six sets. This is plenty for a beginner. You should also consider increasing one run a week to more than 30 minutes. A good goal would be to build up one weekly run to at least 60 minutes.At some point, you may also want to add threshold training runs

to get the balance right between them. These training schedules – for people aiming for the Olympic distance race – do just that. These schedules run for 8-12 weeks, depending on your ability. Beginners – This programme is very simple and progressive

steady runs and marathon pace runs for more experienced runners. Spend 10-25 per cent of your training time here. High Intensity 80-95% of maxThe lower end (80-85 per cent) of this zone encompasses tempo (or lactate threshold) runs - a 'comfortably hard

into the no-pain, no-gain trap. They train too hard. You know what comes next; burnout, fatigue, injury.Some runners make the opposite mistake. They don’t train hard enough. Their speciality is junk mileage – running so slowly that they receive little

. Beginners should stick to one set, advanced runners can do up to three (go easy for three minutes between sets).Fine Tune your TrainingMake the following minor adjustments to your speedwork to meet your running and racing goals faster:Goal: Improve speed

toward home. Two hours, nothing to it. When I want to increase my training prior to a marathon, I just add another 9/1 segment on the outbound trip. Now the session lasts two hours and 20 minutes, and I hardly notice the difference. Two weeks later, I do

and confidence in your ability. Once you have done two to three weeks of building up the distances you should be able to focus more on speed and become more specific with the training.➌ While you are doing this you should work on developing your technique in all

Dr George Parrott. "Heart rate monitors, however, are far more precise."So, no matter what type of runner you are – beginner, intermediate or advanced – a heart rate monitor will help you train more effectively.Tips for BeginnersNovice runners

do you need to train a week to see improvement? Our panel of five beginners reveal how they took their first tentative steps - and how to pick up the pace.Getting StartedIf you're already quite active you could head out for a slowish run straight away

You've been training for a few months, maybe completed a sprint triathlon or two, and you want to move to the next level. As well as spending more time training, getting to grips with the latest gear and honing your technique, joining a triathlon