Get fast before you have to go far.

This post was written by Coach Chris Knighton.

Marathon training is not only about learning to run farther. Developing the ability to run faster can make you a more complete runner and prepare you for the demanding race-specific training that comes later in a marathon build.

In my training system, I often emphasize speed development after a runner has established a strong aerobic base and before the most marathon-specific portion of the training cycle.

The goal is not to turn a marathoner into a sprinter. It is to improve your ability to run fast, relaxed, and controlled so that marathon pace represents a smaller percentage of your overall capabilities.

Quick Answer: Should Marathoners Do Speed Work?

Yes. Most marathoners can benefit from including some faster running in their training, provided it is appropriate for their experience and balanced with enough easy running and recovery.

Speed development for marathoners can include strides, short hill repetitions, fartlek workouts, and controlled intervals performed substantially faster than marathon pace. For many runners, one dedicated faster workout per week is plenty during a speed-focused portion of training.

The exact workout, pace, and amount of faster running should depend on your fitness, training history, current mileage, goals, and ability to recover.

If you want your speed work, mileage, and marathon training individualized to your fitness and goals, learn more about my 1:1 online running coaching.

Watch: The Speed Development Phase Explained

Where Speed Development Fits Into Marathon Training

Speed development is the second phase in my Six Phases of Marathon Training:

1. Base Building
2. Speed Development
3. Race-Specific Quality
4. Tapering for Peak Performance
5. Race-Day Performance
6. Post-Race Recovery

This sequence is a framework rather than a rigid rule. Depending on the runner and the race calendar, some faster running may appear throughout the year.

During a dedicated speed-development period, however, faster running receives more emphasis before the training becomes increasingly specific to the marathon.

What Is Speed Development for Marathoners?

Speed development is training that improves your ability to run faster than marathon pace while maintaining good mechanics, control, and rhythm.

For marathon runners, this usually does not mean repeatedly sprinting as hard as possible.

Instead, speed development might include:

• Relaxed strides
• Short hill repetitions
• Fartlek workouts
• Intervals around 5K to 10K race effort
• Occasional shorter or faster repetitions for experienced runners

The faster the workout becomes, the more important it is to control the total volume and allow enough recovery between repetitions and between hard training days.

Different workouts may use 5K, 10K, half-marathon, or other intensities; my marathon training pace guide explains how those efforts fit together.

Why Speed Work Can Help Marathon Runners

A marathon is primarily an endurance event, so easy mileage, long runs, and aerobic development remain the foundation of training.

But faster running develops abilities that easy running alone does not fully address.

Speed workouts can help you practice producing more force, turning your legs over quickly, maintaining good mechanics at faster speeds, and becoming comfortable at intensities above marathon pace.

Just as importantly, faster training can raise the ceiling of your overall running ability. The goal is for marathon pace to eventually feel controlled—not because you repeatedly force marathon pace every week, but because you have developed both the aerobic strength and speed needed to support it.

This is one reason speed development sits above easy mileage in my Pyramid of Marathon Training. The aerobic foundation remains the largest part of training, while faster work is layered on top in smaller amounts.

Get Fast Before You Have to Go Far

This is the central idea behind my speed-development phase.

During the later race-specific phase of marathon training, your workouts become longer and more closely connected to the demands of your goal race.

Rather than trying to dramatically increase your speed at the same time those workouts are becoming longer and more demanding, I prefer to develop some of that speed beforehand.

That does not mean every marathoner needs a perfectly isolated speed block or that faster training disappears once race-specific work begins. It simply means there can be value in emphasizing different qualities at different points in a training cycle.

Build the aerobic foundation first. Develop speed next. Then teach that fitness to last over increasingly marathon-specific distances.

How Much Speed Work Should Marathoners Do?

There is no universal number of fast miles that every marathoner should complete each week.

For many runners, one dedicated speed workout per week is enough during a speed-focused period, especially when the rest of the week already includes a long run and substantial aerobic mileage.

Experienced runners may also include strides or other small doses of faster running on additional days without turning them into full workouts.

The appropriate amount depends on:

• Your training experience
• Your current weekly mileage
• Your injury history
• The intensity and duration of the repetitions
• Your other workouts that week
• How quickly you recover between hard sessions

When in doubt, prioritize quality and consistency over accumulating more fast mileage.

Also be cautious about aggressively increasing both mileage and workout intensity at the same time. Your overall training load matters more than any one workout.

How Long Should a Speed-Development Phase Last?

I often use several weeks of speed-focused training before shifting more attention toward race-specific marathon work. For many runners, this may be roughly four to six weeks.

But four to six weeks is not a requirement.

