Countless runners have struggled with finding the proper balance between low-, mid-, and high intensity workouts throughout their training plans. How do you know when you’re supposed to take it easy and when you’re supposed to go hard?
If we’re talking about individual workouts, the answer will certainly vary from one runner to the next…
But, in the grand scheme of things, there’s a simple (yet specific) pattern that athletes have found the most success with: and that is 80/20 running.
Let’s dive in!
What Exactly is 80/20 Running?
The premise of the 80/20 training method is quite simple, and it’s a direct translation from the name itself.
In your training plan, 80% of your workouts should be easy, and 20% of your workouts should be hard.
It almost sounds too simple, right?
Well, that’s part of the point. Although running has highly nuanced biomechanics and requires extremely deliberate training, trying to balance your training intensities is actually quite straightforward — according to the science.
Countless research studies have shown that this particular ratio has been the most effective approach for both injury prevention and improved performance.
We’ll go into the specific benefits in the next section, but here’s the gist: this 80/20 balance is effectively the sweet spot that allows your body to maintain a strong training baseline AND build upon it over time.
Many studies have attempted to play around with this ratio, even by minor increments, but most research has concluded that that 80% of easy workouts is essential. The focus boils down to maximizing your lower intensity training so your body is better equipped to handle high intensity training.
What are the Benefits of 80/20 Running?
Of course, this golden ratio is more than just “easy” versus “hard” training. The true benefits stem from the physiology and skill development that runners can achieve with an 80/20 balance.
And before you start feeling hesitant about that much low intensity training, hear us out! Plenty of ambitious athletes struggle with slowing down and maintaining easier paces, but there’s SO much benefit to staying diligent. Let’s dig in a bit more…
Physiological Benefits
As we know, varying your workout intensities is beneficial and necessary for well-rounded training.
With low intensity training, your body can dial into the cardiovascular and respiratory systems to improve its aerobic capacity, which then builds a base for your running endurance and allows you to run more efficiently (alongside proper running form, of course). Higher intensity training then leaves you to focus on building anaerobic strength to improve speed and explosive power.
Because both categories of training come with distinct benefits, neither one is “better” than the other. The focus is on striking the balance between the two, which is where that 80/20 method shines brightest.
When you dedicate 80% of your training to lower intensity workouts, your body will have enough time to truly build its aerobic capacity AND achieve full recovery. The remaining 20% is then reserved for moderate to high intensity workouts, which is just enough to push yourself to make gains without over-stressing the tissues. Here are a few snippets from the 80/20 Running book, written by Matt Fitzgerald himself:
Some runners are skeptical that slow running can possibly continue to be beneficial once they’ve already gotten in pretty good shape. […] But the stressfulness of running is not strictly determined by intensity. Rather, it is determined by the volume of intensity. Sure, a thirty-minute run at low intensity applies little stress to a fit individual and thus may provide no benefit in isolation. But a two-hour run at low intensity probably will challenge the aerobic system of any runner, especially if the runner in question ran an hour or so the day before.” (p. 66)
While a small amount of high-intensity running is more beneficial to the aerobic system than is a small amount of low-intensity running, larger amounts of faster running offer no additional benefit. In fact, large amounts of high-intensity training are so stressful to the body that they suppress the parasympathetic nervous system, resulting in chronic fatigue and loss of performance. So the sum of what we know about the physiological effects of low-intensity and high-intensity exercise tell us that the optimal combination is one that is weighted heavily toward low intensity.” (p. 66)
Development of Running Skill
Of course, simply applying the 80/20 rule to your training plan doesn’t get rid of all errors or inefficiencies with your running. (If that were the case, everyone would be at an equal level of running caliber!)
The other piece of the training equation boils down to your running skill. Fitzgerald himself put it best:
Whereas fitness has to do with how certain internal organs such as the heart and the brain function, running skill has to do with how the body moves. There is something special about a skilled runner’s movements that gives him or her the ability to run at the same pace as a less skillful runner with less effort.” (p. 84)Whereas fitness has to do with how certain internal organs such as the heart and the brain function, running skill has to do with how the body moves. There is something special about a skilled runner’s movements that gives him or her the ability to run at the same pace as a less skillful runner with less effort.” (p. 84)
This encapsulates the importance of mastering running form and biomechanics.
In order to run as efficiently as possible, you need to start with a formal analysis to pinpoint any areas that may be restricting your full potential. Once you’ve determined areas for improvement, your body needs time to adapt to changes in muscle activation, strength, alignment, etc. You also need time to properly apply these new adaptations into your form as you run, so repetition and diligence are key factors.
