SAMPLE TRAINING SCHEDULE

The chart shows four workouts for each week; fill in other days with easy distance runs (volume) or rest. If you want to add a second easy run (recovery run) two or three times a week, it’s good practice to double up on hard days. During the season, if your legs are feeling dead, limit training to long, slow distance runs for two or three days or more; if you’re still dead-legged after a week, it might be time to end your racing season rather than risk overtraining syndrome.

For plyometrics, do the moves on a soft surface such as grass, a running track or a mat. Spend as little time on the ground as possible between hops/ bounds/jumps. Do two sets of 10 repetitions (2 x 10) with full recovery between sets. Singleleg hops, double-leg bounds (from a squat position, jump forward as far as you can), alternate-leg bounds, squat jumps and box jumps all work well.