Scullion's Fatigue Buffer
Workout - Scullion's Fatigue Buffer
- 10min @ 7'00''/km
- 100m @ 4'00''/km
- 100m @ 4'00''/km
- 100m @ 4'00''/km
- 100m @ 4'00''/km
- 3 lots of:
- 400m @ 4'45''/km
- 1min 15s rest
- 400m @ 4'45''/km
- 1min 15s rest
- 400m @ 4'45''/km
- 1min 15s rest
- 400m @ 4'45''/km
- 1min 15s rest
- 0.0mi @ 9'40''/mi
- 3min rest
- 10min @ 9'00''/km
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Intro
Stephen Scullion, an Olympic marathoner, looks at Why is getting better at RUNNING so hard? Is it worth it? in a recent video. Here’s a breakdown of the core ideas and the training session he features, ready to adapt today.
Key points
- Running can feel arbitrary because success rides on so many factors: health, mental state, weather, plain luck. Stephen’s advice is to reframe how you measure progress. Instead of pure race outcomes, focus on the process: how you feel after a run, the mental clarity, the consistency of training.
- Instead of only outcome targets (“run a sub-3-hour marathon”), use process targets (“wake up feeling energized after a morning run”). The sport feels more manageable that way.
- One track session builds your ability to absorb fatigue, so you can hold your goal pace even when a race pushes harder than planned.
Workout example
Track fatigue-buffer session (St Mary’s Track):
- Set 1: 4 × 400 m at a brisk but controlled effort (roughly 5-10 seconds faster than 5K pace). 60-90 seconds rest between reps.
- Threshold mile: right after the 400s, run 1 mile at threshold (around lactate threshold pace, about 20-30 seconds slower than 10K race pace). This soaks up the fatigue from the 400 m work.
- Recovery: easy jog or walk for 2-3 minutes.
- Repeat: three full cycles of 400s + mile, easing the mile pace as needed so you finish with something in the tank.
- Variation: faster runners can swap the mile for a 1 km threshold (as Katie does in the video) to keep the fatigue-buffer effect with a shorter rep.
Pro tip: aim for “comfortably uncomfortable” on each threshold rep, hard but doable. If you’re wrecked for the next 400 set, take a few seconds off the mile pace next round.
Closing note
Try this fatigue-buffer workout and see how it steadies your pace when races get unpredictable. Adjust the paces in the Pacing app to match your zones.