What Do You Do In-Between Training Cycles?
What do you do for running in between training cycles? If you have read my other blog post you might get sick of this answer...
It depends.
Mainly it comes down to what you want to accomplish and what your future training goals are. I mostly hear this question come up in marathon and half marathon runners so this blog post will address people in that situation. When you go through an 18 week training cycle and dedicate your LIFE to early bedtimes, hydration, nutrition and core work then at the end of the cycle after you complete your race you may end up feeling that you have lost a friend.
So if you have decided to start the journey of chipping away at your full/half marathon time then this is for you. Welcome to being a year-round runner!
Each year you really only get about one or two aerobic training peaks. With that, if you really want to see improvement then I would strongly recommend one marathon maybe two each year that you want to peak for. Running multiple marathons each year is very impressive but if your goal is to finish at your peak fitness and your best time then running multiple marathons each year could lead to frustration and unrealistic expectations. With that, you are putting your faith into your training and hope it all comes together on race day (no pressure right?)!! Okay so that's 18 weeks of training, include 4 - 6 weeks off of no running for the year (don't forget to take those times off throughout the year to give your body a break) which leaves about 30 weeks of loosely structured running. If you run two marathons a year then that really only leaves about 10-12 weeks.
So after your race, take some time off and then get back to running. You don't need to run mile repeats, tempos and repeats year-round. Those things should be strategically placed in your training plan in the 18 weeks before your race. If you don't have those things early on in your plan it may be time to find a different plan. What you DO need to include year round are base miles, long runs, core/strength work and strides. If you keep your weekly mileage nice and easy from 20 - 30 miles a week then your transition into your next training cycle will be so much smoother. Once that becomes second nature then your base mileage might increase to 30 - 40 and so on. Just make sure you follow the 10% rule (only increase your mileage by 10% from week to week) and listen to your body when something hurts. A week of 28 - 30 baseline miles might look like this:
Monday: 5 + strides
Tuesday: 6 + core/strength
Wednesday: OFF
Thursday: 5 + strides
Friday: Long Run 8-10
Saturday: 4 + core/strength
Sunday: OFF
Adapting this lifestyle requires you change your mindset to "plan your week to fit in your runs" rather than "plan your runs for when they fit in around your week." I block off a portion of the day from 3:30 - 5:00 where I don't schedule appointments or meetings if possible. As a professional, sometimes it's not possible and I have a required meeting in that time. For example, I used to have meetings every Monday during that time. When I got out of those meetings in the middle of winter it would be pitch black and 20 degrees (not the best running conditions) so I moved my off days each week to Mondays to accommodate.
If you are overwhelmed by this or feel that you are missing a certain component of your training plan then perhaps it's time to talk it over with a coach? Consultations are available. Email coach.n.fischer@gmail.com
It depends.
Mainly it comes down to what you want to accomplish and what your future training goals are. I mostly hear this question come up in marathon and half marathon runners so this blog post will address people in that situation. When you go through an 18 week training cycle and dedicate your LIFE to early bedtimes, hydration, nutrition and core work then at the end of the cycle after you complete your race you may end up feeling that you have lost a friend.
So if you have decided to start the journey of chipping away at your full/half marathon time then this is for you. Welcome to being a year-round runner!
Each year you really only get about one or two aerobic training peaks. With that, if you really want to see improvement then I would strongly recommend one marathon maybe two each year that you want to peak for. Running multiple marathons each year is very impressive but if your goal is to finish at your peak fitness and your best time then running multiple marathons each year could lead to frustration and unrealistic expectations. With that, you are putting your faith into your training and hope it all comes together on race day (no pressure right?)!! Okay so that's 18 weeks of training, include 4 - 6 weeks off of no running for the year (don't forget to take those times off throughout the year to give your body a break) which leaves about 30 weeks of loosely structured running. If you run two marathons a year then that really only leaves about 10-12 weeks.
So after your race, take some time off and then get back to running. You don't need to run mile repeats, tempos and repeats year-round. Those things should be strategically placed in your training plan in the 18 weeks before your race. If you don't have those things early on in your plan it may be time to find a different plan. What you DO need to include year round are base miles, long runs, core/strength work and strides. If you keep your weekly mileage nice and easy from 20 - 30 miles a week then your transition into your next training cycle will be so much smoother. Once that becomes second nature then your base mileage might increase to 30 - 40 and so on. Just make sure you follow the 10% rule (only increase your mileage by 10% from week to week) and listen to your body when something hurts. A week of 28 - 30 baseline miles might look like this:
Monday: 5 + strides
Tuesday: 6 + core/strength
Wednesday: OFF
Thursday: 5 + strides
Friday: Long Run 8-10
Saturday: 4 + core/strength
Sunday: OFF
Adapting this lifestyle requires you change your mindset to "plan your week to fit in your runs" rather than "plan your runs for when they fit in around your week." I block off a portion of the day from 3:30 - 5:00 where I don't schedule appointments or meetings if possible. As a professional, sometimes it's not possible and I have a required meeting in that time. For example, I used to have meetings every Monday during that time. When I got out of those meetings in the middle of winter it would be pitch black and 20 degrees (not the best running conditions) so I moved my off days each week to Mondays to accommodate.
If you are overwhelmed by this or feel that you are missing a certain component of your training plan then perhaps it's time to talk it over with a coach? Consultations are available. Email coach.n.fischer@gmail.com
www.runwithcoachfischer.com
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