Mesocycle Two - Speed Endurance Development

Reducing overall volume, sharpening up technique and building intensity.

Objectives of this Mesocycle:
Develop the ability to run faster for longer (speed endurance).
Further develop aerobic and anaerobic fitness.
Further develop core strength.
Start to tackle the technical aspects of track racing.
Have some fun.

Cornerstones of this Mesocycle:
Athletes to train four to five times per week: 

• Two club sessions 

• One supervised circuit session 

• At least one further running session per week

• Sessions will tend to be controlled using target times / distances, not RPE

WARNING: As intensity increases, it is very important not to over-train. Do not add in extra hard / speed sessions without consulting your coach first. Over-training is a CERTAIN way to injury, misery and reducing speed. More is not better - more in this mesocycle can seriously damage your health.

Coaches:
We will need to treat all athletes a bit more individually from here on in, to cater for their particular needs (physical, not emotional that is!). This may mean "lending" athletes to Paul for sprint training now and again as required.

All coaching for Middle Distance will be conducted by Dr. Liz, Martin and I, all of whom are UKA licensed coaches. Splitting the groups up to provide individualised attention will be commonplace - but don't worry, we all know what we are doing! (more or less that is).

Potential Club Sessions: (warm-up and warm-down omitted)

1) Straight Intervals - Pioneered by Lyddiard, these involve running then resting for set times / durations. Huge variety is possible with this type of training - but it's hard!

For example:
4 x 200 metres in (target time 1) with (target time 2) recovery

….might progress to

4 x (2 x 200 metres) in (target time 1 - x) with (target time 2 - y) recovery

2) Pyramids - Rising or falling groups of intervals. 

For example:
200 metres, 400 metres, 600 metres, 800 metres (ascending pyramid)

800 metres, 600 metres, 400 metres, 200 metres (descending pyramid)

3) Time Trials - Race simulations over set distances, to sort out teams for competition and to see how well our training is progressing. Stand by to slash your personal best times!

4) Helter-Skelter - Mixture of paces over set distance. 

For example:
One lap slow jog, one lap, striding the bends, jogging the straights, one lap sprinting the bends, striding the straights, one lap flat out (ouch!), one lap slow jog. Only a mile, but trust me, it feels a lot further.

5) Other - With high intensity, we can finish our hard work quite quickly, leaving plenty of time for more "fun and games" devised by your hard working coaches. Look forward to replaying some famous track races with full supporting commentary!

Pace awareness is also key, and we will be working on equipping the athletes to pace themselves in races. We will look to Paul too for specialist advice on relay racing, as he is our renowned expert in this field.