Most runners will be familiar with the concept of tapering – the practice of cutting down your training in the lead up to a race, in order to shed fatigue and improve your performance. However, exactly how best to taper is a bit of a murky topic for many. Should you stop running entirely or …
Warming up well before a race or a high-intensity interval session is important for several reasons. Firstly, it can help reduce the risk of injury, and particularly muscle strains. Secondly, if done properly, it can help to ‘prime’ your aerobic system, so that it responds faster at the start of your first high-intensity interval, or …
How you structure your training within a week can have an impact on your ability to complete your sessions well. For example, planning your interval session the day after your long run is probably a bad idea, as you’ll be too tired to hit the intensities necessary to see the intended fitness improvements. In most …
Following on from our article about 80/20 (aka ‘polarised’) training, this next instalment of Coaches Corner focusses on training zones. Running at different training intensities causes the body to respond in different ways. For example, you use different muscle fibres, fuel sources, and work your heart to differing extents. Training zones are a useful way …
What is 80/20 training? A very common training approach among endurance athletes is so-called ‘80/20’ or ‘polarised’ training. The basic premise of this training is that the majority of training sessions (around 80% or 4/5 sessions) are done at a low intensity. The remaining 20% are mainly done at a high intensity, above something known …