6 Lactate Threshold Workouts to Build Speed Endurance and Race-Day Confidence

Jump to:The Benefits of Threshold WorkoutsHow to Find Your Lactate Threshold Pace6 Threshold Workouts to Add to Your TrainingHow to Optimize Your Threshold RunsLactate threshold workouts are one of the most important parts of a distance-running training plan. Putting your body through this type of exercise will help you run faster and run farther.“Lactate threshold training means building confidence,” says New York City-based USATF- and RRCA-certified run coach Kai Ng. “It means getting used to being comfortable with being uncomfortable.”To get you familiar with these workouts and how to implement them into your training plan, Runner’s World connected with three certified run coaches and collected their top recommended threshold workouts that improve your speed endurance.The Benefits of Threshold WorkoutsWorking to improve your lactate threshold makes more difficult paces feel less exhausting, and therefore, makes you a more efficient and faster runner.Alex Morrow, RRCA- and USATF-certified run coach and founder of Resolute Running in Birmingham, Alabama, likens the human body and its ability to flush out waste created while training at lactate threshold to a bucket with a hole in the bottom. “As you run, waste [the lactate you produce while running] is being thrown into that bucket,” Morrow explains. “As long as you’re running at the right pace, the waste going in the bucket drains right out the bottom, and you’re fine. When you pass that lactate threshold—you put too much waste in the bucket—it overflows and you slow down. Lactate threshold training creates a bigger bucket and a bigger hole at the bottom of that bucket.”By building up your body’s speed endurance, you also boost your self-confidence as you maintain your pace during these tough workouts, and gradually go farther and farther while holding the pace. Ng says that experiencing this dose of self-confidence during a threshold workout will give you the reassurance that, come race day, you’ll be able to go out there and crush your goal speed.Need more convincing to add these to your schedule? “Lactate threshold is the most important determinant of success in endurance-related activities and events, and the main goal of endurance training programs should be the improvement of this parameter,” according to an article published by the University of New Mexico by Len Kravitz, PhD, CSCS and Lance Dalleck, PhD.How to Find Your Lactate Threshold PaceYour lactate threshold is the exercise intensity level at which lactate—a byproduct of exercise that forms when creating energy from glucose, especially without sufficient oxygen—accumulates in the blood faster than you can remove it. At its core, it’s the line between low- and high-intensity exercise.To find your lactate threshold pace, you could head to a lab. But for a more budget-friendly option, you can calculate this pace using a practical field test. Following a warmup, you’ll run at your best possible intensity for 30 minutes and use your average running speed during that effort to calculate your ideal threshold pace.MORE DETAILS ON THE FIELD TESTGenerally speaking, runners find their lactate threshold pace to be about a 7 or 8 out of 10 effort on a rate of perceived exertion (RPE) scale, an effort broadly described as comfortably hard. The coaches we spoke with also describe this effort as one you can sustain for one hour, but not longer.The key is going at an effort you can sustain—it’s not all out. “There’s something in us that we all want to go faster,” Tia Accetta, Run Tuscon co-founder and RRCA-certified run coach, tells Runner’s World. “But, with this lactate threshold training, don’t.”6 Threshold Workouts to Add to Your TrainingFirst, it’s important to note the difference between tempo runs and lactate threshold workouts. Ng describes the term tempo run as an overarching umbrella when discussing workouts designed for specific paces. “Tempo runs don’t have to be at threshold [pace],” Ng explains. “But lactate threshold runs are one of the many types of tempo runs. Under the umbrella, you can also run [tempo runs] at marathon pace or maybe half marathon pace.”To add threshold workouts to your training, we asked experts for their favorites. From short repetitions to 15-plus-mile days, these are the threshold runs that build speed endurance for every type of runner.Interval Workouts5-Minute IntervalsWhy it works: Intervals work well for those new to threshold work, because the breaks between reps give runners time to reflect on how the previous rep went and also allow for an adjustment of pace in future reps.Morrow also explains that many runners who are just starting to train at lactate threshold pace tend to struggle holding the pace for 20 to 30 minutes. So he eases them into it with intervals.The versatility of these workouts means they benefit those training for 5Ks up to marathons.How to do it15-20 minute easy run warmup6 x 5 minutes at threshold pace, with 60- to 90-second recovery between15-20 minute easy run cooldown8-Minute Intervals Why it works: “Breaking down tempo runs into longer time-based intervals is a good way to practice,” says Accetta.She adds that for 5K runners training for the shorter distance, just two of these eight-minute intervals could constitute a workout, whereas for marathon runners, four or even five eight-minute intervals at lactate threshold pace gets them a better payoff.How to do it: 15-20 minute easy run warmup2-5 x 8 minutes at threshold pace, with 60- to 90-second recovery between15-20 minute easy run cooldownSteady-State WorkoutWhy it works: Once you’re comfortable with lactate threshold pace and want to sprinkle longer, more sustained efforts into your training plan, all three coaches recommend this steady-state threshold run. “It’s simple, easy, and everybody loves doing it,” says Morrow. “It also teaches you how to handle that low-grade discomfort, which is what distance running is all about.”Eliminating the breaks between intervals forces runners to battle through minor