This week’s solo session and S&C

This week’s reps session is chosen by Jon Seadon.

Warm up by Jogging for 10 minutes or 1 mile.
Then Shoulder rolls for 30 seconds
Lunges: 30 seconds each leg
Squats x10
Squat jump x10
High knee walk 30 seconds
High knee run 10 seconds x3
Butt kick walk 30 seconds
Butt kick run 10 seconds x3
30 meter strides run x3

For Hills it’s a ladder session – find a 200-300 metre area with some lampposts telegraph poles or trees. Set a timer for 12 minutes.
From the lowest point run as fast as you can to the 1st lamppost, tree, car etc & then jog back to the beginning.
Then run as fast as your can to the 2nd marker and jog back. Then the 3rd and so on. You will naturally slow as the distance increases. Keep this up until the 12 minutes is up.
Make a note of how many lampposts you reached. There is no target number you should be working to your personal best achieving your maximum heart rate. If you make it to the last lamp post within the 12 minutes just repeat the last rep and start descending the ladder.
Now take 2-5 minutes to let your heart rate return to normal, but keep moving so your muscles don’t stiffen up.
Set a timer for 12 minutes again. What ever numbered marker you got to in the first set of reps, you are running to that one again on the first rep and jogging back to the start. Then run as fast as you can to the marker before that one, then the one before that and see if you can keep that up until the 12 minutes are up. You may even find you have time to start climbing the ladder again.

So you should have run the markers something like below…
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8
Rest
8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1

The efforts are the focus of the session. It’s the fastest speed you can maintain for the distance. Which should be much quicker than you run a 5km. If you find it too hard to maintain the pace go slower on the recoveries not the efforts. It’s less than 5 minutes of hard work.

Flats – If that’s all too complicated or you don’t fancy hills… Run some 5 minute or 1km efforts, faster than your 5km pace, with 5 minutes jog recoveries for 25 minutes or 3 efforts.

Cool down –10 minutes slow run decreasing to slow jog pace

Stretches
Calves
Quads
Hamstring
ITB

This week’s strength session is from Suz West as well as being your session it’s also a challenge! The ABC Challenge (Agility, Balance and Coordination). The session will have four exercises from each category. First do the whole session, then choose which you want to work on. For the next week work on an exercise from the video. After a week swap the exercise, changing your focus. This will help your running by making you more efficient.Suz would love to hear how you get on with the exercises and which you choose to work on. To see the challenge click on the link: Suz’s ABC Challenge.

Thanks to Jon and Suz for the sessions. As always please do not undertake these sessions if you are unwell and do not go outside to run if anyone in youor household has symptoms. Make sure you have read the guidance here from England Athletics before taking part in any sessions.