Try a steady state workout to build strength and feel powerful

Adding steady state workouts to your training is a great way to practice running at a moderately challenging pace for longer stretches. Renowned coach and ultrarunner Jason Koop builds steady state workouts into all his athletes’ training plans, from beginner to advanced. Koop says steady state runs build aerobic strength, the foundation for your best performances from the 5K to the marathon. Try one of these steady state sessions and head into your next race feeling confident about your ability to run long and strong.

How to determine your steady state pace

Steady state pace is all about the in-between, and it’s a perfect workout to run by feel (perceived exertion) rather than exact numbers.  Sometimes called an ‘easy-medium’ pace, it’s not fast but not slow. Not hard, but not easy. These can be tough workouts, not because of the pace, but because of the duration of running, and the concentration it takes to maintain a steady pace over a longer period–perfect practice for race day.

If you’re a long-distance runner, steady state run pace can range between 10 seconds faster and 30 seconds slower per mile than your marathon race pace. That’s a big range, which is why learning to run steady state workouts by feel is ideal. This takes practice, and it might take you a few sessions to feel like you’ve nailed it.

The workout

Warm up with 10 minutes easy running

30 minutes steady state pace

Cool down with 10 minutes easy running

Ease into your steady state pace over several kilometres, and let your body fall into the pace naturally. Some days this will feel easy and other days getting to a steady pace may feel challenging.

Advanced options

To dial this up a notch, keep your warmup and cooldown the same, but run two x 25 minutes hard, with four minutes of recovery in between. As you get stronger, you can add time to the steady state intervals, increasing to 2 x 30 minutes steady/four minutes recovery/up to 2 x 40 minutes hard/four minutes recovery.

While a steady state run shouldn’t leave you feeling beat up, you should still follow it up with an easy running or recovery day to maximize the training benefits.