Club Training Thursday 12th June

Thursday's session is an easy run with fast strides, given that the last week or so has been full of hard efforts and races for many in the club and this weekend sees many of us at another hard race, Dechmont Law.

The route is out through the glen to Langlands and then up to Leaburn Rd via Park Farm. Turn right onto Leaburn Rd and follow that along until it veers to the right, steeply downhill to Auldhouse Rd. Turn right on Auldhouse Rd and then left past the Kennels and on to Shields Rd. Turn right on Greenhills Rd and back to the club.

The extended, easy warm-up is all the way to the Kennels. From that point all the way along Shields Rd, do 6 x 10 seconds very fast running. After each of these, jog easy for 3 minutes. Run very fast but stay relaxed without straining. If you start to strain, you are trying too hard; ease it back a little until you feel smooth and in control. The idea of fast strides is to remind the nervous system how to fire the muscles quickly without the muscles fighting against each other because the timing of the opposing muscles firing is not quite right. Being able to run very fast in a relaxed way adds power and efficiency to your much slower race pace as well as training the ability to pick up the pace briefly at the beginning or end of a race.

Alan