Harry Wilson's 'race practice'

I'll preface this by saying I have typically not done these sessions in general (instead staying to the change of pace 1000s mentioned below), but that was more so along the lines of not seeing the benefits, but having some of my own change of pace sessions. The area I found these really helped besides change of pace, was more neuromuscular, as it forces you to change your mechanics. As a result, I found that without specifically trying your overall mechanics automatically get better along with your lactic tolerance.


Some of Wilson's prefaces (which coincidentally happen to be the same as mine) and I'll also put in how Wilson sets up his training cycles vs. my own:

1) That session are based upon typical racing occurrences such as a) much faster start than expected
b) sudden race surges
c) gradual race increase

2) Start these just 'before the beginning of competition phase and to continue throughout the racing season'.

Wilson also tends to give splits for sometimes paces so you can use them accordingly

A) 'Split intervals':

the idea is to run relaxed and 'then change you action to gain speed over the second phase'. You need to 'hold back' to have good acceleration. You can even accelerate the harder sections as you move along the quicker part (egs a 400for the 10km runner of 36 and then 34)

800m (for a 2min runner); 3 x 400m of 200m steady (32-33), 200m fast (27-28) off 4-5min rest

1500m (4min runner); 4 x 600m of 300m steady (51-52) 300m fast (45-46) off 4-5mins

5km (14min runner); 6 x 800m of 500m steady (85-86) 300m fast (49-50) off 5-6 min

10km (31min); 5 x 1200m of 800m steady (2min 33 sec) and 400m fast (70-71) off 5-6mins

B) ‘Tired Surges’

The idea here is to ‘run at a fast pace. This is followed by a short jog, which only gives partial recovery.’ And then surge into a fast finish when you are tired.

800M; 4 x 400M slightly faster than race pace, 100m jog, 100m sprint off 6-8 mins

1500m; 3-4 x 800 fast, 100m jog, 200m fast

5 and 10km; 2-3 x 1200m fast, 200m jog, 400m fast off 6-8 mins

C) ‘Pace Injectors’:

You ‘cruise the first section at race pace, then surge hard... and easy back to race pace’

800m – 1500m; 4 x 600m of 200m at pace, 200m 2-3 sec faster and 200m back at pace with ‘a full recovery’ (which seems to be 6-8mins for Wilson)

5-10km; 4 x 1200m of 400m at pace, 400m 3-4 sec faster and 400m at pace off 5-6mins. Wilson noted that this was a session used extensively by Ovett when he moved up to 5000m

D) ‘Pace increasers’:

Wilson notes that these are more relevant to the upper mid dist runner, hence no 800m session

1500m; 6 x 600m (for a 4min runner) split into 200s of 34, 32 and 30 with complete recovery (under 120 HR)

5000m; (14min runner) 4 x 1200m of 400s done as 70, 67 and 64 with full recovery

For 5-10km runner Wilson doesn’t do too much change of pace work in his pre track competition phase for lower mileage runners (single session per day and around 50-60miles per week and around 15min and 31 mins), but advocates them for higher mileage runners (twice a day). Egs if looking to race in late June and July then he did it 3 weeks before his racing phase once per week on the weekend, with a race on the alternate weekend (for a 13:30 and 28min runner) in the late pre comp phase (he works on a 14 day cycle and does this twice before the comp phase):

15mins and 31 mins who trains once per day – COMP PHASE (14 day cycle):

Day 1: 4 x 1200m done as 74-70-74 off 400m walk jog rest
2: 6 miles
3: 12 x 400m off 200m jog in 68-69 plus 6 x 100m strides
4: 6 miles
5: rest
6: 2 x 3km with 4-5 mins rest 9sometimes put in a 1500-3km race)
7: 10 miles
8: 6 x 400m off 300m jog in 67-68
9: 6 miles
10: 6 miles
11: 3 miles
12: rest
13: 5000m race and alternate 2 weeks later with 10km
14: 8 miles

13:30 and 28min 10km - PRE COMP PHASE:

Mon: 5 and 8mile runs
Tues: 5miles and 15 x 400m done as 5 x 3 x 400 off 30 sec rest and 3min set break done at 62 pace
Wed: 10 miles
Thurs: 5miles and 6miles fartlek
Fri: 4 miles
Sat: 4 x 1200m of 400 at pace -400 4-5 sec faster and 400 at pace with a slow 400m recovery jog
Sunday: 10miles and 4 miles
Mon: 5 and 8mile runs
Tues: 5miles and 15 x 400m done as 5 x 3 x 400 off 30 sec rest and 3min set break done at 62 pace
Wed: 5miles
Thurs: 5miles and 6 x 200m off 200m walk/jog
Fri: rest
Sat: 3miles and 3km race
Sunday: 6miles and 4 miles fartlek

COMP PHASE (14 day cycle):
Day 1: 10 miles and in PM 8 x 200m relaxed off 200m
2: 3miles and 1200m 400m acceleration of 67, 65, 63; 7-8mins; 1200m of 65, 60, 65; 7-8min; 1200m of 62, 67, 62
3: 5 miles and 5 miles
4: 4 x 800m (2min and 6 sec) off 40m jog; 10min rest; 4 x 200m of 100m steady 100m fast
5: 8 miles
6: 5miles
7: 3 miles and 1500m race or 2 x 2km off 7-8 mins
8: 10 miles and 5 miles
9: 8 x 400m off 300m (60 sec) and after 4 x 150m of 100m stride and 50m fast
10: 5 miles and 6miles
11: 5 miles
12: rest
13: 3 miles
14: 3 miles and 3 or 5km race, if main goal is 10km then get in a race once every 4 weeks


I tend to follow a simpler format of simply replacing some of my longer reps with the change of pace 1000s in a 2-3 week cycle or fitting them in on a weekend

egs
Mon: recovery runs
tues: 1200-1600m and then change of pace 1000s
wed: recovery
thurs: tempo (although sometimes I may change the tempo and fartlek days if the tempo is longer)
fri: recovery
Sat: short speed fartlek
sun: long run

or

same except do the 1000s rather than the sat fartlek