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Five-Pace Training involves, you guessed it, five different training paces. It is also known as Multi-Tier Training. I first read about Multi-Tier Training in coach Joe Vigil‘s book Road to the Top. Vigil referenced the book Better Training for Distance Runners by physiologist David Martin & coach Peter Coe as the source of the idea. And Coe credited the development of the system to coach Frank Horwill. You can read a selection of Horwill articles HERE.

Joe Vigil, Peter Coe and Frank Horwill are BIG names in the world of running coaching. It is amazing how one referenced the other who referenced the other regarding Multi-Tier Training.

What I present here is a generalized version of Multi-Tier Training which I call Five-Pace Training. The small tweaks I have made allow the concept to be applied more widely. Multi-Tier Training was designed for middle-distance runners. But the fundamental idea does extend to long-distance running as well. Here we go!

Establish your Five-Paces

Start with your target race. If your main goal is to prepare for a 5km race, then we call 5km Pace your Race Pace. From there, you choose two paces faster than Race Pace it for Speed support and two paces slower than Race Pace for Endurance support.

In the 5km example, we would use 1500m or Mile pace and 3km pace as Speed Support, and 10000m and 60min or 90min pace for Endurance Support (more about 60min vs 90min pace below).

To summarize our example for a goal race distance of 5km

• 1500m Pace – Speed Support 2 (SS2)
• 3km Pace – Speed Support 1 (SS1)
• 5km Pace – Race Pace (RP)
• 10km Pace – Endurance Support 1 (ES1)
• 60min Pace or 90min Pace (depends) – Endurance Support 2 (ES2)

The way to remember SS1 vs SS2 is that SS1 is 1 pace faster than RP and SS2 is 2 paces faster than RP. Similarly, ES1 is 1 pace slower than RP and ES2 is 2 paces slower than RP.

In this specific example, regarding the Endurance Support 2 pace, you’d choose based on your 10km pace:

• 40min or less, then you would use 60min Pace – the fastest speed you can hold for an hour – often called Threshold pace. For an elite runner, this is half-marathon pace. For a non-elite runner, it is typically 15-16km race-pace.
• Over 45min, then use 90min Pace – the fastest speed you can hold for 90min – a bit faster than half-marathon pace for non-elite runners.
• Between 40min and 45min, then you can choose either depending on your preference.
  • If you feel your strength is your endurance, then use 90min pace.
  • If you’re more of a speedster, then use 60min pace.

Let’s look at another example. Imagine you’re a middle-distance runner targetting the 1500m. The original design of the system is for middle runners. Here is the breakdown:

• 400m Pace – Speed Support 2 (SS2)
• 800m Pace – Speed Support 1 (SS1)
• 1500m Pace – Race Pace (RP)
• 3km Pace – Endurance Support 1 (ES1)
• 5km Pace – Endurance Support 2 (ES2)

Last example. If your goal is a longer road race like a 21.1km Half-Marathon then

• 5k Pace – Speed Support 2 (SS2)
• 10k Pace – Speed Support 1 (SS1)
• 21.1k Pace – Race Pace (RP)
• Marathon or 2.5hr Pace – Endurance Support 1 (ES1)
• Easy+ Pace – Endurance Support 2 (ES2)

2.5hr pace is the fastest pace you can hold for 2.5hrs of continuous running. It is equal to marathon pace for faster runners. And a bit faster than marathon pace for the slower runner, closer to 20mile or 32k race-pace. Running at this speed is sometimes called Sub-Threshold running or Sweet Spot training because the focus is Endurance Development at a faster-than-easy pace.

Easy+ (“Easy plus”) pace is in between your Base pace and your Marathon or 2.5hr pace. It usually ends up being about 15-20s/km or 25-30s/mile faster than easy pace. An example of where you would use Easy+ would be during a long progression run. You start at an Easy/Base pace, but in the final-third or second-half of the run, you increase the pace to just faster than Easy Pace. Another example is a long run with alternations – you alternate running one km or one mile at Easy/Base pace and one km/mile at Easy+.

I think you get the idea of how to choose your five paces.

Figure out your Target Paces

With your five-paces selected, now we need a target pace for each.

If you are a seasoned runner, you will likely have competed in all the distances that are part of your five-pace range. So you can use your historical data.

However, many runners have raced at only one or two of the distances within their five-pace range. If this is you, you have at least two options.

Option 1. Estimate using the 4-5 second rule

Frank Horwill developed a four-second rule and a five-second rule. In distances from the 400m up to 5km, he noticed that the runners’ pace would slow by four seconds or five seconds per 400m when the event length would roughly double: 400, 800, 1500/Mile, 3k/Two-Mile, 5k.

For those accustomed to km or mile splits, four to five seconds per 400m is 10-12.5s per km and 16-20s per mile.

