There’s So Much More to Progression Runs Than Just Speeding Up—Here’s How to Do Them Properly

You’re nearing the end of a run, your legs are heavy, and you're breathing hard. The last thing you want to do is run faster. Yet ignoring the temptation to ease up, and instead increase the pace as the miles pile on can make you a stronger runner. 

Getting faster as you go farther is a workout known as a progression run. “It’s a great format and structure for your running,” says Peloton instructor Susie Chan. She not only programs some of her classes as progression runs, she also makes a point to do them herself regularly whenever she’s training for a race. 

But you don’t need to have a 10K or marathon on your calendar to take advantage of a progression run. “I don’t think that they are exclusively for people who are targeting races,” Susie says. “The benefits of pacing, of learning you can finish strong, and pushing the pace benefit all!” 

Here’s what you need to know if you want to try out this smart training strategy. 

What Is a Progression Run?

The basic idea of a progression run is pretty straightforward: Go faster at the end of a run than you do at the start. “A progression run is any continuous run where the athlete starts at a less intense pace, and then progresses over time and distance to a faster pace,” says Jacob Goodin, assistant professor of kinesiology at Point Loma Nazarene University. 

A progression run can be very specific, or much more general. You might have particular paces or intensities you aim to hit over the course of your miles. Or you might just try to gradually get faster by your finish line. 

If that sounds tough, well, it can be. Other times, the challenge will feel much more doable—even an easy run with a few faster minutes near the end counts as a progression run. “Although progression runs can seem daunting, they are not all the time,” Susie says. 

That means that just about any runner can pull them off. “Even the greenest beginner can be doing progression runs once they can run consecutive miles without stopping,” Goodin says. 

Progression Runs vs. Zone 2 Cardio

Both zone 2 cardio runs and progression runs start off at an easy pace and have you running continuous miles without stopping. The difference, however, is that a progression run will eventually ramp up the intensity. “Ideally you progress up through your run paces, finishing on a harder effort,” Susie says. Zone 2 runs, on the other hand, will stay slow and steady the entire time.

Zone 2 training has recently been trending as a smart way to improve cardiovascular fitness, particularly since it can increase the number and efficiency of our mitochondria (best known as the powerhouses of our cells, since they generate the energy that our cells need to function). But Goodin says progression runs can accomplish this, too. “Zone 2 is touted as being great for mitochondrial biogenesis, but progression runs are also great for that as well,” he says.  

The difference is that, since you do speed up, progression runs tax the body more than an everyday easy run in zone 2. “If you did them all the time, then you could actually get into overtraining,” Goodin says. “Treat it like any other quality workout with kind of the respect and the recovery that it deserves.”

The Benefits of Progression Runs 

There are many reasons to incorporate progression runs into your training regularly. Here are a few of the biggest ones.

They Can Improve Your Pacing

Because you have to be very deliberate about your speed—and counterintuitively start going faster the more tired you get—progression runs are a great way to get better at pacing yourself. “So useful in races!” Susie says. “Running will always start off feeling easier than at the end, and a frequent mistake is to set out at a pace that is not sustainable. Progression runs are all about starting off easier and ending strong.” These runs force you to practice what it takes to meter out your effort over time. 

They Teach You to Push Hard On Tired Legs

When you do progression runs regularly, you learn how to dig deep near the end of a run even when you’re tempted to give up. Thanks to regularly incorporating this workout into her training, Susie says, “I know that I can pick things up, especially when I start to feel a little more fatigued and time and distance has passed.” 

It’s not just mental. This effect happens in the muscles themselves. “As you go longer and your slow twitch muscle fibers start to become a little bit more fatigued and you're saying, ‘Hey, we're going to actually go faster as you're fatigued,’ then it's going to start recruiting some of those faster-twitch muscle fibers,” Goodin explains. 

Susie adds that this skill is great for race prep. Most world records have been set by runners who ran a negative split, or a faster second half than first half. Even if you’re not looking to get into the history books, it’s a strategy most coaches advise for your strongest possible race. 

They Challenge Your Aerobic Capacity

“One thing that I really love is the incremental cardiovascular stress—as you're going from that steady aerobic intensity at the easier paces in the earlier part, you're getting the normal benefits of a training run,” Goodin says. Then, as you ramp things up, your cardiovascular system has to work harder and harder to keep up. “You're getting some good aerobic stimulus,” he says.  

They Build Mental Strength

Pushing harder when you’re getting tired isn’t an easy thing to do. But progression runs train you to embrace the challenge. “We're forcing the mind to be mentally tough through the accumulation of lactate as it becomes uncomfortable,” Goodin says. “You start to develop that resilience because as the pace is increasing, you know that there are more miles to come at even faster paces.”

What Are the Different Types of Progression Runs? 

Not all progression runs look exactly the same. Here are a few of the most popular ways to structure this workout. 

Negative Split

“This is simply when the second half is run faster than the first half,” Susie says. If you’re running outdoors, a simple way to do this is to pick an out-and-back route, timing yourself in both directions. The goal is to run back quicker than you ran out.

Each Mile Faster

Goodin says one way to approach a progression run is to get a little faster with each mile. For instance, after a one-mile warmup, you could aim for marathon pace for a mile, then take 30 seconds off of that with each mile, before ending with an easier cooldown mile. 

Thirds

Many progression runs are broken up into three parts. You’ll run the first third easily and comfortably. The second third will speed up to a steady tempo pace. The final third will be a hard—but not all-out—pace. (You want to be breathing heavy, but still have some gas left in the tank by the end.)

Fast Finish

Not all progression runs need to include lots of fast running. Some runners only speed up for a few minutes before the finish. “You can spend longer in the easier run paces, and run faster for a shorter time towards the end of the workout,” Susie says. Whether you run 15 or five minutes at a faster pace right at the end, you’re training your body to speed up those legs when they feel heaviest.

How to Start Doing Progression Runs

If you’ve never done a progression run before, don’t be intimidated. “Often, runs can sound more daunting than they really are,” Susie emphasizes. She recommends starting off with a 30-minute run for your first time to get used to the feel of this workout. 

And ease into it. “The main thing is not to go out too hard,” Susie says. If you do, it’ll be a struggle to pick things up later on. “If anything, start off feeling like you are running too slowly and really controlled.” But don’t beat yourself up if you end up making this common mistake—it can take practice to pull off a progression run properly.

Just keep at it. Once you get the hang of these runs, she recommends doing them once every couple of weeks. 

The Takeaway

Progression runs are a versatile workout that nearly any runner can use in their training. Whether you’re deliberate about hitting faster paces with each mile, or you simply challenge yourself to pick things up near the end, this type of running can make you a stronger, more resilient runner. Sure, it might be tough in the moment. But nothing beats the confidence boost you get when you finish a run that only got faster and faster.