What is 80/20 Running? | The Training Method Used By Kipchoge

Runners love a workout stat, but do you know what we mean by 80/20 training?

These numbers form a golden rule for balancing low intensity with high intensity running, which recent research suggests can help you get the best out of your training.

Whether you’re already a dedicated 80/20 runner or are yet to try this type of training, Mo’s here to tell you more about 80/20 running and why it might be your ticket to race day success…

↓↓ Does 80/20 running work for you? Or is it something you’re yet to try? Let us know below! ↓↓

Referenced study:

What's in this video:
00:00:00 - What is 80/20 Running?
00:01:58 - Mixing up your Exercise Routine
00:02:36 - The Importance of Rest in Training
00:03:13 - Training Intensity for a 5K Race
00:03:56 - Training for a Marathon
00:04:36 - Adding Lower Intensity Running to Your Workout
00:05:18 - The Benefits of 80/20 Running
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[runningchannel]

Does 80/20 running work for you? Or is it something you’re yet to try?

[JoelLong]

The 80/20 has been revolutionary for my running over the last 5 years…3 years prior I ran hard all the time and was always injured/tired.

Now, I feel good and have a very large aerobic base.

As of now, I do more 90/10….and that’s been pretty helpful. The closer I get to a race, I go 80/20….then move to 70/30.

That has been the sweet spot for me.

[jordanhiggs]

One slight amendment: I wouldn’t count the rest/recovery runs between intervals towards your ‘low intensity’, your pace may be low intensity but your heart rate won’t be

[nickcruzultra]

As a former Division I athlete who was able to train with and race against very elite runners, I can confirm that the 80/20 principle is gold and most if not all runners at that level and above structure their training this way.

[Mr.PolyMath]

been doing 80/20 for a few months now and it’s gold - little did I know as well that on a recovery day you can split your workouts into chunks. For example, if you have in the plan to do 40 minutes of cross training, you can just split it throughout the day between the elliptical, indoor cycle, incline treadmill or stepstepper - the key is to ensure your heart rate zone is in the zone it’s supposed to be in. I go by avg heart rate to determine if I did a 10 or 20 minute (or more) in Zone 1 or Zone 2. This trick has finally made cardio training sustainable for me.

[nrg_runs]

This is great advice. More easy running has been a game-changer for me - PBs at every distance over the past year! Important to be honest with yourself about what is truly easy though - I usually run about 4 mins a mile slower than my 5k PB pace when doing easy runs… it feels great 😬

[curingd]

I think rather than fixating on the 80/20 ratio, it's better to think of it pragmatically: you have to be 100% ready for the hard days in order to get the most out of them (and prevent injuries), and this together with the efficiency benefits of lower intensity running (and warming up and cooling properly on the hard days) will lend itself to something like an 80/20 ratio. You also need to space out hard days so that you don't have DOMS on a hard day after the previous one (i.e. every 3rd or 4th day, rather than every other day). It's important not to use correlation (i.e. "elite athlete's programs follow this ratio") to imply causation (i.e. it's the ratio of training that somehow makes them run faster).

[will]

In my opinion the less elite you are the slower you should run in training. 90/10 with some conditioning works wonders for me

[ulfeliasson]

I did it the other way around for 25 years. 7 days a week. 20/80 => Chronic burnout and horrid hip. Yet, here I am preparing for a marathon next year. It's a double edged sword having the urge to win :-) Great video as always.

[QPesky]

I started this method earlier this year. My running has improved a huge amount, broken my 5k PB and now working towards 10k & HM PBs. Hardest part was learning to run slow enough for the easy runs, I used to try and run everything at sub 8m/miles, easy pace is now about 10min/miles. Genarally 2 hard high intensity sessions a week. I can run more than I used to so don't have the problems of tired legs.

[davidjuson]

Have been trying 80/20 seriously for six months.
On training runs I'm having problems staying in Zone 2, but I'm certainly feeling fitter. Especially now I'm using my watch to monitor my heart-rate rather than imagining I must be "easy running" because I can just about breath.
The big test is on Sunday: the New Forest Marathon. Que: blast of dramatic music!

[limta]

I've recently started incorporating interval sessions into my weekly exercise routine because I've learned that maintaining a constant pace all the time may not be ideal for heart health. It's important to vary the intensity of your workouts.

[LauraTrauth]

Ugh. I try, I try. When I first started running, about 3 years ago, I had one and only 1 pace. It worked just fine for 5ks. And with a little practice, it worked fine for 10ks too. But I was dying 2/3 of the way through my first half marathon.... So I researched and learned about 80/20. I try to do this, but my body still, even after over a year, wants to hit that one 10k pace. Forcing myself to slow down is hard. 😐

[Ilikerunnning]

Just read the matt Fitzgerald book about this that was boring this taught me more than a 300 page book

[DrGruffLes]

Literally just started working on this, good timing! :D

[scriptosaurusrex]

Music a bit loud there compared to Mo. Couldn't really hear him all that well.

[oldcremehelian]

Who was it that said ...'Your trainlng is MAKING the cake and your race day is EATING the cake'?

[Ligerpride]

I fully agree with one caveat. You need to be exercising almost every day. If youre only running 3 or 4 days a week and for around 30 mins each time you're unlikely to get beyond moderate fitness.

[arjen]

You can also try to run a percentage of the time you are running fast and slow; i'm currently trying 90% of the time slow, 10% fast; so for example 4, 5 hours slow/0, 5 hour fast per week

[michaelmulligan]

What about doing 20% of each run at a harder intensity instead?