Workshop helps runners and coaches plan for spring 10k

Around 40 runners and coaches of varying experience attended a recent talk led by UKA endurance coach Alasdair Donaldson and organised by the Leicestershire Vision 2020 Athletics Network to learn about planning for a 10k.

The focus for the evening was a local road running league race in 11 weeks' time, but the content was relevant for a range of abilities. Alasdair opened by reviewing a previous presentation regarding planning the running year - and talked about how to plan training around target races.

Ideas about training and how one should go about it were challenged with the message being that athletes and coaches should look at reviewing what they 'always did' and decide whether this was what was the right thing to do or what they did out of habit.

Following the talk, the attendees split into groups to look at how they would create a plan for peaking for the race in mid-April which challenged them again to look at how a progressive and focused plan could be put together and how the component parts of the plan could be introduced to fit in with the athletes lifestyle and aspirations.

The talk was part of the Leicestershire Network's 'culture change in coaching' programme which is driven by a club and coach coordinators forum which identifies and drives forward initiatives to Network clubs and which has already planned several other practical and theory sessions on further key subjects.

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