The fitness focus will be ‘lactate shuttling’ the ability to do short very hard efforts during a long hard effort (just like cross country running).
The technical focus will be keeping a good upright posture when running.
Strength and Conditioning
All exercises should be body weight variants only unless an S&C coach (can be me) has agreed you have perfect form. Good examples of form can be found on https://www.muscleandstrength.com/exercises
Single leg squats on to a box (or chair)
Suggested Drills for the week
A-March to A-Skip progression
Lunge progression with a focus on keeping torso ‘tall’
Strides whilst imaging a balloon attached to your head.
Tuesday Session
10 minute warm-up
4x 8 minutes @ 10km pace with 2 minute recoveries.
10 minute cool-down
Thursday Session
10 mins easy warm up including drills
3x 800m @ 10km race pace with 400 easy between reps followed by a threshold effort* with 50m ‘sprint’ bursts.
* threshold should be approximately a pace you can sustain for an hour – this will be somewhere between 10km and half marathon race pace. This table allows you to look up your ‘VDOT’ based on race paces and then table 2 on the same page shows your threshold pace.
10 mins Cool Down
Sunday Session
Minimum of 10 minutes warm up
Find some rolling hills and do a run at a conversational pace but with a bit more effort on the uphills.
At least 10 minutes cool down
Manchester Harriers and Athletics Club 