to your programme. Remember: the primary purpose of speedwork is to become faster, but a more important goal is to stay injury-free as you build up for your race. So ease off on training whenever you think that you’re pushing yourself too hard

weeks to recover, followed by a couple of weeks of normal training before tapering off again. During the two weeks of training you should not attempt anything which is long and hard; instead, work on shorter distances to improve your VO2max, such as fast

to be another marathon of course. Why not use all the hard work you put in for the marathon to improve your times at shorter distances? There’s no need to rush back into hard training; just ease yourself back into running with a few gentle runs, and maybe

Time: 4:39Hard graft - just not enough training due to work. Got around in 4.39 which was what I was expecting. Was a complete plonker on the day - I forgot to affix my chip! Remember the runners motto "In the marathon - as in loving - you have

to improve my pace, I added a special ingredient to my training. Hard work! Hard work in the form of group speedwork sessions every week. And during my training for the London Marathon this year, while adding a speed session or two, my office nickname

tempo pace. "This is about hitting target times while being in complete control," says McIlroy.IntervalsOf all training runs, intervals are the most potent for improving your fitness. Short, hard efforts increase the volume of oxygen-rich blood your

a day off to allow your body and mind a breather. Smart training"Train lots" is good advice, but "have structure" is better. Spend three weeks building your training load and intensity, extending your long runs, rides and hard efforts each week until

-loaded leg muscles.The last thing to remember is that the real benefit of a hard training camp will not be felt until two or three weeks later, so allow yourself a few easy days after the camp. You should not train hard until you feel recovered, but when you

brisk seven to nine miles midweek, and a short race or a threshold run on the Saturday. Your cycling during the week can be made into training by putting in hard efforts uphill. If there’s a lot of flat cycling on your daily route, try putting in fast

GETTY IMAGESHow fast should you – or could you – race? How fast should you train? And how can you stick to a pace on race day?Look no further than these interactive calculators for help... Training Pace Calculator Train too hard, and you