Session: Diagonals

This is a simple and relatively fun session that can be modified to suit whatever distance you are training for and wherever you are in your training cycle. The basic premise of this workout is similar to a fartlek or interval session, and thanks to being done in a confined area it can easily be completed in most cities around the world. This makes it ideal for when you’re travelling or if you’re living in an urban area.

Essentially, find yourself a football field or soccer pitch. Identify where the touchlines are (or try lines) and using your joggers (Assuming you change footwear for sessions) or something else quite visible, mark the corners of the rectangular playing area. From here it’s really quite simple. Use the long ‘Diagonal’ lines from corner to corner as your efforts, and then jog/walk the shorter touchlines for the recoveries. You can either go for a number of repetitions or a set duration.

A good way to begin is to do 15 efforts with a walk recovery. Then as you get fitter increase the number of reps and jog the rest period. Elite athletes will do 20 or more with a float recovery.