Summary:
These ten VO2 running workouts offer different ways to include Zone 5 within your marathon training. The sessions vary in how the very hard running is structured, giving you a range of options to explore alongside the longer endurance work within your preparation.
Adding Very Hard Running to Marathon Preparation
Marathon training naturally places a large emphasis on running you can sustain for much longer than a Zone 5 effort. That makes these sessions a deliberately different part of your preparation, giving you short periods of very hard running without trying to make the intensity resemble the demands of the marathon itself.
The ten workouts below vary how that Zone 5 work is approached. Some keep the very hard running within short repetitions, while others extend the individual efforts or combine them with running at another intensity. There is no need to build towards the session with the greatest amount of Zone 5 work. Instead, these are different workout ideas you can draw from when this intensity has a place within your training. The number of intervals can also be reduced or the recovery lengthened, depending on where you are in your training journey and what feels manageable for you.
Explore the wider training picture in our Why Do Running Zones Matter for Marathon Training? guide, which looks at how the different intensities can fit within your marathon preparation.
10 Example VO2 Workouts for Marathon
1. 2-Minute Repeats
Purpose: Uses equal work and recovery periods to accumulate Zone 5 training while helping you maintain the quality of each repetition.
Warm-Up: 10 min jog
Main Set: 5 x 2 min @ Zone 5 (2 min recovery between)
Cool-Down: 10 min jog
2. Short On/Off Intervals
Purpose: Breaks the Zone 5 work into short repetitions, helping you maintain pace and running quality across multiple efforts.
Warm-Up: 10 min jog
Main Set: 10 x 1 min @ Zone 5 (1 min recovery between)
Cool-Down: 10 min jog
3. VO2 Pyramid
Purpose: Challenges your pacing judgement as the interval duration rises and falls, helping you keep each effort appropriately controlled within Zone 5.
Warm-Up: 10 min jog
Main Set: 1 min → 2 min → 3 min → 2 min → 1 min @ Zone 5 (2 min recovery between)
Cool-Down: 10 min jog
4. Threshold Into VO2 Intervals
Purpose: Adds Zone 5 work after sustained threshold running, challenging you to produce higher-intensity efforts when fatigue has already accumulated.
Warm-Up: 10 min jog
Main Set:
10 min @ Zone 4
3 x 90 sec @ Zone 5 (90 sec recovery between)Cool-Down: 10 min jog
5. 400m Repeats
Purpose: Uses shorter distance-based efforts to develop running mechanics while maintaining speed across repeated intervals.
Warm-Up: 10 min jog
Main Set: 6 x 400m @ Zone 5 effort (90 sec recovery between)
Cool-Down: 10 min jog
6. Broken VO2 Sets
Purpose: Uses a longer recovery between blocks to help restore running quality before repeating another set of short Zone 5 efforts.
Warm-Up: 10 min jog
Main Set: 2 x (4 x 1 min @ Zone 5) (1 min recovery between, 3 min between sets)
Cool-Down: 10 min jog
7. Uphill VO2 Repeats
Purpose: Adds resistance through the incline, increasing the muscular demand of each Zone 5 effort without relying on faster running speeds.
Warm-Up: 10 min jog
Main Set: 5 x 60 sec uphill @ Zone 5 effort (walk/jog down recovery between)
Cool-Down: 10 min jog
8. VO2 With Strides
Purpose: Adds brief faster running after the Zone 5 work, giving you practice maintaining running coordination as fatigue carries into the final part of the session.
Warm-Up: 10 min jog
Main Set:
4 x 2 min @ Zone 5 (2 min recovery between)
4 x 20 sec strides (walk recovery between)
Cool-Down: 8 min jog
9. Long VO2 Intervals
Purpose: Extends each Zone 5 effort to increase the time spent under a high physiological demand before recovery.
Warm-Up: 10 min jog
Main Set: 4 x 4 min @ Zone 5 (2:30 recovery between)
Cool-Down: 10 min jog
10. VO2 Into Zone 2
Purpose: Places a small amount of Zone 5 work before sustained Zone 2 running, combining high-intensity training with endurance volume in the same session.
Warm-Up: 10 min jog
Main Set:
3 x 90 sec @ Zone 5 (90 sec recovery between)
45 min @ Zone 2Cool-Down: 10 min jog
Making Room for Zone 5 During Marathon Training
Zone 5 can be a useful contrast to the longer running that makes up much of marathon preparation, but these sessions still need to fit around everything else you are asking from your training. A demanding VO2 workout may make sense during one week and be less suitable during another, particularly as your overall running volume or longer sessions change.
Recovery becomes especially important when very hard running is added to an already demanding marathon schedule. Rather than treating the ten workouts as sessions that always need to be completed exactly as written, consider how much Zone 5 work makes sense alongside your current training. Keeping that wider context in mind can help the session serve its purpose without unnecessarily adding to the demands of the week.
Learn more about Zone 5 in our Why Does VO2 Training Matter for Marathon Runners? guide, where we explore the adaptations associated with VO2 training and how they can contribute to marathon performance.
Final Thoughts
Zone 5 can bring something very different to marathon training, taking you into short periods of very hard running that sit well above the intensity you would normally sustain across the distance. That contrast can make these sessions an enjoyable change when you want to challenge yourself beyond the longer efforts that feature throughout marathon preparation.
The ten workouts give you different ways to approach that intensity without needing to follow a particular order. Some may fit naturally into your training at certain points, while others might be sessions you simply return to when the timing feels right. However you approach them, give yourself the recovery that very hard running deserves before moving on to the next demanding part of your marathon training.
Always consult with a medical professional or certified coach before beginning any new training program. The information provided is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for personalized advice.
