how much fitter could I get in eight weeks?
And does everyone's running speed and fitness improve at the same rate?
If I start off at the same level as someone else and do the same things in training, do we improve at the
same rate?
Well adidas have challenged me to find out?
I'm here today at Battersea Park to meet Alice, a keen runner who got in touch with us and is currently
at a very similar fitness level to me.
So today we're here to do a 5k time trial.
That's because we want to get a baseline of where our fitness is at before we embark on an eight week
training programme in order to see how much faster we can get our five K times.
So the question is, how much faster will we get?
Will we improve at the same level?
Or will one person end up faster than the other?
Let's go find out.
So, Alice, great to have you here.
How are you feeling about the challenge?
Really excited.
A little bit nervous, but really excited.
You ever done anything like this before?
I've done one, which is just about just over a year ago.
So I know it's gonna be tough. Well, there's no real pressure today.
All we need to do is run a flat out 5k, and hopefully we'll be running pretty similar times
now.
We tried to make this as scientific as possible.
So we're wearing pretty much exactly the same kit, including the brand new adidas Solarglide 5
shoes, which feel pretty fast, right?
Although uncomfortable in the fact that however fast they're making you, they're making me the same amount as well.
Okay.
Should do this.
Let's go.
Okay.
Alice, are you ready to go?
No, you've got to be fine.
You ready, Sarah?
No, I don't feel ready.
Let's do this.
Okay, I'll count you in.
Starting in 321.
Go, go, go.
Go on, Alice.
You've got this.
Go, Sarah.
Go.
Yeah.
So Alice has just started off.
She is looking so so strong flying down the first section.
I'm going to cut across now and see if I can beat her in the first case.
Only a few minutes in, but looking really strong.
Keep going Yeah.
Alice is coming down now.
She's doing so well.
Well done.
She is just coming up to the first K and we are three minutes and
45 seconds.
I'm not sure when she's gonna hit one, but she is flying.
Here she comes.
Go on
Alice.
Keep going.
You've got this.
She is battling ranges, battling the cold.
There's also quite a lot of people to dodge in this park, but she is doing so so well.
Have you ever done a time trial by yourself?
Let us know in the comments.
And where did you do it and how did you do?
Just coming up to the halfway point now.
Just gone past 11 minutes.
A strong first half.
Yeah.
Okay.
I'm just waiting for Alice to come in Now.
We are.
She must be through the fourth kilometre.
I've seen little glimpses of her going around and she is still looking so strong.
The shoes look amazing as well.
I think the name of the game here is don't go off too fast.
Keep your pace.
It's quite a cold day.
So it's tempting to run really fast to warm up when you get started.
But she's absolutely smashing this.
I'm excited to see how she feels at the end, though, because you can look strong but feel
rubbish.
So let's see.
Coming into last kilometre now.
So nearly there, Let's go find at the finish.
I'm just standing at the finish.
Alice is coming into the final kilometre.
And then, after these five K time trials were going to be meeting our coach, Georgina, who's gonna be setting us
some training to make sure that we get faster.
Now, if you haven't already noticed, we've got an all female line up for this challenge, which is cool
because for 2022 adidas have put their focus on making sure that women are
catered for.
So the new, Solarglide 5 shoes that we're wearing to do this time trial have been designed and
tested to make sure that they work for women as well as men.
We're actually gonna be giving away a pair of these shoes as well.
So if you want to be in with a chance of winning, all you have to do is click like and then drop a comment down
below.
Tell us who do you think it's gonna get faster over the five weeks?
Are you team Sarah or team Alice?
Comment down below.
And you can be in with a chance of winning an awesome pair of shoes.
Come on, Alice.
You can do it.
She's coming in.
Good.
Alice.
Come on, Sarah.
Nearly there.
Keep gang.
Come on.
Yes.
Done.
How was that?
Let's get your coat and get you warm.
The rain.
That's actually quite nice, as you know.
Alice.
Well done.
A f5k flat out.
Never gets any easier.
How did you find that?
Yeah, really tough.
I don't know how I'm gonna get you faster in the next eight weeks.
I'm excited to see where it goes.
Sure, it'll be fine.
So what was your final time?
21 53.
So my final time was 22 minutes and 10 seconds.
Very close.
Not that much in it.
But just wait eight weeks.
I might have it.
Who knows?
But I think it's about time we go meet the person who's going to be making us faster over the next eight weeks.
Let's go meet adidas coach Georgina.
I'm Georgina.
