Half a century ago, American marathoner Buddy Edelen snuck out for a 40-minute run on his rest day. Edelen was the first man to break 2:15 for 26.2 miles, yet he suffered the same crisis of confidence about taking days off that plague most
edge on your prodigious fitness to smash your 10K and half-marathon PBs. (After a fortnight's recovery, Bruce Tulloh suggests easing into weekly speedwork such as 4-6 x 800m for half-marathons, and 8-12 x 400m for 10Ks, and thinking about racing from
practise pacing, hydration and running in crowds. I’d suggest running a half marathon, 10K or 10-miler once a month to monitor your progress. The merits of a 20-mile race are more debatable. It’s probably fine for a marathon-pace run, scheduled four to six
Running at different paces will not only add variety to your training, it’s also the most effective way to enhance your overall performance. Short, fast bursts will improve your racing sharpness and your body’s capacity to pump blood and oxygen
Q For six months Ive been running twice a week. I do a long Sunday run, and a hard midweek hill or interval session. Is it possible to run a 3:30 marathon with only two sessions a week? All the marathon schedules I read say to run five or six days
Run The Workout Run 45 minutes at a gradual, incremental pace that finishes with the final five minutes at half-marathon race pace. Then do 5 x 4 minutes at your target 10K race pace, with a two-minute jog recovery between. Finish with a gentle 10
in longer races throughout the year. More practically, it offers something for everyone. It is long enough and testing enough to tempt an elite competitor, and yet within the endurance range of the novice athlete looking for their first racing experience
fairly fast, then 1M jog 10M slowWEEK 5 5M easy, off-road 6M, starting slow, finishing faster 3 x 5 mins fast, with 5-min jog recoveries 5M easy, inc 6 x 150m fast strides Rest or 3M jog 2M slow, then 1M fast, then 2M slow Warm up, then 10K race or 5M
the night before and on the morning of the event, and so on. Then check off each one before you leave for the race.SpeedworkUse an '800' number Yes, even a task as daunting as marathon training can't be simplified by doing Yasso 800s (a regime developed
, consult our race calendar and consider running one before your schedules start.Getty ImagesRule 3: Gradually build your specific enduranceThis is the ability to run longer and longer distances at marathon pace. It is a critical part of any successful
