THE BASICS

Before you jump excitedly into a series of races, you need to have built a substantial base of fitness, beginning two to three months before your first important competition. Improved fitness occurs when you apply a training stimulus (your workout) and then allow time for adaptation (increased aerobic energy production, stronger muscles etc) before the next stimulus. This is an incremental process and can’t be rushed. Training harder and more frequently won’t result in better fitness; it will lead to the opposite because you will, in effect, shortcircuit the improvement that occurs postworkout, during periods of recovery.

During base building, you should focus on the six types of training listed here (right). Those training elements will ready your body for the rigours of race season and prepare you to run your best at any race distance. If you haven’t yet built up a strong base, you’d be wise to postpone your race series until the autumn.