Ready for another Killer K-Reps session? If you haven’t tried one of these yet you’ll want to jump in this week before things get really nutty next week!

WHAT?

Killer K-Reps #3

5x 1k @ Your 10k Race Pace + 10sec strides immediately after
w/ 10 lunge pulses (10 each side), 10 press ups & 5 burpees immediately before each rep

90 seconds active/jog recovery after each rep

Terrain: Flat, measurable pathway or fartlek terrain.

The lunges are another way to give the glutes and hammies and quads a good working before you start running. The burpees add the massive step of intensity as you move your body through a complete 6-7 feet worth of gravity.

Expect to be breathing pretty heavy at the start of each rep, so stay relaxed and breathe deep.

WHY?

We’re adding in the strides straight after the 1k reps to see if you can move very well even while fatigued. It’s important to stay relaxed in these strides and focus more on good technique rather than just running fast.

HOW?

A couple of tips for the lunge tips:

Step back in to the lunge rather than stepping forward
This will help you get those knees into a good 90-degree angle
Do five pulses on one side, then swap and then repeat to complete 10 each side

With the burpees, you can think of it like four exercises:

Jump back with your feet and place your hands underneath your shoulders (just wider than shoulder width) in a press up position
Do a chest-to-ground press up
Jump the legs back in to a squat
Perform a squat jump

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK: WHAT IS THE LSD? AND HOW SHOULD WE RUN THEM?

By Hayden Shearman

The long slow distance run (or LSD) is probably the most common weekly feature of distance runner’s training across the globe. But what is it and why should we do it?

Pace: First of all, I prefer to call the LSD, the long social distance run. This frames the pace in a speed you can comfortably speak with a friend the whole way. I like this conversational definition of the LSD pace because it doesn’t rely on following a strict heart rate (which will vary from runner to runner) or pace (which will vary greatly based on terrain and conditions).

Long: One of the greatest things we each need as distance runners is a well-performing cardiovascular system. You can build this system through all sorts of running speeds, but if we run fast (say at 5k race pace) we can only hold that pace for a limited amount of time. So, by running at a conversational pace of which we can hold for longer, we can get that all-important cardiovascular development for a much longer period of time.

Distance: As with any training stress, it’s important to A) get enough recovery after your long runs (a couple of days can be enough to give you that spring back in your legs, but it will take up to 3-4 weeks to fully absorb an LSD session), and B) that you increase the distance of the run gradually. I like the 10% rule of only increasing by distances by 10% per week (or 1k if 10% is less than 1k) as it seems to work for most runners (note: if you’re injured or have niggles 10% increases are likely to be too much).