Training Fundamentals

It takes a minimum of 7-10 years to develop distance running talent.

Training requires goals and a plan. You will need a combination of short and long range goals, each related to specific outcomes.  The most effective training plan encompasses 52 weeks of the year and includes scheduled periods for resting, training and racing. Each training week includes 7 to 10 workouts. 

Grete Waitz wins Leggs
Mini Marathon 1982

Aerobic fitness is fundamental to distance running success. Aerobic runs optimize capillary and mitochondria development, improve fat metabolism and train muscle fibers that are not employed until the primary fibers are fatigued. 

To maximize your aerobic fitness you need to average one hour of running for each day of your training year. This daily workout should be run at between one and two minutes per mile slower than your best 10K race pace. Running faster will be detrimental to your overall development, because the faster pace dramatically increases your risk of injury while providing little added aerobic benefit. 

Marathoners and ultra marathoners race longer so they need a few longer aerobic runs. Marathoners need to add a 2 1/2 hour run while ultra marathoners need a 4 hour run to round out their training weeks. 

These long aerobic runs can include up to eight miles of marathon race pace training, but the bulk of the distance should be run at two minutes per mile slower than their 10K race pace. 

Run race specific speed one to two times per week. The purpose of race pace running is to develop racing skills, increase racing muscle strength and to optimize race pace muscle coordination. Running significantly faster than race pace is counter productive because it increases your risk of mental and physical injury while not improving your race pace running skills. 

Mature 5K/10K runners will race best with two speed workouts per week during the weeks leading up to their important races, one workout consisting of three miles of 10K paced training and another consisting of two miles of 5K paced training. Marathoners perform best with three miles of 10K paced running and six to eight miles of marathon paced running per week. 

These strenuous workouts should be preceded by two miles of easy paced running and should be capped off by another two to three miles of easy paced running. To allow the body time to rebuild itself, there should be at least one day of forty minutes to one hour of easy paced running between these intense training efforts. 

Caution: Speed kills faster than distance. You can not race fast if you never train fast, but too much fast running will be hazardous to your health. The distance run at 5K race pace or faster should rarely exceed 10% of your weekly mileage, and the total distance run at marathon race pace or faster should not exceed 30% of your weekly mileage. 

Peak for your key races by running one to two practice races or time trials. Very few runners can step from the training track to first class performances without some simulated or actual racing to complete their preparation. 

Taper your training for three weeks before important races. This process allows your mind to recover from the stresses of hard training and your body time to rebuild damaged tissue. Your mileage should be cut to the following schedule: 3/4 of your weekly average for the third week out, 2/3 for the second week out, and 1/3 (not including the mileage of the race), for the last week. This schedule can vary, but is an effective guideline. 

Rest the last three days before racing. Many runners benefit from a light warm-up on the day before the race, but not everyone needs it. 

Rest after racing. The muscle soreness you experience after a race is due to torn and shredded tissues not to lactic acid. 

Never run when your legs are sore, soreness means muscle tissue has been damaged.  Rest is the best way to recover from sore muscles. 

Race sparingly at distances longer than 18 miles and never compete in more than four such races per year. 

Training is only one of the stresses in your life, to avoid injury and burn out you must balance your training, family and career commitments. 

Train with a coach. No athlete can be objective about himself. Coaches are not task masters, but are advisors who help athletes achieve their goals. 

Train with others as often as possible. Nothing enhances motivation better than training with like minded individuals. The best way to get out of a slump is to train with others. 

Keep a detailed training log, because the only way to profit from yesterday is to have an accurate record and to refer to it frequently. 
Mary Decker-Slaney wins
World Championships 1500
1983

Schedule one month of active rest for every five months of training and racing. Active rest means running approximately 1/2 as many miles as normal and running most of them slowly.