How to build an effective training program
by Run Medic
5/1/2011
When people ask me what they should do weekly for their training, they usually want a straight answer, such as, "Well, on Monday you should do this, and Tuesday you must do such and such a run at such and such a pace..." I guess I'm a pain in the neck for these people, because I usually end up going off on some tangent about how it depends on their age, experience, injury history, goals and time frame. For example, would never give a 71-year-old recreational runner a program with three hard workouts a week, nor would I give a 20-year-old elite runner a program with 3 rest days per week. For these reasons, I sometimes suggest that you make your own program, because nobody knows you like... well, you. Here's some things you should make sure to include in your personalized training program:
REST. Unless you are training to become an elite runner, I recommend you take at least one rest day per week. A rest day gives your joints, bones and muscles a chance to relax and recover from the stress you have been putting them through. A like to suggest that a recreational runner should have at least one rest day per week, but no more than three. More than three rest days per week means that you are resting more frequently than you are running, which, in my experiences, proves to be tremendously ineffective. If you are an advanced runner, you should rest no more than one day per week. Unless you are injured, you should not rest two days in a row. I should not need to say this, but I really do: rest means rest! Rest days mean no running for that day. Not a short run, not an easy run, not a "but my legs are so restless and I'm only going to jog around the block once" run.
CROSS-TRAINING. Now that I clarified the definition of rest, I would like to point out that rest days are good opportunities to include cross-training into your weekly routine. I usually recommend some sort of minimal-impact sport, such as swimming or weight lifting. If you choose to lift weights on your rest day, make sure to include upper body work. Runners often have trouble maintaining muscle mass and strength in their upper body, so you need to be careful about this. If you have time, it is always a good idea to work your lower body as well, but it is not necessary.
WORKOUTS. A workout is any kind of hard run (and don't say all runs are hard, you know what I mean). It could be a tempo run, speed-work, intervals or whatever really hard run you can think of. Although workouts are not necessary for recreational runners, I strongly suggest them for anyone who wants to improve his or her performance. Even if you only workout once a week, you still will be improving. A common mistake for ambitious runners is to try working out on all of their run days. A good way to tell the maximum number of workouts you should do each week is to divide your weekly training days in half. If you run four days a week, two workouts is enough. If you run five or six days a week, do no more than three workouts per week.
LONG RUNS. Many coaches consider a long run to be that one thirteen miler you do each week. For me, long runs are lactate-builders that you use to fill up the remaining days of the week, when you have already decided how many workouts and rest days you will have. Long runs are easy jogs (without stops) for an extended period of time. These runs improve your lactate threshold and keep your body ready for your workouts. For example, I usually recommend that high school cross country or track runners run for 40-75 minutes at between a 6:15 and 8:00 minute mile pace, depending on how advanced they are. These runs should be comfortable for the most part, but make you "feel it" a little bit at the end.
Here is a sample weekly training program with two rest days and two workout days:
Sunday: Rest
Monday: Long Run
Tuesday: Long Run
Wednesday: Workout
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Long Run
Saturday: Workout
The day after a rest day should usually be a long run.
5/1/2011
When people ask me what they should do weekly for their training, they usually want a straight answer, such as, "Well, on Monday you should do this, and Tuesday you must do such and such a run at such and such a pace..." I guess I'm a pain in the neck for these people, because I usually end up going off on some tangent about how it depends on their age, experience, injury history, goals and time frame. For example, would never give a 71-year-old recreational runner a program with three hard workouts a week, nor would I give a 20-year-old elite runner a program with 3 rest days per week. For these reasons, I sometimes suggest that you make your own program, because nobody knows you like... well, you. Here's some things you should make sure to include in your personalized training program:
REST. Unless you are training to become an elite runner, I recommend you take at least one rest day per week. A rest day gives your joints, bones and muscles a chance to relax and recover from the stress you have been putting them through. A like to suggest that a recreational runner should have at least one rest day per week, but no more than three. More than three rest days per week means that you are resting more frequently than you are running, which, in my experiences, proves to be tremendously ineffective. If you are an advanced runner, you should rest no more than one day per week. Unless you are injured, you should not rest two days in a row. I should not need to say this, but I really do: rest means rest! Rest days mean no running for that day. Not a short run, not an easy run, not a "but my legs are so restless and I'm only going to jog around the block once" run.
CROSS-TRAINING. Now that I clarified the definition of rest, I would like to point out that rest days are good opportunities to include cross-training into your weekly routine. I usually recommend some sort of minimal-impact sport, such as swimming or weight lifting. If you choose to lift weights on your rest day, make sure to include upper body work. Runners often have trouble maintaining muscle mass and strength in their upper body, so you need to be careful about this. If you have time, it is always a good idea to work your lower body as well, but it is not necessary.
WORKOUTS. A workout is any kind of hard run (and don't say all runs are hard, you know what I mean). It could be a tempo run, speed-work, intervals or whatever really hard run you can think of. Although workouts are not necessary for recreational runners, I strongly suggest them for anyone who wants to improve his or her performance. Even if you only workout once a week, you still will be improving. A common mistake for ambitious runners is to try working out on all of their run days. A good way to tell the maximum number of workouts you should do each week is to divide your weekly training days in half. If you run four days a week, two workouts is enough. If you run five or six days a week, do no more than three workouts per week.
LONG RUNS. Many coaches consider a long run to be that one thirteen miler you do each week. For me, long runs are lactate-builders that you use to fill up the remaining days of the week, when you have already decided how many workouts and rest days you will have. Long runs are easy jogs (without stops) for an extended period of time. These runs improve your lactate threshold and keep your body ready for your workouts. For example, I usually recommend that high school cross country or track runners run for 40-75 minutes at between a 6:15 and 8:00 minute mile pace, depending on how advanced they are. These runs should be comfortable for the most part, but make you "feel it" a little bit at the end.
Here is a sample weekly training program with two rest days and two workout days:
Sunday: Rest
Monday: Long Run
Tuesday: Long Run
Wednesday: Workout
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Long Run
Saturday: Workout
The day after a rest day should usually be a long run.