Runners whose strength was their endurance would be close to four seconds per 400m whereas speedsters would be closer to five seconds per 400m because they are faster at the shorter more sprint-likes distances of 400m and 800m.

Luckily, this is also reasonably accurate when you increase from 5k to 10k to Half-Marathon.

So let’s say you are a 20min 5k runner, you have a good level of endurance but a limited top speed. Then, we can estimate your paces as follows:

• SS2 – 1500m Pace: 3:40/km
• SS1 – 3km Pace: 3:50/km
• RP – 5km Pace: 4:00/km
• ES1 – 10km Pace – 4:10/km
• ES2 – We’ll use Half-Marathon Pace – 4:20/km

Option 2. Estimate using a Calculator

You can use a running pace calculator that takes as input a recent race result and outputs your predicted paces at all event from the 1500m up to the Marathon. Two such calculators that I refer to often are:

• Daniels’ Running Calculator
• McMillian Running Calculator

Do NOT use you Goal Race Pace

Whether you use Option 1 or Option 2, make sure you start from your current abilities – as in a recent race or time trial results. Don’t use your goal race pace if it is a pace that you have not yet achieved.

For example, if you are a 20min 5k runner and want to run 19-flat, calculate your paces based on 20min or 4:00/km. Don’t worry. You will get exposure to running at roughly 19min 5k-pace (or faster) during your SS1 and SS2 workouts. And your RP, ES1, and ES2 workouts will be at the appropriate intensities to get the desired endurance development training effect specific to your event without overtaxing your system.

Over time your body will adapt. Be patient and, bit by bit, you’ll get closer to that 19min time goal.

Select your Workouts

Next, you would select an appropriate workout for each of these paces, giving you five training sessions. Using our 5km example, below are five potential workouts. We will assume the runner has a 10km race time of over 40min, so we use 90min-Pace or Half-Marathon pace as Endurance Support 2 pace.

• SS2: 1500m Pace – 5 x 600m with 2:30 Rec
• SS1: 3km Pace – 5 x 800m with 2:00 Rec
• RP: 5km Pace – 5 x 1km with 1:30 Rec
• ES1: 10km Pace – 5 x 1.6km with 2:00 Rec
• ES2: 90min Pace – 5 x 2.0km with 2:00 Rec
• Each workout would include a 15-20min Warm-Up + 3-5 Strides and a 10-15min Cool-Down

Use a Two- or Three-Week Cycle

Finally, spread the workouts out over two-week or three-week cycles. If you are an experienced runner that runs six-days-per-week with no recent injury history, then use the two-week cycle. Otherwise, you’re better off to spread the training over a three-week cycle.

Within the cycle itself, you have two choices:

1. Your first workout would be at the slowest pace, ES2. And each workout would get faster as you build to SS2.
2. Funnel the workouts toward Race Pace alternating an Endurance Support workout with a Speed Support workout (or vice-versa). Then your 5th workout is your Race Pace workout. So the order would be ES2, SS2, ES1, SS1, RP or SS2, ES2, SS1, ES1, RP.

Any runs in between would be Recovery runs or Base Runs so you can accumulate your desired weekly mileage. And, you would include a Long Run within the cycle as well. The exact distance of the Long Run would depend on the runner and the target event. But, in general, it would be about 15-25min longer than your Base runs.

If you plan on running a Marathon, then it’s a little different. I don’t suggest Five-Pace training for Marathons. I will do a separate post on Marathon training soon.

You would repeat the two-week or three-week cycles two, three, four or more times depending on how you feel. Many runners using the original Multi-Tier Training would follow the program year-round. You can stick to the same workouts. Or you can choose Similar but Different workouts for the target pace. I will provide lists of different style workouts for each of the paces shortly. This way you can mix and match however you like.

Race or Time Trial as a Progress Check

After completing a few Five-Pace Training cycles, if you feel you are adapting well to the training, do a Time Trial or enter a Race. Choose any distance that is part of your five paces. If you are going to do a Time Trial by yourself – that is, not in a race setting – I would suggest you chose a shorter rather than a longer distance.

Based on the results, you may decide to adjust your target paces or adjust your workouts. If you

• Improve on your target pace, then use Option 1 or Option 2 above to re-estimate all your paces.
• Match your target, super, continue with the small paces and progress the workouts themselves.
• Regress – and there is not some apparent reason like fatigue, sickness or high heat/humidity, extreme wind, or another lifestyle or environmental factor – then
  • Have you logged enough training? If you only completed one, two or three training cycles, stick to the plan a bit longer and later try again. Or if it was your first race or time trial of the season, you may be “rusty” and would benefit from another try again soon.
  • Re-assess your paces. Did you select your target pace in an honest/objective manner or were you too ambitious? You may be better off completing the workouts slower based on the results of the Time Trial. You’ll increase the desired training effect, especially of the ES1 and ES2 workouts.
  • Adjust the structure of the workouts you have chosen. What was the limiting factor during the time trial? If it was endurance, you may need to increase the length of reps, or decrease the recovery duration, or change the type of recovery. If it was speed, you might need to decrease the length of the intervals but increase the rep count, or ensure more recovery to improve the run quality during your reps. Many factors can be tweaked.