fatigue, as Morrow describes, and stick with their comfortably-hard pace.Ng adds that all workouts are designed to simulate parts of a whole, and in this case, training your body to run at lactate threshold pace for 20 to 30 minutes teaches you how to push through those tough miles of any race.How to do it:15-20 minute easy run warmup20-30 minutes at threshold pace15-20 minute easy run cooldownProgression WorkoutsDouble-Digit Marathon ProgressionWhy it works: At a quick glance, progression workouts seem daunting, considering they cover the most mileage. However, changing paces throughout a long workout can be one of the best ways to train your body to maintain a pace during the later stages of a race like the marathon, says Accetta.Keep in mind the first workout below requires a minimum of running about 15 miles, so you definitely want to build up to this progression. It’s especially effective for experienced marathoners, as it teaches you to run through fatigue and discomfort—both necessary for race day. “It’s not always fun, but it’s extremely effective,” says Morrow.How to do it:3-4 miles at easy pace (3-4 RPE)3-4 miles at goal marathon pace (4-5 RPE)20 minutes at lactate threshold pace (7-8 RPE)3-4 miles at goal marathon pace (4-5 RPE)3-4 miles at easy pace (3-4 RPE)9-Mile Progression for MarathonersWhy it works: “To me, this is just a really good representation of fatigued legs and getting tired, but still maintaining a threshold effort in the middle,” Accetta says. “I feel like everyone, after they do it, they have a good dose of confidence.”This nine-mile workout, while employing a more gradual increase and decrease in pace than Morrow’s progression workout above, is considerably shorter in overall distance. You’ll still receive the benefits of simulating midrace fatigue, while sustaining your lactate threshold pace, prepping you for race day.How to do it:1 mile at easy pace (3-4 RPE)1 mile at marathon pace (4-5 RPE)1 mile at half marathon pace (5-6 RPE)3 miles at lactate threshold pace (7-8 RPE)1 mile at half marathon pace (5-6 RPE)1 mile at marathon pace (4-5 RPE)1 mile at easy pace (3-4 RPE)Hill Threshold WorkoutWhy it works: Yes, you can incorporate hills into your lactate threshold workout. Morrow says he recommends hill repeats to runners who may want to take a step back from heavy mileage or don’t feel confident enough to tackle a full steady-state lactate threshold workout.He reminds his runners doing this exercise that the uphill effort should amount to the ideal 20 minutes recommended for threshold workouts. The jog back downhill is simply a break, and should not be calculated into the amount of effort given.Morrow’s recommended threshold hill repeat workout gives runners the endurance benefits of threshold training, while adding in positive aspects of hill workouts, including building leg and core strength.Because of the hill, you don’t necessarily need to run this workout at threshold pace, but rather threshold effort. Basically, you’ll run slower because you’re going uphill, but you’ll still aim to give the same effort that you feel during your lactate threshold workouts on flat ground.How to do it: 15-20 minute easy run warmup10 x 2 minutes of uphill running at 7-8 RPE with a light jog back down the hill15-20 minute easy run cooldownHow to Optimize Your Threshold RunsGive Consistent Effort“We’re always looking for that sweet spot of 20 to 30 minutes of effort,” says Morrow. “Whether that’s short intervals, long intervals, it doesn’t really matter. Get that 20 to 30 minutes.”As the weeks of training go by and time at threshold pace transitions from being comfortably hard to just comfortable, that’s when you know you’re achieving the desired result.Keep Interval Breaks Short“The longer the break, the more likely you are to go out too fast,” says Accetta. “Technically, you shouldn’t need a break if you’re keeping your conservative pace. You want to go into the next [rep] still feeling a little bit fatigued.”Lactate threshold training is all about maintaining your pace for a set amount of time, so trimming your break time down so you feel fresh—but not fully recovered—is essential to a quality threshold interval workout.Trust Your Legs More Than Your MindLactate threshold workouts are hard. Not hard in the sense of high-intensity effort, but hard on your mind and its perception of your body’s ability to set and maintain your comfortably hard pace.“Trust your legs more than your mind,” Ng says. “Your mind is going to be in your way the whole time. It’s going to tell you to stop, but your job is to fight it. When that thought comes to your head, I want you to hang in there for one more minute and I guarantee you’re going to be fine. The only time you should stop is when your legs stop.”Be Smart About TrainingMake sure you’re putting these workouts into the correct phase of your training plan in order to maximize the benefits. Don’t start knocking out lactate threshold workouts two weeks from your race.Improving your lactate threshold takes time, so in order to experience the most success from these workouts, Morrow says to incorporate them once a week into the strength and endurance-building phase of your plan, or about two to four weeks into a 16-week marathon training plan.Matt Rudisill is an Associate Service Editor who has been with Runner's World since 2025. A Nittany Lion through-and-through, Matt graduated from Penn State in 2022 with a degree in journalism and worked in communications for the university's athletic department for three years as the main contact and photographer for its nationally-ranked cross country and track & field teams. Matt was also heavily involved in communications efforts for Penn State football, men's basketball, and women's gymnastics. In his role with Runner's World, Matt has interviewed Olympians, world champions, and countless experts in the field to create service content that helps runners of all ages and experience levels train smarter and race faster. When he’s not out jogging, Matt can be found tweeting bad takes about the Phillies or watching movies.