6 Steps to Build Endurance and Speed for Long Distance Runners

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When you first start out as a long distance athlete, it’s natural to focus on one building block at a time. Perhaps you focus on endurance and seeing how far you can go. Perhaps it’s speed. At a certain point and with the right training, it becomes possible to progress even further to become a long distance athlete that is able to build endurance and speed simultaneously. The trick is that building endurance and speed at the same time can feel like balancing on a tightrope at times, finding the perfect balance between pushing too hard in one area and slipping in the other. But it IS possible to achieve this balance and train for both endurance and speed at the same time – with the right tools and an intentional balance of effective workouts, planned recovery, incremental progression, and supporting players like strength training, and nutrition. So whether you are prepping for a trail marathon, a triathlon, a century ride, or a bucket list hike, the key to building endurance and speed simultaneously as a long distance athlete involves a strategic training plan and structure.

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Table of Contents

6 Steps to Build Endurance and Speed Simultaneously

Why does your plan need to be intentional, focused, and strategic? Because endurance and speed rely on two different energy systems – aerobic and anaerobic. Perhaps you’ve noticed that one of these areas comes easier and more naturally for you as a long distance athlete?

Endurance Training – improves your aerobic base, increasing the efficiency of your heart, lungs, and muscles to sustain effort for extended periods.
Speed Training recruits fast-twitch muscle fibers, enhancing power and stride efficiency.

With a combined focus on both, you’re teaching your body to train efficiently in both endurance and speed, making the most of both areas for a broad, overall reach.

In order to maximize the benefits of building endurance and speed simultaneously, your training plan needs to be tailored and structured to include both. This involves several crucial components:

#1: Structure your weekly training workouts for both endurance and speed goals
#2: Use tempo runs to help bridge the gaps (learn more about tempo runs, here)
#3: Add hill workouts for both strength and speed
#4: Include regular and consistent strength training
#5: Increase gradually in increments
#6: Prioritize recovery and nutrition

#1: Structure Your Weekly Training Workouts for Both Endurance and Speed

When you first start out long distance running, it’s natural to focus on one or the other. Perhaps your weekly training workouts resembled more of a “just get out there and run my miles” mindset without getting overly defined, and that’s OK! If you want to take it a step further to improve and build both endurance and speed, you’ll naturally want your weekly workouts to look a little different. Primarily, you need to make time to address both endurance and speed targeted workouts. Not EVERY run needs to focus on one or the other (you still need easy runs and runs purely for enjoyment), but you will see the progress come when you incorporate structured weekly workouts. The key is to include a focus on each during the week, without injury, burnout, or overload.

These are the key structured workouts to introduce into your weekly running workouts:

TEMPO RUNS
INTERVALS
HILL REPEATS

Before we jump into the specific focused workouts for both endurance and speed building, review exactly what tempo runs, intervals, and hill repeats are! I’ll discuss each below, but here’s a quick summary:

#1: Tempo Runs

Think of a tempo run as a “goldilocks” workout. A tempo run is faster than your slow run pace, but slower than an all out, 100% full effort sprint. The goal is to train your body to SUSTAIN a comfortably hard pace (which is what makes it different from a sprint). You’re looking for that challenging pace that you can sustain in order to teach your body to maintain continuous effort.

On a 10 scale, a tempo run would feel around a 7. Holding a conversation should be tough on a tempo run.

How to Do a Tempo Run

Start with a 5-10 minute easy jog to warm up
Run your tempo pace for 10-30 minutes (build this up over time)
End with a 5-10 minute easy jog to cool down

Benefits of a Tempo Run

Building endurance
Improves lactate threshold
Teaching your body to run faster for longer (without fatiguing as quickly)

#2: Interval Workouts

Interval workouts are training for SPEED! Specifically, short bursts of fast running, followed by easy jogging. On a 10 scale, your interval workout would be an 8 or a 9.

