A programme collated and presented by Noel Melvin

1. Intervals

a) Steady run to Imperial Avenue (Westcotes) Park

b) Pyramid session around the path of the park. Watch your feet as the path has bumps and can be quite dark.

c) Return via Great Central Way (faster to Upperton Road Bridge if desired)

2. Short Hills/Speed Work, up and down (can take around an hour)

a) Steady run to the hill by Sainsbury's Homebase (try a route via Welford Road as there is not much time for a warm up)

b) Five x 3/4, equally paced runs up and over the hill (opposite lampost) with jog return and just enough recovery to equalise times

c) Five of the same runs in the opposite direction

d) Return to the club at a steady pace

3. Steady/distance work (around 8 miles)

a) Steady run up New Walk and out of town along London Road

b) Keep together as a group until at least the race course roundabout.

c) Make your own way back to the club along the ring road and down Saffron Lane towards the city.

Note. this route may also be done the other way round providing a 7.5 mile cut off at Victoria Park.

4. Speed Work

a) Steady warm up to church in middle of Rowley Fields estate - Dumbleton Avenue (Great Central gives better opportunity for "Graeme's moves")

b) 5 x 2 laps of the block, 3/4 pace with 90 sec recovery. This is 1km and should be done in even times, 3min 20 approx. Keep warm during recovery.

c) Steady warm down back to the club, around 1 mile if via Narborough Road.

5. Faartlek/long intervals

a) Long warm up (via cycleway or Tudor Rd, Fosse Road, Groby Road. To where cycleway meets Groby Road.

b) First interval from here to sign at roundabout on Groby Road. After crossing roundabout, still on Groby Road second interval from side road down to post box before County Hall roundabout. Turn left along Glenfield Road and recover all the way to the left turn at Glenfield village.

c) Third interval - hill up to cable box / side road. Recover till Liberty Road. Fourth interval full length of Liberty road (just under 1km).

d) Recover along Scudamore road (left) and dual carriage ring road (right). Turn left at Hinckley Road with a fifth interval to the lights. Recover till pedestrian crossing at Western Park for sixth interval to the pedestrian crossing near the petrol station / school.

e) Turn right at the inner ring road or Westcotes Drive. Should be opportunity for another interval or long recovery back to Upperton Road.

6. 21 Hills (Note this is a long session with at least 2 miles there and back, so pace yourself)

a) Steady run to Letchworth Road, New Parks.

b) Do 3 laps of 7 hills. (memory joggers - up to the caravan, 3 short cul-de-sac, long Ainsdale (?) road

c) Return via Glenfield Road and the canal/boulevard.

Note if session not going well, the final long hill can be replaced by the short Glenfield Road hill after the lights/pub.

Nigel's Schedule (from IAAF publications)

10 x 200m with 200m recovery (walk/jog)

38s for 39min 10km, 45s for 47min 10km

8 x 400m with 400m recovery (walk/jog)

80s for 39min 10km, 95s for 47min 10km

4 x 800m with 4min recovery (walk/jog)

2:40 for 39min 10km, 3:35 for 47min 10km

2 x 1 mile with 5min recovery (walk/jog)

6:05 for 39min 10km, 6:50 for 47min 10km

Training can be adapted to how you feel, level of fitness and using the race predictor. i.e. you can alter the time, alter the number of sessions and alter the recovery time.