Thursday Track, Battersea

Session Plan (Summer) for 5k/10k Improver Group

The following sessions are lead by Urban Bettag and are suitable for all club members who want to improve their 5k, 5m and 10k times during the summer season. Athletes of all abilities are taking part in the sessions on a regular basis, ranging from the club’s fastest runners to athletes simply enjoying training in a group at the track.

Ideally, to prepare for a successful 5k/10k athletes should complement their training with additional aerobic and strength conditioning in order to have the best progression. All the sessions during the summer will consist of a dynamic warm-up, the main track session, a cool down jog and stretches. Track spikes are not required, lightweight trainers are sufficient for taking part in the session.

For those new to interval training or for those athletes resuming training after injury Urban recommends starting slowly, aiming to complete ¾ of the main session, with the aim to complete the a full session over the next couple of weeks.

More advanced athletes can add one more repetition, while new and less advanced athletes can do one repetition less, so that the whole group can finish together. Athletes finished with the main session should resume with a cool down jog and then move to the high jump area for stretching.

From a coach's perspective, I would like to provide the best possible service for you. It is worth to mention that we all have a hectic work life and we are all volunteer club coaches. We love athletics and coaching, that's why we do it. However, this also means a bit of discipline and commitment from the athletes. It is always great to see athletes coming back and taking part on a regular basis. We always welcome new joiners, though some of the sessions are quite hard and quality training is not necessary suitable for everybody. Regardless we would encourage you to take part on a regular basis, this helps us coaches to better understand and respond your needs.

Due to the wide range of ability, athletes target different events and have different goals and preferences. However, most will take part in the Serpentine Summer Grand Prix Series. The following sessions will help in the build up towards the Summer Grand Prix.

(In the IAAF Standard Representation of Training Sessions, paces are in round brackets, rest times in square brackets, for more details see here.)

Date
 Session description
1/5/2008 Mixed Session

3x (1000m (5k)[300m jog] + 300m (1.5k)[90''])[3'] + 4x 400m (3k) [60''/55''/50'']

8/5/2008 Mixed Session

3x (1200m(5k)[60''] + 400m (3k)[50''] + 400m (3k)) [3']

15/5/2008 Long intervals

4x 1200m (5k) [400m recovery jog]

22/5/2008 Saltin Fartlek

6x 3' (5k) [60'']

4x 200m sprints on the grass, full recovery.

29/5/2008 500s + Float

12x 500m (5k) [100m steady]

5/6/2008
 Fast Finish

3x (1000m (5k) [200m jog] + 600m (3k) [300m jog] + 300m (1.5k)) [2’]

12/6/2008
 Differentials

8x 800m (10k for odd laps, 3k for even laps) [200m jog]

19/6/2008
 Reverse Ladder

2x (1000m (5k) [200m] + 800m (5k) [200m] + 600m (3k) [200m] + 400m (3k) [200m] + 200m (Max) [200m])

26/6/2008
 More Fire 5k Session

6x 1000m (5k) [90'']

3/7/2008
 Paarlauf

5k Paarlauf (Pair run), 400m-500m hard efforts, while the other athlete jogs for 100m until change over.

10/7/2008
 “El Geurrouj” Reverse Ladder

1600m (5k) [60'']+1200m (5k) [50''] + 800m (3k) [40''] 400m (1.5k) [30'']

17/7/2008
 Supersets

3x (400m (max) + 800m (5k) + 400m (max)) [4’]

24/7/2008
 Serpentine 5k Club Championships, no track session.
31/7/2008 “Bread & Butter” 800s

6x 800m (5k) [60'']

3/8/2008
 LT + Speed

2x (10 min outside in the park (Threshold) (jog back to the track)+ 400m (3k) [60''] + 400m (3k))) [5']

7/8/2008
 5’s & 10’s

3x (500m (3k) (90'') + 1000m (5k) [2’] + 500m (3k) [90'']) [4’]

14/8/2008
 Whistle Fartlek

25 mins fartlek running in the park. Run hard when the whistle is blown, ease off when the whistle is blown again.

21/8/2008 Classic Mile Repeats

4x 1m (5k)[90''], followed by 5 diagonal sprints across the infield.

28/8/2008
 Time trial + Intervals

2k (max) [5’] + 6x 600m (5k) [200m jog]

4/9/2008 Faster & Faster

(4x 400m (5k)[60''], 4x 300m (3k) [100m jog], 4x 200m (1.5k) [200m jog]) [3']

12/9/2008 More Fire 10k Session

(3k, 2k, 1k, 2k, 3k) (10k pace - 10sec/km) [200m walk]

Please note:

  • The sessions mentioned in this plan act only as a guideline. The coach reserves the right to alter the session on the day.
  • During the summer months the track can be very busy. Multiple groups are training, in total up to 100 athletes. It is vital that you familiarise yourself with the track etiquette. Safety on the track is everybody’s responsibility.
  • Please let us know before the session if you are coming back from injury, if you have any health condition (asthma, etc.) or if you are feeling unwell.

FAQ

1) How can I find out what my 5k pace is?

5k pace feels like hard controlled breathing. If you are wearing a HRM a 5k effort corresponds to approx. 95% of your max HR.

The best way to find out your current 5k pace is by entering a 5k race! Alternatively, there are many pace calculators available on the Web, which help you to converting your most recent race performance into your corresponding 5k pace.

Please visit Owen Barden’s Running for Fitness web site or the McMillanRunning web site . Both websites provide tools and tables.

2) What 10k race should I enter?

Athletes are often asking what races are suitable for achieving fast times or a PB. In general, we advise against the big mass participation events. Unless you have an elite start you will likely lose some time at the start or due to congestion during the first kilometre. Hence, if possible opt for the less crowded events and a flat course. For beginners and improvers recommended events to assess your current performance level include:

All those races are very easy to enter and the entry fee is still affordable. Please see the Serpentine Race & Event Planner for additional information.

Testimonials

"Due in no small part to your coaching - I was thinking about the head up and running tall, which helped me get through the last few miles." - Sam Allpass, 2:58:15, FLM '08

"I came 24th in the World Triathlon Championships in Vancouver, Canada in my age group with a PB on the 5k leg, helped largely by my Serpie winter training sessions with Urban at Battersea." - Tim Thomas, 1:10:34, ITU World Championships '08 Sprint Distance

Please feel free to contact Urban if you have any additional questions.

Sessions