The Specificity Rule

The most effective training mimics the event for which youre training. This is the cardinal rule of training for any activity. If you want to run a 10 K at seven minute per mile pace, you need to do some running at that pace. Runners are best served by running at goal pace and in the expected environment of that race, says Ann Snyder, Ph.D., director of the human performance lab at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee.

The Exception Its impractical to wholly mimic a race particularly longer distances in training because it would require extended recovery. So, when doing race specific training, keep the total distance covered shorter than the goal race, or run at your race pace in shorter segments with rest breaks interval training .