Every runner reaches a point where their times just seem to stop improving, training runs get harder and harder to get up for, and the snug in the local pub seems a far more attractive proposition than an evening of fartlek.Sometimes these times

of speed. You can also try to mix a variety of speed sessions into an overall programme, from short, sharp intervals to longer repetition runs with short rest periods. Running on hills or doing fartlek sessions (long or short repeats at variable speeds

/1 run/walking, and each four-minute run was different. I did everything from four minutes very slow to a variety of four-minute fartlek runs to four minutes at a hard, steady pace.Better speedwork Same as the above, but with harder effort. An R/W session

; the trick is doing the training that gets you gradually stronger."—Keith Brantly, Olympic marathoner20. Pick fun hard runs"Do sessions that you enjoy. Mile and 400m repetitions are more fun for me than fartlek. I feel better about my running when I do

I tell if the weather is likely to change? What are the distances of all track lanes? --How should I train between marathons?I'm pressed for time. What should my one key session be? --How can I recover my speed after time off?How do I do fartlek

, but it's supposed to. 60-70% Long, slow runs - when you run up to 65% of your working heart rate, your body is teaching itself to burn fat as fuel (useful for marathons). Anything from one to three hours. 70-85% Fartlek - speedplay (moderate-paced runs

Paula Radcliffe would risk a five-a-side match but it's probably like a good fartlek session, as long as you do the kicks rather than get kicked. I used to find football would kill my legs because of the twists and turns but if you play regularly it

, then 1M jogWed 8M steady (approx 68 mins)Thu 1M easy, then middle 4M at marathon pace (approx 32 mins), then 1M easyFri RestSat Parkrun 5km or 40 mins fartlek (approx 5M)Sun 15M steady(approx 2hrs 7)WEEK FIFTEEN (April 4-10): approx 29MMon RestTue 1M jog

to be for that week (at least) and what each session is supposed to achieve. Write a list of your motives and goals and how it all works in the bigger picture, from fartleks to longer endurance runs. On a purely practical level, this means that you can get the right

is this particular run for? Is it a threshold run, a steady or a fartlek? Too often both runners agree on a comfortable talking pace beforehand, only to see one of the runners surging away regardless. Warming up can also be a problem. If one half runs