How to stack plans for a future race (> 6 months away)?
Building Your Next Training Cycle – Short Distance Race Goals
Getting ready for a season of shorter races (800 meters up to 10K)? I thought I’d put together a quick overview of how to build your next training cycle. Similar to my long distance training plan sequence article, the sequence of training plans can vary based on your training/racing history and goals. But, a logical, progressive, proven sequence of training, will virtually guarantee success.
Below are a list of sequences I’ve used in my own running and with the thousands of runners I’ve coached. Like a Lego set, you simply stack the training plans together to build your full training cycle. In this way, you can easily use my training plans to build a customized training cycle for your upcoming goals.
Scenario #1: Race season in ~6 months
Base training plan – 8 weeks
Hill Module training plan (optional) – 6 weeks
Stamina Module training plan (optional) – 6 weeks
800m-10K training plan (or other distance) – up to 12 weeks (Note: I have individual plans for every distance from 800 meters to ultra marathons.)
Total length = 24-36 weeks
Scenario #2: Indoor and Outdoor Track Focus (2 speed seasons)
Base training plan – up to 8 weeks (can shorten plan by 2-4 weeks)
Speed Module training plan (Race Season #1) – 6 weeks (can extend for 2-4 more weeks)
Hill Module training plan – 6 weeks
800m-10K training plan (or other distance) – up to 12 weeks
Total length = 26-32 weeks
Scenario #3: Starting Over
Rebuild Fitness training plan – 12 weeks
Base training plan – up to 8 weeks (can shorten plan by 2-4 weeks)
Hill Module training plan – 6 weeks
Stamina Module training plan (optional) – 6 weeks
800m-10K training plan (or other distance) – up to 12 weeks
Total length = 34-44 weeks
Scenario #4: Speed for Non-Speedsters
Base training plan – up to 8 weeks (can shorten plan by 2-4 weeks)
Hill Module training plan – 6 weeks
Speed Module training plan – 6 weeks
Stamina Module training plan (optional) – 6 weeks
Speed Module training plan – 6 weeks
Stamina Module training plan (optional) – 6 weeks
Total length = 26-32 weeks
Building Your Next Training Cycle – Long Distance Race Goals
At the end of every marathon/half-marathon/ultra season (and sometimes before the race is even run!), runners start asking me about their next training cycle. Runners are planners. We like to know the path ahead, and I get it. As a competitive runner myself, I’m always working to figure out the best sequence of training to achieve my future goals. That’s why I built my training plans to be stacked together to build a customized training cycle for each and every runner and for each and every goal.
To start, I’m providing my proven Marathon and Half-Marathon Recovery Plan for FREE as part of my Run Team. I do this because I find that if left to our own devices, we can often ruin the next training cycle with sub-optimal recovery. Instead, if you recover quickly and optimally, then you can get to the next training cycle sooner and the quality of your training will be higher.
Once recovered, you can begin to build the sequence of training that leads to your next goal. While there are thousands and thousands of combinations, here are some common sequences that I’ve had particular success with (and the runner that it best fits):
Scenario #1: Another long race in ~6 months
Half/Marathon Recovery Plan – up to 4 weeks
Base training plan – up to 8 weeks
Hill Module training plan (optional) – up to 6 weeks
Speed Module training plan (optional) – up to 6 weeks
Half-Marathon | Marathon | 50k | 50 mile-100k | 100 mile | – up to 16 weeks NOTE: If you do the preparatory plans, then you only need the last 10-12 weeks of the race plan.
Total length = 16-36 weeks
Scenario #2: The need for speed
Half/Marathon Recovery Plan – up to 4 weeks
Base training plan – up to 8 weeks (can shorten plan by 2-4 weeks)
Hill Module training plan – up to 6 weeks
Stamina Module training plan (optional) – up to 6 weeks
5K-10K training plan (or other distance) – up to 12 weeks
Total length = 12-32 weeks
Scenario #3: Half marathon future focus
Half/Marathon Recovery Plan – up to 4 weeks
Base training plan – up to 8 weeks
Hill Module training plan (optional) – up to 6 weeks
Speed Module training plan (optional) – up to 6 weeks
Half-marathon training plan (or other distance) – up to 16 weeks NOTE: If you do the preparatory plans, then you only need the last 10-12 weeks of the race plan.
Total length = 12-36 weeks
Scenario #4: Quick marathon/half-marathon turnaround
Half/Marathon Recovery Plan – up to 4 weeks
Half or Marathon training plan – up to 16 weeks (since coming off a recent marathon cycle and marathon recovery plan, can shorten by 8-12 weeks)
Total length = 4-10 weeks
Scenario #5: Quick! Race again while fit
Half/Marathon Recovery Plan – up to 4 weeks
10K training plan – up to 12 weeks (since coming off a recent marathon cycle and marathon recovery plan, can shorten by 4-8 weeks)
Total length = 4-8 weeks