I'm an adidas runners coach.
I initially joined as a runner, but over the years have progressed to being a crew runner.
And now I'm a coach.
I'm really looking forward to working with Alice and Sarah over these eight weeks and really
seeing what they can achieve.
I've got some punchy sessions planned for those ladies.
They may not like me at the end, but they will be faster, stronger and
fitter.
Okay, we are here at the track.
I feel very out of my comfort zone.
What are you going to get us to do?
Well, ladies, I'm gonna show you through a few drills.
I'll mention them as we go along.
First one up is a walking lunge.
We just talked about that.
So let's get cracking, and I'll talk you through it, so yes.
Wonderful.
So as you're lunging, you want to make sure that front knee doesn't extend past that
front toe.
Make sure those hills.
Yes, and you've got a nice 90 degree angle on the back knee.
Wonderful.
Brilliant.
So why do we do lunges for running, so we want to open up our hip
flexes a little bit.
Um, when we're running, uh, get us nice and primed for those
hard efforts, and then we're going to go into some A
skips.
So let's start jumping on the spot, Bring up our legs, alternate on each
side.
Fantastic.
Warming up, increasing the heart rate.
But you're also exaggerating that running style the only things that are moving
early, your arms and your legs.
So you're keeping your core nice and straight eyes forward.
Turn up and bringing the arm back.
Yes, nice.
So now we're going to progress from an A skip into a B skip pretty much of the
same.
But this time we're going to have a nice chlorine action with that lead
leg.
Let's actually do it standing.
So lead leg up, out and drag up,
out, drag up, out drag.
So let's start with our ace.
Skips jumping on the spot.
Go into your escapes forward.
Fantastic, nice and then be skip
up, out drag.
Nice.
Eight weeks.
It's tricky.
So, yeah, with the B skips, you're basically, um, extending your
leg out dragging it forward.
Is that contact with the ground?
That's going to drive you forward Really good for shorter distances.
Nice.
Snappy, Faster runs.
Okay, Got it.
Yeah, Happy.
I mean, this is going to take someone.
Now, this time we're going to go into some straight legs.
There are some ankling first.
So we're going to keep our toes pointing
forward, and we're just gonna switch from each to the other as we go towards
those cones.
Okay, Let's go.
Nice.
Do we want to be moving our arms?
Also doing this?
I mean, you naturally are, right?
Yeah, I'm kind of doing a penguin situation.
Is that maybe that's what we need it.
So yeah.
Penguin, Penguin, penguin.
Every time.
Nice leg, straight toes pointing up, landing on the
balls of the feet and going from one cone to the other.
Okay, let's go.
Okay.
Brilliant.
Lady's face up.
Nice.
So now we're going to transition into our strides
and then stride it out.
Nice face where you're going.
Brilliant.
Mhm.
So when is the best time to do strides with your drills before your runs?
After you run before and after a job.
And yeah, you can do it before a session.
A nice way to do it after a session is if you're doing, like, a
nice long study run and it's a way to spice it up at the end
again, based of confidence.
Kind of test your limit a little bit and, uh, get you primed and ready
for the next, uh, next week.
Right, ladies.
Drills done.
Yes.
Well done.
So that's it for today.
However, that's not it.
For your eight weeks, you've got a variety of sessions to go through, so we'll be doing
a mix of hills, Some tempo runs, some fart.
Lex.
Some long runs to kind of engage your muscles.
Make you stronger, faster, fitter over those eight weeks.
So those five cases are coming at the end will be a breathe.
Oh, that sounds like a lot of variety.
Alice.
How are you feeling about the next eight weeks?
Yeah, really excited by some concessions.
Not so excited by the hills.
But as you said, just get to the top.
Exactly.
Well, now it's time for the training to begin, So we're going to be following exactly the same training
plan over the next eight weeks.
If you want to keep up with how we're getting on, then make sure you're following the running channel on all of our social channels
because we will be posting regular updates.
And they'll also be another episode coming out soon at the halfway point where we will be taking on a
fitness test.
Only problem is, we haven't been told what the fitness test is yet, but I'm sure it will be great
also if you want to be in with a chance of winning the adidas Solarglide 5 shoes that we've been
wearing in this video, then make sure you've given it a thumbs up and dropped a comment down below.
So who do you think will run the fastest 5k at the end of the series?
We both stay around the same time?
Who knows?
Are you training for a faster 5k at the moment?
Let us know in the comments down below, and we will see you next time on The Running Channel!