5K Pace Pyramid - 1 Hour Interval Session - This Messy Happy

Aug 13, 2025

Intro

This is a quick summary of 5K Pace Pyramid - 1 Hour Interval Session from This Messy Happy. It’s a great watch — we’re breaking it down so you can try the workout today. Be sure to check out the full video for all the details.

Key Points

The workout is a speed‑endurance pyramid that starts with short intervals and builds up to a 5‑minute hard effort, then mirrors back down, all in about an hour.
Hard 5K pace is used for the work intervals; you should run at the pace you could sustain for a 5‑kilometre race.
Recovery time is half the duration of each work interval (e.g., 1‑minute effort → 30‑second easy jog).
The session teaches negative splitting – aim to run the descending part of the pyramid a little faster than the ascent, giving you a feel for racing harder in the latter half.
Not recommended for beginners – build a solid aerobic base first and include a solid 10‑15‑minute warm‑up and cool‑down.

Workout Example

Warm‑up – 10‑15 minutes easy jog.
Pyramid intervals (work interval at your hard 5K pace, followed by half‑time recovery):
- 1 min work / 30 sec recovery
- 2 min work / 1 min recovery
- 3 min work / 1½ min recovery
- 4 min work / 2 min recovery
- 5 min work / 2½ min recovery
- Down‑pyramid: repeat the same intervals in reverse order, aiming to run the second half slightly faster than the first.
Cool‑down – 5‑10 minutes easy jog.

Closing Note

Give the 5K‑pace pyramid a try this week, and feel free to adjust the work paces to match your own 5K race pace in the Pacing app. You’ll get a clear gauge of where you stand and a solid boost in speed‑endurance. Go get it! 🚀