TRY THE WORKOUT RACE SIMULATION

This workout is a series of long bouts at marathon pace. Build your warmup and cooldown around intervals at race pace.

Start with 2–3 x 3 km at marathon race pace with 1 km recovery running in between. You might execute this workout 2–3 times in the 12 weeks leading up to your race, building the total mileage of the session and total time spent at marathon pace as you progress the workouts, building to 2–3 x 5 km or 4 x 4 km with 1 km in between. These rehearsals fine tune exactly what and how much nutrition you will use on race day.

The treadmill is a tool with benefits mirroring that of a smart trainer. Improving run form, successfully returning from injury and building strength, speed and racespecific pacing are all opportunities uniquely suited to treadmills. Keep in mind that moderation is key. And remember that running on a treadmill doesn’t address adaptability to a variety of surfaces, wind resistance and inconsistent grades. Mixing up training indoors and outdoors is better if you can.

Melanie McQuaid is a three-time Xterra world champion who lives, trains and coaches in Victoria, B.C.