Try this effort-based speedwork to crush your fall trail race

Whether you’re trying cross-country for the first time or have signed up for a fall trail race, taking your speedwork to the trails is a game-changer. It can be a bit of an adjustment to shift from road running to trails–you’ll be running these intervals based on effort, not pace.

Trail running is particularly spectacular in the fall. Crisp leaves underfoot, end-of-summer warmth in the air, and the opportunity to eke out a few more runs in shorts make trail time glorious before the snow flies.

Out-and-back repeats

For these out-and-back repeats, pick a starting point on the trail and mark it. After you’ve finished your hard three-minute interval, mark your endpoint. Recover with easy jogging, and then run your next hard interval from the endpoint back to the start, trying to make it past the point where you began. Challenge yourself to run a little bit further each time, even if it’s only a few extra steps.

Warm up with 10 to 15 minutes easy running

Start with 6 x 3 minutes hard effort, 90 seconds rest or easy running between each one

Cool down with 10 minutes easy running

Pace-change sprints

Fine-tune your acceleration and deceleration skills on the trails by adding these pace-change sprints after an easy run of any length. Find a path roughly 100 metres long (your best guess is fine) and divide it into thirds, marking each section or noting a landmark.

Run at a medium-hard effort to start, hard for the second section, then medium-hard to finish; walk or run easily

Remember to follow a speedwork session with an easy or rest day, and hydrate, even in the cooler fall temperatures.