What distance should I be aiming for every week? By Marathon Physio Lucy Macdonald

Should I focus on distance or interval training?

If you focus on distance you are missing a trick. It is far better to focus on shorter higher quality training sessions using intervals rather than on distance.

You will achieve a greater increase in fitness in a shorter training session by using intervals. It is therefore THE most time efficient way of training.

Why should I focus on interval training?

This is because the process of taking your heart rate from a low rate to a high rate puts the most strain on the cardiovascular system. If you run for 30 minutes continuously this occurs only once, at the beginning of the run. If you run intervals for 30 minutes this happens numerous times which is far more strenuous. You will run less far but your fitness gains will be much greater.

More marathon physio advice 

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