Total TRAINING

The secret to more speed? Whether it’s in the pool, on two wheels or striding out, you must avoid falling into the one-speed pony trap. If you’re aiming for a 38min 10km run but your training pace never goes higher than a 45min 10km run, your multisport dreams will never become reality. That’s where interval training comes in.

Since Emil Zatopek infamously racked up 40 x 100m intervals in the 1940s and ‘50s, mixing up hard, intense efforts with periods of easy pace has been core to many an endurance athlete’s programme. But why? What’s going on at a physiological level? How can you avoid overtraining? And what’s the best way to fuel interval recovery? Read on to find out…

SHOOT LOCATION

Thanks to Lake 32 Outdoor Centre, near Cirencester in the Cotswolds, for providing the location for this photoshoot. Lake 32 offers open-water swimming and water sports in a protected environment, and is the home of multiple races and training sessions. The lake features measured and marked swim courses (200m, 400m, 800m and 1,500m), a tri transitions training area,