Running Intervals (or HIIT) Workout

Running Intervals workout, also known as High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workout by athletes from other sports, is a structured workout which consists of short (typically 20 sec. to 3 min.) high-intensity (RPE 9-10) effort succeeded by the same amount of rest. The cumulative amount of high-intensity effort should not exceed 20 minutes, i.e. if you choose an interval duration of 2 minutes, no more than 10 intervals should be performed. Performing this type of workout requires thorough warmup (10 to 20 minutes).

Aim of such workouts is to increase body ability to process oxygen (frequently called VO2Max), which makes you more effective runner.

Sample workouts

  • Warmup for 15 minutes
  • Repeat 5x (makes a total of 15 minutes of high-intensity effort)
    • 3 min of high-intensity running (RPE 9.5)
    • 3 min recovery (light jog)
  • Cooldown
Running Intervals Workout Graph
  • Warmup for 15 minutes
  • Repeat 6x (makes a total of 12 minutes of high-intensity effort)
    • 2 min of high-intensity running (RPE 9.5)
    • 2 min recovery (light jog)
  • Cooldown
Running Intervals Workout Graph

Further reading