Category: Training

This week we will be starting a bit more work at pace and improving VO2 Max since cross country season will soon be upon us.

For our technical goal we will be aiming to use a nice, strong arm drive.

Suggested Drills for the week

A-Progression (A-March, A-Skip, A-Run)

A-Progression (A-March, A-Skip, A-Run) with focus on arm drive

Strides while focusing on the individual aspects of arm drive in each of 4 sets of strides; keeping elbow joint at 90 degrees, keeping the arm in the correct plane, getting a full arm drive and keeping the shoulders relaxed.

Tuesday Session

10 minutes warm-up

4 minutes of run fast* for a count of 20 breaths, walk for 10 breaths (repeating this cycle for 4 minutes) THEN full recovery including some easy running.

* fast – this should be a reasonably smooth acceleration to your maximum pace. By the end of the 4 minutes it will feel EXTREMELY challenging.

REPEAT the above four times

10 mins Cool Down

For background see here.

Thursday Session

20 mins easy warm up – include the suggested drills for the week

The track will be set with cones a short distance (approx 15 seconds walk) from the 200m and start/finish points. Accelerate to a max effort between the 200m points on the track. When you get to either the 200m or start/finish point the slow down and stop, walk to the cone and back and then do the next 200m hard effort. If done correctly you should get about 30 seconds hard effort and 30 seconds walking.

You will do the above for 5 minutes, then take an extended break (2 minutes) then repeat…

5 mins cool down

Weekend Session

Minimum of 10 minutes warm up

Do a long run (distance will be up to you but this should be your longest run of the week) but every 1km do a stride (accelerate to 90% of sprint speed, hold it for 10 breaths or approx 20 seconds, then decelerate).

This weeks fitness focus is on efforts slightly over threshold (maximum lactate steady state) – starting to get specific to the demands of cross country racing with efforts from 40 minutes to an hour.

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

Squat to Pop Squat progression

Split squat to alternating leg lunge jump

Suggested Drills for the week

Ground touches (while running)

Leg swings

Carioca (Grapevine)

Tuesday Session

10 minutes easy running to warm up

FIVE TIMES: 6 minutes running at 10km / cross-country race effort and 3 minutes easy running

5 minutes cool down

Thursday Session

10 minutes easy running

Drills

5 x 800 with reducing rest (starting at 120 seconds rest)

Cool down

Sunday Session

A long (relative to your normal weekly runs) run with strides (accelerate to 90% of your max speed and hold for 10-15 seconds) every 1km.

For the next few weeks we’re going to be working on a bit more endurance work and a focus on gauging pace (and effort) by feel rather than using a watch.

From a technical perspective we’ll be mixing up the drills and making sure that we can do a race warm-up properly.

Suggested Drills for the week

Mobility drills

Tuesday Session

10 minutes warm-up

For 35 minutes gradually increase the pace as a group try to increase the pace evenly by checking the distance every 2 minutes (use lap on your watch), if someone can’t keep up then let them ease up to a recovery pace – anyone else who then can’t keep up stops and waits for the ‘recovery pace’ group. The aim of this session is to increase the pace as smoothly as possible but to not lose anyone until the last 2 minutes of the rep.

15 mins Cool Down

Thursday Session

10 minutes warm-up

8 x 800m at 5km pace with standing/mobile recovery (2 mins max) – these are to be done without looking at your watch with the aim being to get every rep as close as possible to the time of the first rep.

10 mins Cool Down

Weekend Session

Minimum of 10 minutes warm up

Do a long run (distance will be up to you but this should be your longest run of the week) but find somewhere with a long hill (that takes at least 3 minutes to summit – but ideally nearer 10 minutes) start at a moderate effort but keep building the effort (if not pace!) to maximum by the end, jog back down to recover.

For the next few weeks we’re going to be working on a bit more endurance work and a focus on gauging pace (and effort) by feel rather than using a watch.

From a technical perspective we’ll be mixing up the drills and making sure that we can do a race warm-up properly.

Suggested Drills for the week

A Progression

B Progression

Straight Legged Running

Strides while focusing on the individual aspects of arm drive in each of 4 sets of strides; keeping elbow joint at 90 degrees, keeping the arm in the correct plane, getting a full arm drive and keeping the shoulders relaxed.

Tuesday Session

10 minutes warm-up

For 15 minutes gradually increase the pace as a group try to increase the pace evenly by checking the distance every 2 minutes (use lap on your watch), if someone can’t keep up then let them ease up to a recovery pace – anyone else who then can’t keep up stops and waits for the ‘recovery pace’ group. The aim of this session is to increase the pace as smoothly as possible but to not lose anyone until the last 2 minutes of the rep.

