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How they train – Lynsey Sharp

A former under-15 national champion, Lynsey Sharp’s highlight up until 2011 had been winning bronze in the Commonwealth Youth Games in 2008. However, injury struck shortly afterwards and ruled her out any track outings over her speciality distance during the following two seasons.

Her breakthrough in 2011 – when she won 800m bronze at the European Under-23 Championships – came as a complete surprise, but she is confident that there is much more to come.

“I had IT Band Syndrome from December 2008 and I was not able to run until July 2009,” she says. “It was very hard and at times I thought I would never get back. It was also hard seeing other people perform well, but this made me more determined to get back to that level.”

She credits a coaching switch to Dave Sunderland for her big improvement. She began working with him during last winter and explains: “He is an excellent coach and devised a varied and specific training programme for me. This, combined with staying injury-free and huge amounts of determination and commitment, has led to my improvement.”

Sharp lives in Scotland, while Sunderland is based in the Midlands. “We speak on the phone every day and I give him detailed feedback from my sessions. It’s not ideal, but until I finish university this is how it will be. This winter I hope to see him once a month for training, which I think will help.”

The achievements of her parents also have a lot to do with her success. Her father, Cameron, won silver over 200m in the 1982 European Championships and claimed three bronze medals in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay at the Commonwealth Games the same year. He also reached the semi-finals of both sprints at the 1980 Moscow Olympics and was part of the 4x100m relay team which set a British record when finishing fourth.

Her mum Carol, meanwhile, was a GB international over 800m and represented Scotland at the 1982 Commonwealth Games. Having both parents on hand to offer advice has paid dividends for her. “My mum times my sessions for me and helps me whenever she can,” she adds.

Her favourite session is race pace work with long recoveries such as 4x200m in sub-30 seconds. However, she doesn’t enjoy anything with short recoveries or gym work.

She does not plan to race indoors in 2012, preferring to concentrate on qualifying for the Olympics.

Training

Typical week in winter

» Monday
Tempo run: 12-20 minutes – pace relevant to fitness level.

» Tuesday
3-4 miles steady run plus strides.

» Wednesday
50 minutes fartlek.

» Thursday
Circuits and 25 minutes steady run.

» Friday
Rest or steady run.

» Saturday
Grass repetition session 5×3 minutes – 90 seconds to two minutes recovery.

» Sunday
Five-mile run plus Oregon Circuit.

Typical week in summer

» Monday
Tempo run: 12-20 minutes – pace relevant to fitness level.

» Tuesday
Race pace-specific session such as: 600/500/400/ 300m with 3, 2, 1-minute recoveries. All at 30/31 second pace for 200m.

» Wednesday
30 minutes steady run plus circuits.

» Thursday
Track session – 4-6x150m acceleration runs – complete recovery.

» Friday
Rest or steady run.

» Saturday
Race or 4x200m with three minutes recovery – all at sub-30 seconds pace.

» Sunday
Five-mile run plus Oregon Circuit.

Most days during summer and winter start with a steady 3-4 miles morning run

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