Improve Your Run

Week 1 — Base & speed introduction

Focus: Aerobic base, leg durability, and short bursts of faster running. Keep easy days truly easy so hard days stay quality.

Day 1 — Easy aerobic

• Main set: 25–35 minutes continuous easy jog. You should be able to speak in full sentences (conversational pace). If you use a watch, aim for roughly 60–75% max heart rate or a pace 2:00–3:00 per mile slower than your current 2-mile test pace.
• Optional finish: 4 × 20-second strides on flat ground, walk 60 seconds between each. Strides are smooth and quick—not an all-out sprint.
• Coaching: One rest day before your next hard session. Hydrate; sleep matters more than extra miles this week.

Day 2 — Intervals (short)

• Warm-up: 10–15 min easy jog + dynamic drills (leg swings, walking lunges, A-skips).
• Main set: 6 × 400 m at 5K effort (roughly 10–15 sec per 400 m faster than your average 2-mile pace), 90 seconds easy jog or walk recovery between reps.
• Cool-down: 10 min very easy jog.
• Coaching: If you cannot hold form on rep 5–6, shorten to 5 × 400 m next time or add 15 seconds recovery. Quality over volume.

Day 3 — Long easy

• Main set: 30–40 minutes steady easy on the same route when possible. Same conversational effort as Day 1; add 5 minutes vs Day 1 if legs feel good.
• Coaching: No strides today. If ankles or shins complain, swap last 10 minutes for brisk walk.

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Week 2 — Tempo & race rhythm

Focus: Sustain “comfortably hard” pace and practice locking into 2-mile rhythm without burning out early.

Day 1 — Tempo run

• Warm-up: 12 min easy.
• Main set: 2 × 10 minutes at threshold effort (hard but controlled; ~1 hour race pace or “could say a short sentence, not a paragraph”). 3 min easy jog between the two blocks.
• Cool-down: 8–10 min easy.
• Coaching: If you fade badly in block 2, next session use 2 × 8 min at the same effort. The goal is even splits, not a PR every rep.

Day 2 — Cruise intervals

• Warm-up: 10 min easy.
• Main set: 5 × 800 m at slightly slower than 2-mile race pace (about 3–5 sec per 400 m slower than all-out 2-mile splits), 2 min easy jog recovery.
• Cool-down: 10 min easy.
• Coaching: Count your splits; the last rep should feel like work but not a collapse. Full rest day tomorrow.

Day 3 — Easy + 2-mile practice (optional test)

• Option A (recovery): 25 min easy jog only.
• Option B (if you feel fresh): 15 min easy, then 1 mile at goal 2-mile pace, 5 min easy jog, then 4 × 200 m at mile pace with 90 sec walk/jog between. 10 min cool-down.
• Coaching: Do Option B at most once in this micro-cycle. Follow with 2 easy days before any official test.

Weekly recovery: At least 2 full non-running days per week (can include walking or mobility). If you add a fourth day, keep it 20 min easy only.