“In contrast to what you might expect from an elite runner at the top of his game, Giles does three running sessions a week, with the occasional drill session on top. Three.”
‘What I needed was consistency, because consistency trumps talent every time,’ he said. ‘The way to get that consistency was to focus on the key sessions and top up the rest with cross-training.’
Giles now only runs a total of 15 miles over three sessions a week. ‘I had to figure out a different way to train because I knew I didn’t need the same running load as the other guys to compete at the world level,’ he said. The rest of his training consists of cross-training,
I know I’m getting a real workout because I often bonk. I push myself so hard that I start seeing stars and shaking, so I’m definitely working as hard; it’s just that my training takes a different form. And it shows that you don’t necessarily have to run big mileage, which is why a lot of athletes get injured.’
