SPEED FOCUS
GET ON TRACK
I love track running. It’s my favourite type of training and sharpens my speed for racing, but it’s also the easiest place to get injured. I don’t do it through the winter, although I did put in a tiny amount of track work before Abu Dhabi so as not to turn up like a rusty old diesel engine. My first session will just be a taster of strides for familiarisation. I’ll then split running half-and-half between road and track, before gradually moving fully to track as I progress into the season.
GO REALLY HARD
I’ve adopted a polarised training programme from Leeds so all my track sessions are relatively short – 4-5km in total – and all well above race pace. Many triathletes tend to train more in race-specific zones, but we go over and above. I run 400m reps in 67-68secs and 1km reps as close to 3min/km as possible. It helps generate speed for race day and an ability to flush lactic acid only accumulated at those speeds. It’s also the best type of training to develop running mechanics under pressure, which ultimately I need for the race.
LIMIT INJURY
Introducing fast running means being wary of niggles. To minimise the risk, I build up the intensity session by session. There are also plyometric-based drills we do year-round, including foot stability and balance work to make sure the whole kinetic chain is robust. It could be something as simple as ‘pogos’ – jumping on the spot spending minimal time in contact with the ground and trying to improve hang time in the air.
HOLLAND’S KEY RUN SET
Warm-up 15mins jogging; 5-10mins of activation exercises, followed by 10 sets of high knees and hamstring pistons transitioning into strides of approx. 80m. Main set 5 x 800m trying for best pace with 200m jog recovery. Cool-down 10-15mins jogging, followed by stretching focused on calves and hip flexors. This session was the last one I did before the Rio Olympics in 2016. I started at 2:26mins per 800m and dropped to 2:21mins by the final effort. It was significantly faster than I’d been previously, and I knew I was ready to go.
“I love track running. It’s my favourite type of training and sharpens my speed”