How to Do an Interval Workout

Start with a 5-10 minute easy jog to warm up
Run up to several minutes at a fast and controlled pace (ex. 2 minutes)
Recover by matching your interval run time with at least an equal amount of easy jogging.
Repeat
End with a 5-10 minute easy jog to cool down

An example interval workout might look like a 5 minute easy jog warm up, and 6 interval workouts of 2 minutes each, with 2 minutes of recovery easy jogging in between. Wrapped up with a 5 minute easy jog to cool down.

Note that you can start with smaller intervals and gradually increase over time. There is nothing wrong with a 30 second interval to start with.

Benefits Of an Interval Workout

Variety. Adding in some interval work can keep your running exciting and varied.
Leg turnover and cardiovascular strength can also be improved with interval training.

#3: Hill Repeats

Of all the running tools in the toolbelt, this is the one that is the toughest for me personally. But as a trail runner who is drawn to trails with lots of uphills, it’s an area I’m constantly trying to improve on. Hill repeat workouts are for STRENGTH. It also might be the most straightforward term – it’s training to run UPHILL.

For a hill repeat workout to be effective over time, it involves running uphill at a steady, hard pace, followed by a slow recovery run downhill.

Don’t have a hill? You can also practice using stairs. Though I say natural is always the best if you have it!

I’ll note here that for beginners, hill repeat workouts should not involve running up a 14’er mountain in Colorado. That is for very, very, very advanced trail runners. A beginner-friendly recommendation would be to look for a hill that might take about 30-60 seconds to run up, and practice on that, whether that’s a paved road or a trail hill.

How to Do a Hill Repeat Workout

Find a hill with a moderate incline (not aggressively steep) that will take around 30-60 seconds to reach the top.
Start your workout with a 5-10 minute easy jog to warm up.
Run uphill at a hard, strong pace (less than a sprint) for that 30-60 seconds.
Easy jog the downhill.
Repeat.
End with a 5-10 minute easy jog to cool down.

How many times you repeat can vary, and increase over time. An example might be 5 hill repeats in a single workout, but the number of repeats (and the size of the hill) can gradually increase over time.

Benefits of Hill Repeats

It’s all about developing STRENGTH and being able to sustain effort on uphills. It’s strength training mixed in with your regular running routine, and it really targets leg power.

Remember a few things about FORM when you are completing hill repeat workouts.

Use your arms for extra power.
Stay upright with your chest tall (don’t lean far forward on uphills or far backwards on downhills).
Engage your knees.

Sample Weekly Breakdown

So what does a structured weekly workout plan actually look like with a focus on both endurance and speed building? Here’s an idea:

Monday: Speed focused workout – intervals
Tuesday: Strength training workout
Wednesday: Endurance focused workout – hill repeats
Thursday: Strength training workout
Friday: Tempo run – (moderate pace with surges)
Saturday: Long run (slower, controlled pace)
Sunday: Rest or active recovery (easy walk, hike, bike, Pilates, etc)

The aim is to alternate between intensity and duration, allowing your body to adapt while minimizing fatigue, overuse, or burnout.

#2: Use Tempo Runs to Bridge the Gap

Tempo runs are sort of like the “sweet spot” between endurance and speed. Tempo runs are usually performed at a comfortably hard pace (about 80–85% of max effort).

Tempo sessions train your lactate threshold, improving your ability to sustain faster paces for longer periods. It’s teaching your body to blend and balance both endurance and speed.

Example Tempo Workout:

Warm-up: 5-10 minutes easy
Main Set: 3 x 10 minutes at tempo pace (2-minute jog between sets)
Cool-down: 10 minutes easy

This type of workout teaches your body to resist fatigue – essential for longer distance races.

#3: Add Hill Repeats for Both Endurance and Speed

Hill training, or hill repeat workouts, is endurance and speed rolled into one. Uphill running builds leg strength, power, and aerobic capacity without the pounding and repeated impact of a flat sprint.

Hill Workout Example:

Find a moderate hill
Run hard uphill for 30–60 seconds.
Walk or jog down for recovery.
Repeat 6–10 times.

