create just the right balance of fitness and rest for an extended season of excellence. Reload Two to 12 days after a race...1 Return to regular training mileage2 Do a long run of at least 90 minutes every week3 Resume long intervals, 5 x 1,000m at 10K

of Medical Science for Sport and Exercise showed that speed at lactate threshold is the best physiological predictor of distance-running performance. Indeed, Frank Shorter, the 1972 Olympic marathon champion was said to have had a modestly high VO2max

Many elite runners plan their racing calendars a year or more in advance. There are some right now who know that in order to be on the starting line of an Olympic final in Beijing in August 2008, they need to hit an A-standard qualifying time in a

suggested weekly totals by event for elites versus the rest of us: Race Distance Runner Miles/Week 5K Elite 70-80 Mortal 20-25 10K Elite 80-100 Mortal 25-30 Half-Marathon Elite 100-140

. A little more than a year later, they became famous for something else: their Olympic gold medals – Vasala in the 1500m and Viren in the 5000m and 10,000m. Pure coincidence? I don’t think so.By now I’m sure you can use the word fartlek in polite