that target for another a year or so.—Steve Smythe, RW Race Services Editor, coach and runner for 32 years

training runs and the highest-volume weeks of the schedules. They’re hard weeks, but you can do it.Don’t even think about giving up or easing off now (unless you’re injured). The work you put into the next five key weeks will pay dividends on race day

painful and frustrating experience, but this is especially likely if you have tried to get away with a low training volume.To console you, everyone who ever began training on a twice-weekly basis (and that includes most runners) has found it difficult

Cutting back on volume and intensity for a race seven days away may seem obvious, but many runners still get it wrong. So, for the perfect taper, just do this:Sat/Sun 75 per cent of your long run (if it’s usually 10 miles, run 7)Mon 20-30 minutes

Standfirst: 10-mile race brings out all the attributes of the distance runner. Follow our training programme and you could be hitting your target time in eight weeksAuthor: Bruce TullohPics:Issue date: nov98Keywords:uan95--Because running a good 10

but just reduce the volume.For example, if you were doing 10 x 400m you might reduce it to 6 x 400 - if you were doing 6 x 1000m, you might do 3-4 x 1000m. The closer you are to the race, the more you reduce the volume. And I wouldn't do anything faster

, but to do one long run a week. This run gradually increases in distance over the weeks. The training volume levels out at about 22 miles a week, spread over four runs.

, and always strive not to drop a long run or speed session if you’re forced to miss a day.In Weeks 5-8... you add volume and speedThis is a key period. The training is still intensifying each week, you have still to reach the heaviest period, but the key

that the electrolytes themselves aren’t causing the nausea). Other factors that may increase the rate of transfer include taking in larger volumes of fluid at once and at a lower temperature (though if taking larger swigs leaves you bloated, try smaller sips more

If you’ve been training for weeks, you’ll want to make the last workout before your race count. Studies indicate the best way to prepare for a race is to reduce the volume of your running (mileage) while maintaining the intensity. These four