Week starting 25 August

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Hello people,


This week is a busy one for racing. The key to racing well is not to taper too much, but to keep the legs and mind ticking over with some decent runs.


But — and it’s a big but — you don’t need a hard Tuesday session. What you need is a Tuesday turnover. If you’re racing on Friday or at the weekend, a heavy Tuesday session is pointless. It only drains energy, physically and mentally.


What I recommend instead:


  • A controlled mile tempo to settle in.
  • Then a short, sharp set of 6 × 400m efforts at race pace, with 90 secs jog forward between each.



Over the years I’ve seen runners smash a big Tuesday session just days before a race — often out of insecurity, inexperience, or because a coach wants to stay “relevant.” In reality, what you do on Tuesday will not improve fitness for Friday. It will only hinder your race. So get it right.


Since most of us are racing Wednesday and Friday, I’m also proposing a longer block of efforts on Saturday to balance the week.




Weekly Plan


Tuesday 6.50pm – Sabrina Road


  • Warm up
  • 1 mile tempo
  • 6 × 400m off 90 secs jog forward
  • A few miles warm down



Thursday


  • 3–4 miles easy
  • Finish with strides



Friday


  • Warm up well


  • Race

    Put into practice the things we’ve been working on in training: your warm-up routine and running comfortably at different paces. Back yourselves. Don’t rely on your watch — better still, press start and don’t look at it at all. Rely on feel, trust the process, and most importantly: just race and beat as many people as possible.




Saturday 9.30am – Compton Park


  • 5 × 5 mins off 90 secs recovery



Sunday 9.30am – Cupcake Lane


  • Long run


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