One-Hour Workout: Criss-Cross Run

Use this simple (but tough) pace-change tempo for race-specific run adaptation.

This week’s workout comes from Pacific Palisades, Calif.-based coach Jim Lubinski. Lubinski is a pro triathlete, a USAT Level 1 coach, an NASM-certified trainer, founder of Red Performance Multisport, and coach of the Tower 26 Triathlon Team. He also co-hosts the Tower 26 Be Race Ready podcast.

“This workout is designed to be a challenging half-marathon pace tempo run with high-intensity 5K threshold segments built in,” Lubinski says. “The half-marathon tempo portion of the run becomes the ‘recovery’ from the more intense 5K threshold segments. If you are new to running, you can scale the segments down in time and effort accordingly, but an experienced runner should run the tempo segments at half-marathon pace and the threshold segments at 5K pace.”

Lubinski says the main set allows your body to better adapt to a target half-marathon pace. “My athletes see this workout four to six weeks out from their Ironman or Half Ironman,” he says. “When race day comes, their bodies have adapted well to race pace and naturally fall into race pace. If your race is an Ironman you can adjust the tempo portion to Ironman pace leaving the intensity portion at 5K pace.” For best results, do this workout weekly as you approach your race season.

Warm-Up
10-minute run, build throughout, easy to moderate pace

Main Set
3x:
(10 minutes at half-marathon pace
5 minutes at 5K pace)

No rest between efforts, change paces for entire 45 minutes of the main set

Cool-Down
5 minutes easy jog

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