The plus side is that the 80/20 training approach gives you plenty of opportunity to adapt! With lower intensity workouts and longer runs, you have loads more time to focus on your form as you run, allowing you to make more real-time progress without having to overextend yourself or burn out from excessive training.
How to Start 80/20 Training
Alright, now that we know why this approach is good for your running, let’s get to the good part: how to actually do it.
There are a few considerations that come with implementing the 80/20 method. In addition to being a bit uncertain about the whole method, you’re probably also asking questions like “How do you accurately gauge intensity?” and “How do you make sure the workouts actually balance out to an 80/20 ratio?”
Lucky for you, we LOVE when runners ask questions — and we’re here to answer them.
How to Gauge Workout Intensity
Generally speaking, there are three main ways that runners can gauge their training intensity: rate of perceived effort, heart rate, and pacing.
According to Fitzgerald, adjusting to 80/20 running requires a combination of all three measures! This is because workout intensity can be interpreted in a variety of ways, and using multiple methods to track your training will provide the most well-rounded approach.
Your rate of perceived effort focuses on how you physically feel as you train. This technically isn’t a true measure of intensity — especially as your body starts to fatigue — but it plays an important role in gauging the effort needed for a workout.
When monitoring your heart rate, however, you have a more concrete metric to track (though, it’s still not an exact science). Using your heart rate as a metric is particularly helpful for low intensity runs; this is because your heart rate isn’t a performance measure, so you aren’t trying to increase that number as an indicator of progress or success. Rather, when you know you should keep your heart rate under a certain level to stay low intensity, you have a threshold you know you can’t surpass.
Pacing, on the other hand, is a bit different. When assessing intensity, your perceived effort and heart rate focus on the amount of effort your body’s putting into the workout; but pacing measures the output from all that effort. It’s calculated by dividing your run time with your run distance, and it’s a direct measure of intensity. “If you’re running faster, it can only be because your body is working harder.” (p. 117)
As you can tell, each measure provides a different layer of insight for your training intensity: physical feeling, physiological effort, and the outcome of said effort. (You can learn more about how to measure each individually, but you’ll have to do some more in-depth reading of Fitzgerald’s book to learn how to apply all three to your 80/20 training!)
How to Get the Ball Rolling
Now, we don’t want to get too granular here and reveal all of Fitzgerald’s secrets!
Because, as with any effective training program, there’s not just one method that you can plug-and-play that will magically transform your running. Effective running training is nuanced and deliberate, and there are usually a handful of considerations to account for before you really reap the benefits.
For all the essential secrets behind masterful 80/20 running, you’ll have to check out the official book. But, so we aren’t leaving you high and dry, here’s a “preview” of some important caveats…
- That 80/20 ratio doesn’t have to be exact. At the end of the day, every athlete is different, and that split percentage will vary slightly depending on the context of your training (and how your body responds to it).
- Don’t force yourself to progress every single week. In fact, after a certain point, your body will hit a threshold where it won’t actually make gains. The key is to train in cycles so your body can progress, then recover.
- Start running more! As was mentioned before, one of the keys to progress is to give your body enough time to adapt. (Of course, don’t overdo it and take on too much!)
- Keep your workouts straightforward. No one said that effective running workouts had to be complicated, right? In Fitzgerald’s book, he reviews some of the standardized workouts that many elite runners practice — stick to those to maintain consistent (but varied enough) workouts. You can get started with this short list of options.
- Intersperse your hard and easy workouts. This one might sound like a no-brainer, but it’s a big priority for runners when they’re setting up their training schedules! There’s more nuance to it, but basically: don’t do all your hard workouts at once.
- Use mesocycles to guide your progression. To make sure you aren’t overloading your body with more and more difficult workouts every week, use the “mesocycle” structure to balance out increased challenge with proper recovery.
- Just as with any other training program, be sure you’re progressing in increments!
Get to Training!
And there you have it, fellow runners: the 80/20 approach to running.
Lots of research suggests that many runners have found great success working through this program. Perhaps it seems a bit surface-level just from this blog, but that’s what the complete book is for!
Ultimately, if you choose to stick with 80/20 running, make sure you dig into the nitty gritty details. (Fitzgerald even goes so far as to explore how you can apply this approach to different race training, including 5ks, 10ks, half marathons, and marathons.)
So get to reading, athletes — then, go forth and run!
