VO2max 90-Second Run Intervals Session

Session Overview

Ninety-second VO2max intervals sit at the short end of the high-intensity spectrum — long enough to stress your aerobic ceiling, short enough to repeat 8–10 times before form degrades. This advanced track session builds the raw aerobic power and speed endurance that directly converts to a faster run split off the bike in sprint and Olympic distance triathlon.

What You’ll Need

• Running track (400m standard) or flat measured loop
• GPS watch with interval timer or manual lap function
• Running shoes suitable for track speed work
• Water bottle at trackside

Warm-Up (15 minutes)

Run 15 minutes easy at RPE 3–4, followed by 5 minutes of dynamic drills: high knees, butt kicks, leg swings, and ankle circles. Finish with 4 x 100m strides at 5km race pace, walking back to the start each time. You must feel completely loose and ready to work before beginning the first interval.

Main Set

Complete 8–10 x 90-second intervals at 3km to 5km race pace (RPE 9 out of 10), with 90 seconds of walking or very easy jogging as recovery. The 1:1 work-to-rest ratio is intentional — it allows you to maintain pace quality across all reps. If pace drops more than 10 seconds per kilometre from your target on reps 6 and beyond, stop the set. Quality over volume.

• Reps 1–2: Establish target pace — controlled, not an all-out sprint
• Reps 3–6: Hold pace; focus on tall posture and quick ground contact
• Reps 7–8: Maintain pace despite accumulating fatigue — this is where the adaptation occurs
• Reps 9–10 (if completing 10): maximum controlled effort to the end
• Recovery: 90 seconds walking or very easy jog between every rep

Cool-Down (10 minutes)

Jog very easily for 10 minutes at RPE 2, then stretch thoroughly — hip flexors, quads, hamstrings, calves, and glutes. VO2max sessions create significant muscular and connective tissue stress; post-session mobility work directly affects your recovery timeline.

Coaching Notes

• This is an advanced session — do not attempt without a solid foundation of threshold and tempo running
• With a heart rate monitor, you should reach 95–98% of max HR by the last 30 seconds of each rep
• Allow 48 hours before your next hard session — VO2max work demands meaningful recovery
• Beginners: substitute 6 x 2-minute efforts at 10km effort with 2 minutes of walking recovery instead