Sample Five-Pace Programs

At this point, you have your paces and your workouts. And you know whether you’ll be following a two-week or three-week cycle. Let’s put it together and construct a Five-Pace Training cycle.

Six-days-a-week Program

If we used a two-week cycle running six-days-a-week and the funnel approach, the program would be something like:

1. Base Run
2. ES2: 5 x 1.6km @ 10k-pace with 2:00 Rec
3. Base Run
4. SS2: 5 x 600m @ 1500m-pace with 2:30 Rec
5. Base Run
6. ES1: 5 x 2.0km @ 60min-pace with 2:00 Rec
7. Rest Day
   
8. Base Run
9. SS1: 5 x 800m @ 3k-pace with 2:00 Rec
10. Base Run
11. RP: 5 x 1km @ 5k-pace with 1:30 Rec
12. Base Run
13. Long Run
14. Rest Day

Five-days-a-week Program

If we use a three-week cycle running five-days-a-week using the funnel approach, then we get:

1. Base Run
2. ES2: 5 x 1.6km @ 10k-pace with 2:00 Rec
3. Rest Day
4. Base Run
5. SS2: 5 x 600m @ 1500m-pace with 2:30 Rec
6. Recovery Run
7. Rest Day
   
8. Base Run
9. ES1: 5 x 2.0km @ 60min-pace with 2:00 Rec
10. Rest Day
11. Base Run
12. SS1: 5 x 800m @ 800m-pace with 2:00 Rec
13. Recovery Run
14. Rest Day
    
15. Base Run
16. RP: 5 x 1km @ 5k-pace with 1:30 Rec
17. Rest Day
18. Base Run
19. Long Run
20. Recovery Run
21. Rest Day

Why I like Five-Pace Training

The beauty of the Five-Pace Training system is that get to practice paces at multiple different distances. So if you include in your race calendar under-distance races (shorter than your event) or over-distances races (longer than your event) that fall into the five-pace range, you will be reasonably prepared for those races too.

Even if you only race your target distance, the five-paces that you practice help develop your range as a runner:

• 1500m runners can improve in events from the 800m to the 5km.
• 5km runners will be ready for 3k up to a 60min race.
• Half-marathoner will maintain 5k and 10k speed.

Lastly, running at a specific pace is a skill. The ability to run precisely at a target pace across a broad spectrum of speed (the five paces) hones your body, mind and nervous system. Your muscles learn just how much to exert. You develop awareness on how to tweak your running technique based on the speed – how much do you lengthen your stride versus increasing your cadence. Your mind learns to relax at RP because you have run SS2 and SS1 run faster than RP for shorter durations, and ES2 and ES1 slower than RP for longer durations.

Limitations of Five-Pace Training

A limitation of Five-Pace Training is that workouts focus on a single pace and don’t blend paces. But that doesn’t mean you can’t.

For example, if you want to practice your kick at the end of a 5k race, you can run your 1km intervals as follows: 800m @ 5k-pace then 200m @ 1500m-pace with a more extended recovery period between reps.

Or if you want to practice progressive pacing as you prepare for a mile or 1500m race, you can do mile repeats as follows: 400m at 10k-pace, 400m at 5k-pace, 400m at 3k-pace, 400m at mile-pace.

The workouts also tend to focus on repetition training. You do a rep, and you rest, and you repeat. There are no Progressions, Alternations or Tempo Runs.

• Progressions start at Base pace and typically progress down to 5km-pace or 10km-pace by running each 1km or mile slightly faster.
• Alternations jump between a slower pace and a faster pace every few hundred meters, or every km or mile.
• Tempo runs are steady efforts of 20-40min non-stop somewhere between 60min Pace and Marathon Pace

But again, that doesn’t mean you can’t include Progressions, Alternations, Tempo Runs of runs in the system. You would need to place them in the right spot in the program. Determine your intended purpose of using one of these workout types and the approximate paces you’ll be using, and then swap out either SS1, SS2, RP, ES1 or ES2 whose purpose or pace is most similar.

Using 5k example again, let’s say you want to include a Tempo Run. The purpose is general endurance development while learning to adapt psychologically to the demands of continuous running without breaks. You choose as your Tempo Run the classic 20min steady @ 60min pace. This pace is most similar to your ES2 pace. So in this next two-week or three-week cycle do the Tempo Run as your ES2 workout. Voila.

More to come…

This post gives a solid introduction to Five-Pace Training, but it is sparse on specific examples. In the coming days, I will provide multiple specific examples for different target race distances.