Workout 5 Uphill/Downhill Repeats
Run 4 x 1 kilometer uphill plus 400 metres downhill (2-3 percent slope) at 5K race pace effort with 3 minutes jog recovery
Workout 6 3-2-1 Fartlek
Run 5 to 10 kilometres, picking up the pace for 3 minutes, 2 minutes, and 1 minute with equal time jog recovery, and repeat this 3-2-1 pattern throughout the run.
“Precede each workout with an adequate warm-up and follow it with a cool-down, with the warm-up starting slowly and getting progressively faster until your pace matches the pace that you’ll run in the workout.”
Workout 7 Practice Starts
Do this workout with other runners. Set up an area that resembles the first 400 metres of the course of your upcoming race. Choose one runner to lead the group out, with the others following his or her lead. Give each runner another teammate to follow. Run 5 to 10 practice starts (400 metres), with each runner focusing on their job to follow their designated leader, making sure to stay within touching distance of that teammate.
Workout 8 The Surge Run
Run with other runners of similar ability for 6 to 8 kilometres, with one runner being designated as the pacesetter whose job it is to surge at different points in the run. When the pacesetter surges, practice reacting to the surge and pick up the pace to match the pacesetter. You can vary this workout by having multiple pacesetters, with each runner in the group surging whenever he or she wants to, with the other runners reacting to the surge and covering the move.
Workout 9 Hares and Hounds
For a contemporary version of the English game that started the sport of cross country running, one or two runners are designated as the hares, with all of the other members of the group designated as the hounds. The hares run through woods, grass fields, and trails, hiding specific objects (flag, tennis ball, or any other small objects that can be held while running) and leaving a trail behind them (such as a bag of chalk or flour). Once the hares have enough of a head start, the hounds take off, following the trail left by the hares, searching for the hidden objects.
Workout 10 The Early Kick
This workout can be done during an acidosis threshold run. Run your racing distance in a pack on the cross country course at AT pace or slightly faster, with one runner being designated as the kicker. The kicker starts his or her kick at a pre-planned place on the course (far enough out from the finish to serve the purpose of an early kick). When the kicker kicks, it’s his or her job to pull away from the pack and each of the other runners’ job to try to stay with the kicker. Throughout the season, each runner in your group should have a chance to be the kicker. To more closely simulate kicking off of race pace, you can run at race pace instead of AT pace, with the distance of the run-shortened (for example, if you race 10K, shorten this workout to 5 kilometres).
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