Remember to reinforce good running mechanics and posture when running hill repeats – efficient arm swing, upright posture, and avoid leaning too far forward or backwards.

#4: Include Regular and Consistent Strength Training

It’s easier to overlook, maybe because it’s not actually a running workout, but regular and consistent strength training is immensely important to a healthy running routine, especially for long distance runners. Strength training helps prevent injuries, encourage efficient movement, improve posture, strengthen all the necessary players, improve harmony among systems, and offset fatigue.

Aim for 2 weekly strength training workouts, focusing on movements such as:

Squats, lunges (forward and backwards), and step-ups/step-downs
Deadlifts and hip bridges
Core stability (planks, etc)
Upper body endurance (pushups, rows)

Keep reps moderate and focus on control over max load.

#5: Increase Gradually in Increments

Don’t go too hard or too fast, especially when balancing structured workouts and pursuing both goals of increased endurance and speed. GRADUAL INCREMENTS.

When you increase your weekly volume and mileage, do so in no more than 10-15% increments each week. This is in order to avoid overuse injuries and burnout. This means you should never jump from a 5 mile long run one Saturday to a 12 mile long run the next. OR, you should avoid running a weekly mileage total of 11 miles one week followed by 22 miles the next.

That’s why it is so important to give yourself enough time to train for your distance race goal. Trying to cram in an entire training season into 3 weeks is a recipe for injury.

One theme you’ll notice in ALL of my running training plans and calendars is plenty of time! Check out a few examples and even grab some FREE training calendars for all distances, including marathon, half marathon, and more.

#6: Prioritize Recovery and Nutrition

These are often seen as supporting players, but they should really be treated with equal emphasis. How you fuel and how you recover are just as important as your actual running workouts! And it naturally makes sense that they need to be a priority, because training for both endurance and speed can be a lot on a body. Without proper recovery and nutrition, your performance and progress can easily plateau, leaving you frustrated and confused. Worse case scenario, is you risk overuse and injury, which can be even more detrimental and devastating.

Here’s a few Recovery must-haves:

Sleep: Aim for 7–9 hours per night (no, 6 hours is actually NOT enough!)
Fueling: Eat balanced before, carbs for energy during, protein for muscle repair after, and consistent hydration and/or electrolyte replacement for performance.
Rest and Active Recovery: Schedule at least one full recovery day each week. Active recovery days can also be rest days, and should consistent of nothing more than an easy walk, hike, yoga session, bike, etc.
Listen to your body – feeling a little sore or fatigued can be normal after a tough workout, but feeling that way, with or without lingering pain, for multiple days or weeks can be a sign of something else. It may mean you need to evaluate whether to scale back in intensity in order to avoid injury or burnout.

Check out this introductory guide to the essential runner’s diet – A Beginner’s Guide to Nutrition and Fueling. Full of helpful ratio breakdowns, recovery snack ideas, recipes, fueling timeframes, and tips for before, during, and after fueling.

The best runner's diet — *The Runner’s Diet: Nutrition and Fueling for Beginners*

Final Tips on Endurance and Strength

It’s all about smarter, not harder. Throwing yourself at these two goals without a plan can lead to an imbalance, an injury, or burnout.

Have a solid base foundation in place before pursuing endurance and speed building.
Combine those steady and consistent base miles with targeted speed and endurance workouts.
Focus on strength training to support
Don’t forget recovery and nutrition!
Listen to your body.

When done right, achieving the balance of endurance and strength will having you running faster for longer – the ultimate goal for any long distance runner!

RELATED ARTICLES:

And don’t miss my collection of Training Plans and Calendars, covering distances including marathons, half marathons, and 10k’s.

*Did you know I also offer 1:1 Coaching and Consults for beginner runners? Build a customized training plan and calendar, discuss essential gear, and develop a fueling and hydration plan, plus more! RESERVE YOUR SPOT HERE!

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6 Steps to Build Endurance and Speed for Long Distance Runners

6 Steps to Build Endurance and Speed Simultaneously