Why Rhythm Runs Rule

How to do one of Chris Solinsky's staple workouts

Stacey Cramp

Chris Solinsky can see the finish line. He and his teammates round the final turn in tight formation, two deep and two wide. They know every step of this course. A quiet 3.5-mile loop up in the hills of Portland, it's the same place they always come for rhythm runs, a mainstay in coach Jerry Schumacher's program. They anticipate each rise and fall and turn in the road. They know just how far they've come and how close they are, but they don't pick up the pace.

"We call them rhythm runs," says Solinsky, "and, the way I see it, their purpose is callusing. Rhythm runs are all about controlled effort, a quality strength program. We're starting slower, working up to find the rhythm in the middle, and then staying in that small window. It's not a killer effort, just a slow, controlled, callusing."

Schumacher sent them off an hour ago with brief instructions: "12 miles. 6:00 down to 5:00. Progress appropriately." Solinsky, Matt Tegenkamp, Simon Bairu and Evan Jager, world-championship runners all, don't need further explanation. They've run this workout more times than they care to remember. They've run 8-milers and 18-milers this way. They've finished in 5:30 pace and, years later, 5:00 pace. They've run in big groups and in solo runs with Schumacher along on the bike. In every month of the year, at every point in the season and in every condition, Schumacher 's guys are rhythm running.

These men know that the purpose of the day is to put in the time, to add to their already enormous aerobic base, and to do so as easily and fluidly as possible. No gritting their teeth. No muscling through. No sprinting or gasping or lying on the asphalt after the finish line. Today is an investment.

They keep their metronomic clip until they cross the line and stop their watches. They gradually slow to a walk and a moment's break before trotting off on a cooldown. There were no heroics here today. While finishing a 12-mile run at 5:00 pace may seem like an impossible effort to mere mortals, Solinsky's effort was contained. Consider that his 5K race pace is 4:08 per mile, 2 minutes faster than he began today's workout. The pace was much closer to a typical easy day, which he runs at 6:00 to 7:00 pace. Yet, these men are confident that, under Schumacher's tutelage, they are another day stronger.

"Jerry," to the guys, has fostered devotees of his athletes, and not without reason. Among his stable are national recordholders, Olympians and world championship finalists. Most recently, Solinsky shocked fans, competitors and himself with a 26:59 10,000m. He broke the American record and become the fastest non-African of all time in his first try at the distance. Schumacher clearly knows what he's doing.

His is a program based in strength. His athletes accumulate mileage and increase workload slowly over time. They progress methodically and steadily, and they improve reliably. Solinsky's recent breakthrough wasn't due to any great change or experimental training, but rather the cumulative strength gained over his eight years of work under Schumacher.


While Schumacher's results have been groundbreaking, his methods aren't. Rhythm runs, for instance, are a part of nearly every successful runner's program. Elsewhere they are known as long tempos, sustained efforts, quality days or just runs that get out of hand. No matter the terminology, any distance program worth its spikes has devoted a significant amount of time to the in-between pace.

At Stanford University, for instance, they call them progression runs. "They're really the meat and potatoes of distance running," says David Vidal, former All-American at Stanford currently in his fifth year on the coaching staff . "They're the miles you've just got to put in to be a great runner. The difficult part is applying them with purpose and restraint." The Stanford men will run an 8-to 10-mile progression run as often as every other week, progressing from 6:00 pace to 5:00 pace or just under. It's a nearly identical workout to that of Schumacher's group, with similarly impressive results. Vidal has helped coach 51 All-Americans and 18 Pac-10 champions, and he credits much of his success to embracing simplicity.

"To become better at running, you have to run," he says. "Progression runs are simply great practice running." Vidal lifts a hand and counts off the benefits gained. "It's aerobic development. It's raising the lactic threshold. It's building capillaries. It's strengthening neuromuscular connections. It's causing more adaptations than I can list. But, in the end, it's just making you a better runner, as simple as that."

He continues mumbling physiological and anatomical terms, too many for his fingers, before waving his hand and beginning again.

"The thing about the typical runner is they go out and they run 7:30 pace every day, and they get really good at running 7:30 pace," Vidal says. "And, maybe they do workouts at race pace. They think that as long as they have the mileage, and they have the speed work, they're going to be ready to go. But they still have these huge gaps in fitness.

"Being able to run comfortably and well at all paces makes running each one of those paces, including race pace, more efficient. Different paces and workouts do different things. They work different systems and challenge your body to adapt in different ways. The reason progression runs are a good thing is just because they bring a different set of stressors. Significant time at every pace is what's important. Running 6:00 pace isn't just making you better at 6:00 pace. It's filling in gaps in who knows how many places: your muscles, your bones, your nervous system, your head."


Rhythm runs have malleable parameters and elusive definitions. It's not really in their spirit to assign them precise paces, but here's the rough and dirty of it.

Stanford athletes begin their progression runs at about 1:30 per mile slower than 5K race pace and end at about 30 seconds per mile slower than race pace. Vidal emphasizes that the paces vary by the individual, the time of year, the day, the conditions, the school/work load, and on and on.

Both Solinsky's squad and the Stanford runners do rhythm runs year-round, but with varied frequency. During base building these will account for 10 to 15 percent of weekly mileage, and be run at least every other week. As racing season draws near and the emphasis switches from strength to speed, they'll be run less frequently and less predictably.

"In the end, it's all about practice," says Vidal, "like playing the violin or riding a bike. To get better, you've got to practice. To get really good, you've got to practice a lot. That's just all there is to it."


DON'T NEGLECT YOUR WARM-UP, but don't overdo it. Chris Solinsky shortens his typical 25-minute warm-up and cool-down to 15 minutes.

RUN YOUR PACE. This isn't the day to test yourself with a faster group. You'll get far more physiological gains from running a little too slow than a little too fast.

USE A HEART RATE MONITOR if you're having trouble feeling the pace. Check out runningtimes.com/hrmonitor for an easy guide to figuring out your heart rate zones. Rhythm run pace will be between threshold and easy run pace.

START SLOW. David Vidal tells his runners to start slower than they think they should. It will prep your body for the harder effort to come, and you'll end up running faster more easily.

DON'T WORRY. Feeling paces takes experience. Experiment with pace, and make a pledge to learn from failed experiments.

TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE WEATHER. The longer the effort, the more a hot day will affect performance. Adjust paces and distances accordingly.


Here's how American 10,000m record-holder Chris Solinsky fits a rhythm run into a typical training week.

Sunday: Long run
Monday: Easy
Tuesday: 15-minute warm-up, 8-mile rhythm run, 15-minute cool-down
Wednesday: 25-minute warm-up, short hill sprint series, 25-minute cool-down
Thursday: Easy
Friday: Hard track session
Saturday: Easy

JULIA LUCAS is a member of the Oregon Track Club with a 5,000m best of 15:33.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
More From Workouts