06/08/2026
5 Runs. Same Distance. Different Purpose.
Not every run should look the same and not every run should be fast.
Here’s what I’ve been doing and WHY each one matters:
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🔥 Run 1 — TEMPO
This one HURTS. Comfortably uncomfortable. Tempo runs push your lactate threshold, teaching your body to sustain faster paces before it starts accumulating fatigue. 90° heat made this one a bonus mental challenge. You’re building your “speed ceiling” here.
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❤️ Run 2 — ZONE 2
My slowest run of the week and one of the MOST important. Zone 2 builds your aerobic base, the engine behind everything else. If your easy runs feel embarrassingly slow, you’re doing it right. Low HR, conversational pace, long-term gains. Don’t skip these.
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⚡ Run 3 — INTERVALS
Fastest avg pace of the week. Intervals are short, hard efforts with recovery in between, they build raw speed, VO2 max, and mental toughness.
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💀 Run 4 — COMPROMISED RUN
A compromised run happens after a hard training session, in Hyrox prep, that means running on legs that have already been through the wringer. Sleds. Ski erg. Burpees. Your body is fatigued and your pace shows it. But THAT’S the point. Race day doesn’t care how fresh you feel. Train for what’s real.
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📈 Run 5 — NEGATIVE SPLITS
Started controlled, finished strong. Negative splits mean your second half is faster than your first, the sign of smart pacing and a runner who KNOWS themselves. This is race strategy in training form. If you can run the back half harder, you ran the front half RIGHT.
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Out of all these, I highly recommend not skipping your Zone 2 runs. It is the boring secret nobody talks about. When you’re new, the temptation is to prove yourself every run, post a fast pace, feel the burn, go home tired. But that approach stalls progress fast. Your body can only absorb so much intensity before it stops adapting and starts breaking down. Zone 2 is how you build the engine that makes everything else possible.
Post the slow runs. Post the hard ones. Post the ugly ones. Post them proud.