Recover for 3-4 minutes together

REPEAT the above three times

10 mins Cool Down

Thursday Session

10 minutes warm-up

3 x 2000m ( 5 laps! ) – 2 to 3 minutes standing/mobile recovery. The aim is not to look at your watch until after you cross the line to finish and to keep the pace as close as possible to the same on every rep.

10 mins Cool Down

Weekend Session

Minimum of 10 minutes warm up

Do a long run (distance will be up to you but this should be your longest run of the week) but somewhere in the middle find a short steep hill and do maximum effort up the hill and then walk back down do this at least 3 times.

For the next few weeks we’re going to be working on a bit more endurance work and a focus on gauging pace (and effort) by feel rather than using a watch.

From a technical perspective we’ll be mixing up the drills and making sure that we can do a race warm-up properly.

Suggested Drills for the week

A Progression

B Progression

Straight Legged Running

Strides while focusing on the individual aspects of arm drive in each of 4 sets of strides; keeping elbow joint at 90 degrees, keeping the arm in the correct plane, getting a full arm drive and keeping the shoulders relaxed.

Tuesday Session

10 minutes warm-up

For 8 minutes gradually increase the pace as a group try to increase the pace evenly by checking the distance every 2 minutes (use lap on your watch), if someone can’t keep up then let them ease up to a recovery pace – anyone else who then can’t keep up stops and waits for the ‘recovery pace’ group. The aim of this session is to increase the pace as smoothly as possible but to not lose anyone until the last 2 minutes of the rep.

Take 2 to 3 minutes with everyone at recovery pace between efforts.

REPEAT the above three times

10 mins Cool Down

Thursday Session

10 minutes warm-up

4 x 1200 m – standing / mobile recovery for 3 minutes

4 x 400 m – standing / mobile recovery for 3 minutes

10 mins Cool Down

Weekend Session

Minimum of 10 minutes warm up

Do a long run (distance will be up to you but this should be your longest run of the week) but every 1km do a stride (accelerate to 90% of sprint speed, hold it for 10 breaths or approx 20 seconds, then decelerate).

Remember no session on Thursday due to Sizzler

For our technical goal we will be aiming to use a nice, strong arm drive.

Suggested Drills for the week

A-Progression (A-March, A-Skip, A-Run)

A-Progression (A-March, A-Skip, A-Run) with focus on arm drive

Strides while focusing on the individual aspects of arm drive in each of 4 sets of strides; keeping elbow joint at 90 degrees, keeping the arm in the correct plane, getting a full arm drive and keeping the shoulders relaxed.

Tuesday Session

10 minutes warm-up

4 minutes of run fast* for a count of 20 breaths, walk for 10 breaths (repeating this cycle for 4 minutes) THEN full recovery including some easy running.

* fast – this should be a reasonably smooth acceleration to your maximum pace. By the end of the 4 minutes it will feel EXTREMELY challenging.

REPEAT the above four times

10 mins Cool Down

For background see here.

Thursday Session

SALE SIZZLER!

Weekend Session

Minimum of 10 minutes warm up

Do a long run (distance will be up to you but this should be your longest run of the week) but every 1km do a stride (accelerate to 90% of sprint speed, hold it for 10 breaths or approx 20 seconds, then decelerate).

This week our technical focus is on foot landing; ensuring your foot lands close to under your center of mass and that your knee is flexing as your foot lands.

Our fitness focus is still 5km race pace and the Thursday session focuses on lactate clearance.

Suggested Drills for the week

Walking Lunges – remember to keep your leading knee behind your leading toes and your trailing knee should not quite touch the ground.

Straight Legged Run or ‘claw’ – keep your leg straight, driving with your glute muscles and lightly tapping the ground with the ball of your foot.

Jog on the spot building to a very high cadence then lean (from the ankle) slightly forward until you naturally start running.

Short (30m build, 30m @90%, 30m decelerate) strides in back-and-forth pairs; on each pair – focus on keeping a short stride length (and high cadence) in the first stride of each pair and then driving back with the feet on the second stride in each pair.

Tuesday Session

10 minutes easy running

REPEAT: 10 minutes @ 10km race pace, 5 minutes recovery pace

5 minutes cool down

Thursday Session

5 Minutes easy running

Drills and Strides

TWO TIMES: 4x400m @3km race pace with 400m recovery @ Half Marathon Pace – total of 3200m for each of the two reps – total of 6400m for this section.

5 minutes easy running to cool down

Sunday Session

Minimum of 10 minutes warm up

Find a hill suitable for at least two minutes of effort but ideally three, then run 6 to 8 intervals starting steady and accelerating to the maximum effort you feel possible by about half way up the hill, sustain that to the top. Walk down the hill until your breathing returns to normal, then jog down to the starting point.

You may notice that most weeks at the moment include a hill set – hill sets are great for; reducing overstriding, building strength and doing high effort aerobic work with low(er) injury risk.

At least 10 minutes cool down