Building blocks - Starting a run training plan

Running advice #2

This is how I approach creating a training plan and nailing down a structure that is both manageable and best to achieve your goals.

How to run faster? How to run better? Running advice for training and racing from things I have learned over 15 years of trial and error, reading and getting to a place I never thought possible when I started.

Block mentality

How do you eat an elephant?

One bite at a time.

Committing to an event, race or challenging goal can be intimidating. If you try to take it on all at once and always think about the whole distance, time to be at a certain speed or an ever increasing toll of effort and mileage over potentially months and everything to improve, fitness, strength, speed, technique.... it can seem impossible.

This is where blocks come in. Blocks allow you to focus on certain things for smaller periods and give them your best attention rather than blur into one hard to track mix.

What blocks do I suggest?

4 WEEK BLOCKS

3 weeks increasing load + 1 week absorbing

I break this down in other articles but as a very brief example.

In a marathon training plan and block focussed on developing your long run, here are some principles

• Week 1 // Total 40km Long Run 20km + 1xIntervals_1xTempo_2xEasy

• Week 2 // Total 50km  Long Run 24km + 1xIntervals_1xTempo_2xEasy

• Week 3 // Total 60km  Long Run 28km + 1xIntervals_1xTempo_2xEasy

• Week 4 // Total 30km Long Run 14km + 1xIntervals_2xEasy

And in the next building block if continuing similar focusses and runs then I like to start back in the middle to warm yourself back up but keep stepping forward patiently over blocks. So next block would be 24-28-32 long runs.

Four main reasons

#1: Ability to focus

When taking on a training plan there my be various things you will want to improve, or need to improve to achieve your goal.

Putting in blocks allows you to focus on certain things and improve significantly int hose areas before moving into a next block. And if you maintain some fundamentals and consistency, you will not lose what you've focused on and rather just build on them with the new thing you are focusing on.

What I refer to can be:

• Strength

• Speed

• Endurance

• Technique

• Hills

• Downhills

And within those, you can choose several things. For example:

Within Strength it could be Quads, Core, Hips, Glutes.

Within Speed it could be top end speed, or holding race pace.

Within Technique it could be Arms and Cadence, Stride length, Foot contact time, head position.

And so on....there are other articles I will write on these.

#2: A vital recovery week

Unless you've started your training plan too late and are cramming. An ever increasing load till the race has a very high likelihood of burnout or getting injured.

Assuming no injuries or niggles, increasing your training and effort weekly means you're accumulating fatigue.

This....

A) Doesn't allow you to absorb your training. A rest day here or there is fine but a recovery week to absorb is consecutive days where you are training lighter. I never recommend fully stopping for anything more than a day (unless you're post-race) but keeping movement, light training.

B) You can't improve speed or speed endurance that well because you're going into every session fatigued and unable to push to those golden areas of bearable discomfort.

#3: Don't start where you left but further than when you started

Taking the example above in a marathon plan. My recommendation and what I find a mental and physical benefit comes from starting lower than your last run but you have plenty of confidence to not start as you did in the previous block.

So if you were doing two blocks focussed on increasing your distance back-to-back. The long runs of the previous block 20-24-28 then your next block would be 24-28-32.

Doing this then you're always moving forward but patiently, it builds super strong foundations that last.

Of course if you're cramming you need another type of plan!

#4: Each block is a win! And mental break

Getting to your week of recovery can feel like a big accomplishment and win in of itself. Not only do you get a physical break but a break mentally to reset, think about where you are, make any adjustments for your next block.

Part of training well is enjoying your rest too :)

If you've liked what you've read, folllow my Instagram account @bridgeo_tri_run or The Running Triathlete on TikTok.

If you've got your own experience on this subject, please leave comments, I'd love to know others views!