the best return from your effort.Ultimate Three-Week Speed Training Programme (non-subscriber preview)Sign up for RW Speed Camp, and you'll soon have pace to burn.Race-Specific Speedwork Match your efforts to your events with these straightforward

heart rate. Your easy and long training runs can be much slower – they’re often just time on your feet. Don’t worry too much about pace – what is key, is the effort you put in. Pick some races at weekends, relax, make sure you’ve got enough breakfast

legend Liz McColgan, who has set up a new elite training facility in her home town of Carnoustie, Scotland. "When you're tired, the first thing to go is your form – when I was gearing up for big races I'd almost focus more on this than my running

have long enough before your race, you can start to add a little speedwork to your schedule once you reach a regular 16-20 miles a week. The benefits of speedwork far outweigh the small amount of time that you put into it, and it works for every level

is that you'll never have to think about what to do on a particular day. You get up, your session is there; you do it. Perfect.You may have seen these Runner's World programmes on the Race for Life website already:The beginners' six-week plan, based on a run

, contours and road surfaces, try to visit the local area to practise riding on the course and get your gearing sorted out. Bear in mind that roads won't be closed or marshalled before the race, so take extra care. See if you can gather a group of friends

You've done the hard part. The weeks of training are behind you and now you're looking forward to the race. You're ready to pit yourself against each discipline as well as fellow competitors to find out if your training's paid off, but your physical

. I also balance my helmet and sunglasses on my tribars so they are easy to put on."Andrea Whitcombe"Practise transitions during race week and if possible, incorporate brick swim/bike sessions into your training programme. Also simply practise taking