As your half marathon approaches, the emphasis of your quality training should increasingly shift towards the demands of race day. The fitness developed during the earlier phases of your programme now needs to be converted into the ability to sustain a strong, controlled intensity for an extended period. This week’s Coach Ray’s Workout of the…
Threshold running is one of the most valuable forms of quality training for a half marathon runner. It develops your ability to sustain a strong intensity for longer without crossing the line into the considerably harder work associated with Level V. This week’s Coach Ray’s Workout of the Week is 3x 10min Threshold Runs. After…
Short hill repetitions are a simple but highly effective way to introduce harder running into a half marathon training programme. They develop qualities that will support the longer threshold, tempo and race-specific sessions that come later in your preparation. This week’s Coach Ray’s Workout of the Week is 10x 1min Hill Rep Runs. After a…
As a half marathon approaches, training needs to become increasingly specific to the demands of race day. The aerobic fitness, running strength and threshold fitness developed earlier in the build-up now need to be converted into the ability to sustain the intensity required for the half marathon itself. This week’s Coach Ray’s Workout of the…
Threshold training plays an important role in half marathon preparation because it develops your ability to sustain a strong running intensity without allowing fatigue to accumulate so rapidly that your pace falls apart. This week’s Coach Ray’s Workout of the Week is 3×8min Threshold Runs. After warming up, you’ll complete three eight-minute efforts at Level…
Long runs are a cornerstone of half marathon preparation, but as an athlete develops, some long runs can become much more than simply accumulating easy kilometres. This week’s Coach Ray’s Workout of the Week is 2:00hr Long, Progressive Run A. It begins with a full hour at Level II before progressively increasing the intensity through…
Hill repetitions are one of my favourite ways to develop running-specific strength and aerobic power without needing to chase an exact pace on your watch. This week’s Coach Ray’s Workout of the Week is 3×3 Minute Hill Reps. After warming up, you’ll complete three three-minute uphill efforts at Level V, with three minutes of easy…
Tempo running is an important bridge between easy aerobic running and the harder threshold work used earlier in a half marathon training build up. Done correctly, it teaches you to settle into a strong, sustainable rhythm and maintain efficient running for an extended period without turning every quality session into a hard interval workout. This…
Threshold training is one of the most valuable components of half marathon preparation. It teaches you to run strongly at a sustained intensity without crossing the line into an effort that causes fatigue to accumulate too quickly. This week’s Coach Ray’s Workout of the Week is 4×5 Minute Threshold—a simple but highly effective session consisting…
Hill training has long been one of the most effective ways to become a stronger, faster and more efficient runner. While many runners associate hills with simply building stronger legs, a well-designed hill session also develops aerobic fitness, improves running economy and reinforces good running technique. This week’s Coach Ray’s Workout of the Week is…