South Kent Harriers (25 years on the road! 1987-2012)

If you are looking to improve your times, why not join me for a tempo run on Saturday morning. We/I will be starting (9.00am) Meet Beachborough Traffic Lights  with a warm up of the predominantly traffic free loop which takes in both Folkestone Central and Folkestone West Stations. Options of distance are infinite.

 However to give you an idea, a 4 mile loop starting at Beachborough traffic lights takes in 2 laps, plus the finishing straight along Cheriton Road finishing at the roundabout opposite the Park Inn Pub.

A 5 mile loop takes in almost exactly 3 loops. Those with garmins will have assistance.

It will be up to individuals to decide on their goals, but as a guide a recent performance can indicate suggestions for training speeds and these can be found on the Jack Daniels' tables of performance. Can be accessed on the web or you can get copies from me.

Ideally a true tempo run  is advised/suggested to be 15-20 secs slower than your current 10k ability. This can prove to be attainable for many, but if targets appear to be too difficult then adjustments may need to be made.

Marathon paced runs are less intense and again time/mile can be found on Daniels' charts. Again these might prove difficult for some, particularly if a long term aim is to run between 10-15 miles in a workout. A suggestion that has been made is to start at 4 miles and build a mile at a time on the workouts that follow. Again, individuals do need to decide what they can handle. Better to errrr, rather than blow it and not achieve.

These runs should be positive in every way, so realistic targets are extremely important. Better to finish stronger at the end of a workout that has been conquered, rather than being conquered throughout a run where you are chasing a target that is out of range.

I recently completed a marathon paced run on the strength of my perceived 5k ability. I errrrd on the side of caution and set what I thought was a realistic goal and still felt that there was an element of me chasing, so it's very much a case of feeling the way for the first 1 or 2 efforts, before confidence in ability/and knowing your ability is achieved.

Come along and meet your challenge. These sessions definitely tell you where you are in terms of your running.