Intervals
Bannister 10×400
The four-minute-mile classic
Main set: 10 × (400 m @ 88% + 2 min 30 s @ 40%)
About this workout
Roger Bannister ran this session through the winter and spring before his 3:59.4 mile on 6 May 1954: 10 × 440 yards, about 400 m, with roughly 2 minutes of jogging between reps. He progressed by running the same reps faster, from about 66 seconds each to under 60, the pace of a 4-minute mile.
Fartlek's version keeps the 10 reps at 88% with 2 minutes 30 seconds of easy running between them, so you run it by effort instead of chasing his times. Bannister's mile, 70 years on.
The workout
| Block | What to run | Cue |
|---|---|---|
| Warm-up | 4 min @ 30% + 2 min @ 40% + 20 s @ 60% + 40 s @ 30% + 20 s @ 60% + 40 s @ 30% + 10 s @ 80% + 50 s @ 30% + 10 s @ 80% + 50 s @ 30% + 1 min rest | Easy flow, build; two pickups, two short strides, then settle before fast work |
| 10 × 400m | 10 × (400 m @ 88% + 2 min 30 s @ 40%) | Even 400s, jog 2:30 |
| Cool-down | 6 min @ 30% | Relaxed jog |
Times for distance reps assume a 6:00/km pace.
How each effort should feel
Efforts are a percentage of your all-out effort, set by feel (RPE), not by pace. From Fartlek's effort guide:
- 30% Very easy. Walking pace or the gentlest jog.
- 40% Easy. Relaxed jog, easy to chat.
- 60% Steady. Still chatty, breathing deeper.
- 80% Hard. A few words at a time.
- 88% Very hard. A word or two, tops.
Pete's tip
Ten even quarters at a strong, repeatable pace with a full 2:30 jog between. Aim for the last matching the first. Control beats early speed.
Pete, Fartlek's AI coach
What it trains
Speed. Improve your pace and explosiveness.