A newer runner may need a more gradual introduction to faster training. An experienced athlete who regularly performs strides and interval work may need less of a distinct speed phase. Race schedule, current fitness, injury history, and training background should all influence the progression.

Warm Up Before Speed Work

Do not launch directly into fast repetitions from a cold start.

A typical speed-workout warm-up might include:

• 10–20 minutes of easy running
• Dynamic mobility or running drills if you normally use them
• Several short strides to gradually bring your body up to speed

After the workout, finish with easy running as appropriate for your training plan.

Types of Speed Workouts for Marathon Training

There are many ways to develop speed without relying on one exact workout. The best option is the one that matches your experience, goals, terrain, and current phase of training.

1. Strides

Strides are short, relaxed accelerations that allow you to practice running fast without creating the fatigue of a full interval workout.

A simple example:

4–8 × 20 seconds fast and relaxed, with roughly 60–90 seconds of easy jogging or walking between repetitions.

Build speed gradually through each stride rather than sprinting from the first step. Focus on smooth mechanics and finishing each repetition feeling like you could have gone faster.

2. Short Hill Repetitions

Short hills can be another useful way to introduce faster running while emphasizing power and good mechanics.

For example:

6–10 × 10–20 seconds uphill at a fast but controlled effort, followed by plenty of easy walking or jogging back down before the next repetition.

These should be crisp and controlled—not exhausting sprints.

3. Fartlek Speed Workouts

Fartlek workouts are one of my favorite ways to develop speed because they can be performed almost anywhere and allow athletes to focus more on effort than exact pace.

Examples include:

• 8 × 1 minute fast / 1 minute easy
• 6 × 2 minutes fast / 2 minutes easy
• 5 × 3 minutes fast / 2–3 minutes easy
• 4 × 4 minutes fast / 3 minutes easy

For many marathoners, the faster portions can fall around current 5K-to-10K race effort depending on the length of each repetition.

The goal is to run hard but controlled enough that your form remains good and you can complete the final repetition with similar quality to the first.

4. Track Interval Workouts

A track makes it easy to measure repetitions and learn what different speeds feel like.

Example marathon speed workouts include:

• 8 × 400m at approximately 5K effort with 200m easy jogging
• 6 × 600m around 5K-to-10K effort with 200–400m easy jogging
• 5 × 800m around 10K effort with 400m easy jogging
• 4–5 × 1000m around 5K-to-10K effort with 400m easy jogging

These are examples rather than required progressions. Choose a workout appropriate for your fitness instead of automatically trying to advance to longer or faster repetitions every week.

5. Road or Path Intervals

You do not need access to a track to develop speed.

Road and bike-path intervals can work especially well when you want to learn to control effort without constantly checking exact splits.

For example:

• 6–8 × 2 minutes fast / 2 minutes easy
• 5 × 3 minutes fast / 2 minutes easy
• 4 × 5 minutes at a strong controlled effort / 3 minutes easy

Choose a safe route with minimal interruptions and run by effort when hills, wind, or terrain make exact pace less useful.

Should Speed Work Always Be Run at 5K or 10K Pace?

No.

Exact pace depends on the length of the repetition, the purpose of the workout, terrain, weather, and your current fitness.

Short repetitions may naturally be faster than 5K pace. Longer repetitions may be closer to 10K effort or slower. Hills and fartleks are often better controlled by effort than by pace.

Instead of forcing every repetition into a predetermined pace range, focus on the purpose of the workout and maintaining consistent quality from beginning to end.

Common Marathon Speed-Training Mistakes

• Running every interval all-out. Most marathon speed work should be controlled rather than maximal.
• Doing too much too soon. Introduce faster running gradually, especially if you are coming out of a period of mostly easy running.
• Increasing mileage and intensity aggressively at the same time. Consider the stress of the entire training week.
• Racing the workout. The goal is to build fitness, not prove fitness in training.
• Ignoring recovery. Give yourself enough easy running and recovery between demanding sessions.
• Copying another runner’s workout. The right amount and intensity of speed work depends on the individual athlete.

What Comes After Speed Development?

As your marathon training progresses, the emphasis gradually shifts from developing general speed toward sustaining strong running over longer, more marathon-specific efforts.

That transition leads into the Race-Specific Quality Phase.

The faster running you practiced during speed development does not suddenly disappear, but the priority changes. Workouts become increasingly connected to the pace, duration, endurance, and fatigue resistance required for the marathon itself.

Build Speed Before Specific Endurance

Marathon success requires endurance, but endurance and speed do not have to be developed in exactly the same way at exactly the same time.

Build your aerobic foundation. Introduce faster running gradually. Learn to run fast while staying relaxed and controlled. Then carry that improved fitness into progressively more marathon-specific training.

Get fast before you have to go far—and then teach that speed to last.