run Workout #1: Long Run – Steady State
Advanced: 2:00 total
Warm-up:
20 minutes in zones 1 and 2
90 minutes steady in heart rate zone 3 on a mostly flat course. Focus on good form with a high cadence (around 90 rpm). Relaxed and in control.
Cool-down:
10 minutes easy
Beginner: 1:40 total
Warm-up:
20 minutes in zones 1 and 2
70 minutes steady in heart rate zone 3 on a mostly flat run course. Focus on good form with a high cadence (around 90 rpm). Relaxed and in control.
Cool-down:
10 minutes easy
Ryan Bolton is a former collegiate runner-turned-pro triathlete who now coaches athletes, from beginner to elite. For more expert advice, mental techniques, and 16-week training plans for all levels, check out The Triathlete Guide to Sprint and Olympic Triathlon Racing, out now from Velopress.