Eliud Kipchoge Shares 3 of His Most Effective Running Tips – Men’s health UK

Combine marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge’s winning mindset with his pro training strategies to chase down elite endurance.

Track Your Investment

Kipchoge logs every single workout in a notebook. It’s like a bank ledger: a record of the effort he has invested. “When the race is hurting, I think of my great workouts and training,” he says. That way, he always knows exactly how much he has left to spend. If you do the same, he says, “All will be well. Trust me.”

Just Keep Running

Good news: you’re not alone. Even Kipchoge has days when he doesn’t want to run. Bad news: he does it anyway, and so should you. “If I keep on running, the body responds,” he says. “You can’t let the bad days deter you.” Marathons are like life, he says: the hard times make the pay-off so much more worth it.

Push Your Limits

“The best lesson an athlete can learn from failing is that failing is not suicide,” says Kipchoge. It lets you know you’re pushing your limits. It’s an integral part of running – and, yes, he has had his share of not-so-glorious moments, such as failing to make it into Kenya’s 2012 Olympic team. “If you miss a goal, never get discouraged. Wake up and move on.”

3 Running Workouts, According to Your Goal

Armed with Kipchoge’s elite philosophy, follow these tailor-made sessions from California’s Mammoth Track Club once every week and speed towards a PB.

Training for a 5K

The Workout: 8 x 400m at 1-mile race pace

Why It Works: For this distance, you need to be able to perform just above your anaerobic threshold: when you try to speak, you should barely be able to say more than a few words at a time. Train yourself with short, hard efforts, such as these 400m (one lap of the track) repeats.

Do It Right: Warm up with 15 minutes of easy running, then take one minute of rest (but no more) between each lap.

Training for a 10K

The Workout: 12 x 400m at 5K race pace

Why it Works: A 10K is run right at your anaerobic threshold – at a pace you can hold (but is moderately uncomfortable) for around 45 minutes. Running at 5K pace will raise your aerobic fitness, while the higher number of repeats will build mental toughness.

Do It Right: Again, warm up for at least 15 minutes. Between laps, rest in a one-to-one ratio. So, if you ran for 90 seconds, rest for 90 seconds.

Training for a Half Marathon

The Workout: 8 x 800m at under half marathon pace

Why It Works: A half-marathon is below your anaerobic threshold pace, so it’s more comfortable and manageable, but you have to go twice the distance. Your speed work needs to be slightly slower but with more overall mileage to increase your endurance.

Do It Right: After your 15-minute warm-up, take around two and a half minutes of rest between each interval but no more – otherwise, your heart slows down too much.

Justin SetterfieldGetty Images

Training for a Marathon

The Workout: 5 x 1 mile at 10K pace

Why It Works: For marathons, all-out speed work makes up a relatively small part of your training. Endurance is your primary goal. Measuring your intervals by the mile forces you to strike a balance between targeting speed and working on stamina.

Do It Right: Warm up gently but thoroughly, and allow yourself no more than two and a half minutes of rest between your mile repeats.

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