Well, it is different for me anyways. Here is what I'm thinking. (For a distance runner 5k to Marathon)
Ok so I foregt about specific terms and paces like lactate threshold and VO2 max and instead focus on getting in a good varierty of pace ranges in training, with maybe a little more focus on goal race pace as important races approach.
So I have divided up potential training paces as follows:
Pace 1 - 1500 to 3k race pace
Pace 2 - 3k to 10k race pace
Pace 3 - 10k - HM race pace
Pace 4 - HM to Marathon race pace
Pace 5 - Steady State (50k pace)
Pace 6 - Easy/Recovery pace (65-75% of MHR)
I use an equivalency chart to help since I don't regularly race all these distance. I base paces on what equivalent race performances are for each distance, based on my most recent race(s) that indicate where my current fitness level is.
So I follow a 3 day mini-cycle with a hard workout day followed by 2 easy run days (hey I'm old, OK).
My sequence of hard workouts would be
Pace 1
Pace 3
Pace 5 (long run)
Pace 2
Pace 4
Pace 6 (extra long run)
Which gives me a 18 day micro-cycle.
This would be my general state of training and then when I want to get ready for a important race I add in the pace range for my race more often into the sequence.
How I would do work in the pace ranges would vary. Some times I'd do a continuous run at that pace, and some times I'd do shorter repeats with a break between them.
In general the slower the pace the more likely I'd be to do it as 1 continuous run or just a few longer repeats. The faster the training pace the more likely I'd be to break it into shorter repeats in order to achieve ample volume. For example, when doing a Pace 4 workout I'd probably just do it as 1-3 runs with the number and duration depending on the speed, and when doing a Pace 1 workout, I'd break them up into 5-10 sessions.
Does anyone else doing something similar?