The Mental Toughness Speed Sandwich
Workout - The Mental Toughness Speed Sandwich
- 12min @ 6'00''/km
- 3 lots of:
- 3min @ 4'30''/km
- 1min rest
- 2min @ 5'30''/km
- 1min rest
- 1min @ 4'00''/km
- 1min rest
- 3min @ 6'00''/km
- 10min @ 6'00''/km
Ready to start training?
If you already having the Pacing app, click try to import
this workout:
Don’t have the app? Copy the reference above,
to import the workout after you install it.
to import the workout after you install it.
Intro
Marathon Mind Games | 3:53 To 3:30 Marathon Attempt Ep4 from The Running Channel explores mental and physical strategies for marathon training. Here’s what stands out from the episode and how to put it into practice.
Key Points
- Chunking: Breaking a 42.2 km marathon into ~5 km blocks (similar to park-run distances) makes the full distance feel far less daunting.
- Smile Mantra: Positive self-talk like “smile a mile” eases how hard the effort feels and can boost your running form.
- Speed Work: Short, punchy intervals—3 min, 2 min, 1 min efforts with rest between—sharpen fitness and add variety to your long-run training.
- Strength & Conditioning: Bodyweight exercises (glute bridges, band clams, hand-free squats, arabesque high-knees, shoulder-touches) and barefoot drills build stability and guard against injury.
- Recovery Mindset: When fatigue or illness hits, take a few days completely off, then return with easy-paced runs to protect your training phase.
Workout Example (from the video)
Speed-Interval Workout — distances in kilometres
- 2 km easy warm-up
- 3 sets of the following:
- 3 min at a hard effort (≈10 km pace)
- 2 min at a moderate effort
- 1 min at a hard effort
- 60 sec recovery between the two hard efforts
- 3 min easy jog between sets
- Cool-down jog for ~5 min
Optional add-on: Follow up with the 5-minute strength circuit: 2 rounds of glute bridges, band clams, hand-free squats, arabesque high-knees, and shoulder-touches (10 reps each, move straight through without pausing).
Closing Note
Use these tactics on your next run—adjust the paces to match your training zones in the Pacing app. You have everything you need; get out there and make those kilometers feel more manageable. Keep running!