The tough workout of the week is tomorrow when you run long-and I'm going to ask you to run a mile further than your did last week. That's only a mile further than last week, but subtle mileage changes work best. Run this at a comfortable pace 45 to 90 seconds slower than your 15-K race pace. If you're feeling frisky, pick up the pace a bit in the last 2 miles, but don't feel you have to finish in a sprint because I gave the green light. And be cautious about dueling with training partners, since excessive hard running is counterproductive.
Consistency is what counts.
Improvement comes easily when you begin from a base of zero fitness. After that, you need to learn how to train properly. To order an autographed copy of this and other books by Runner's World's best writer go to Books by Hal Higdon .