will be replenished. Then hone that work by reducing total volume to boost muscle glycogen levels and immune function. But keep the intensity high in a few key sessions to recruit fast-twitch muscle fibres and to stay sharp physically and mentally. With this mix, you
Runners usually talk about muscles in terms of quads, glutes and hamstrings. Exercise physiologists, on the other hand, talk about muscles in terms of fast-twitch and slow-twitch fibres - which is one of the reasons why physiologists aren't invited
will become proficient at running long, slow miles. My ultramarathoner friends often go on four- and five-hour slow runs, which prepare them for 50-mile-plus races but do little for their ability to smoke a fast 5K.Rule #5 Let your body adapt to increased
sessions every two to four weeks. Generally, these workouts are done at 3,000m pace (eight to 12 seconds per mile faster than 5K race pace). The pace is fast, so don't make these your first repeats of the season. Classic Six to eight lots of three minutes
Sunday. Do what feels right.Saturday: 30-minute run followed by 4 x 100m strides After running easy for 30 minutes, do four 100m strides at your projected 5K race pace to simulate a strong finishing kick. The speed will wake up your fast-twitch muscle
Chasing an autumn marathon PB? Make your next race a 13.1-miler. "Doing a shorter race three or four weeks beforehand is very sensible – most experienced runners would run at least one or two as part of their build-up," says endurance coach Nick Anderson, (fullpotential.co.uk.) T...
precisely once every four years - when it mattered. As Viren himself said, "Some do well in other races, some run fast times, but they cannot do well in the ultimate, the Olympics … The question is not why I run this way, but why so many cannot."Dr Marco
that by how fast she ran those two 800s. On three occasions she ran both in 2:04, only eight seconds off the national record. "When I ran that workout well, I knew I was ready to race," says Favor-Hamilton, "where it always came down to holding a
, too. Elite Secret # 3: Pace The WorkoutGoing out too fast in both training and racing is the undoing of many talented runners, says Dave Saker, middle-distance coach at the University of Bath. "Marilyn Okoro, who I used to train, did a 56-second first
