How to Kick Like a 1500m World Champion for your next 5 or 10k race

How to Kick Like a 1500m World Champion: Josh Kerr’s Training Tips

Want to improve your speed and sprint finish like 1500m world champion Josh Kerr? Coach Mackey provides valuable insights and workout plans that can help you elevate your running game.

Key Training Principles:

1. Set Specific Goals: Have a clear, structured training plan that progressively builds towards your objective. Without it, training can feel repetitive and less effective.
2. Introduce Variability: Vary your workouts. Incorporate different types of runs, such as Fartlek training, which mixes sprints with slow jogs or walks, to keep your body adapting and improving.

Speed and Sprint Training: For those looking to enhance their speed and sprint finish, Mackey suggests two focused sessions per week:

• Race Pace Repeats: One effective session involves running 600m to 1000m repeats at your target race pace, with the last 200m run even faster. Follow this with a very slow 400m jog to recover, repeating until you’ve completed four to five miles of work.
• Modified Workouts for Recreational Runners: Run six to eight 800m efforts, maintaining your goal 5km pace for the first 600m and pushing harder for the last 200m. After each effort, shuffle slowly for two minutes before going hard again.

Additional Quality Workouts:

• Short Repeats: Perform eight to ten 200m repeats with rest periods in between.
• Tempo Runs: Incorporate a tempo run followed by 100m strides.

Balanced Training Week: For a well-rounded routine, Mackey recommends:

• Long Run: One long run each week.
• Easy Effort Runs: Two runs at an easy, conversational pace, which can be slower than your normal running speed.

Three Key Takeaways:

1. Have a Plan: Write out your weekly schedule. If you have a busy lifestyle, plan your quality workouts on specific days, like Tuesday and Friday.
2. Use Different Shoes: Use lighter, speed-oriented shoes for fast workouts and cushioned ones for recovery runs to reduce injury risk and improve your biomechanics.
3. Prioritize Rest: Recovery is crucial. Ensure you get adequate rest and maintain good sleep hygiene and fuel to optimize recovery and performance.

By incorporating these tips and maintaining a balanced approach to training, you can improve your speed, endurance, and overall running performance.