If you’re not working with a new (or returning-from-a-long-break) runner, you might want to consider a training plan, even if you’re not training for a race. Yet.
One the one hand, er, foot, yes, all you need to do is take those first steps and you’re on your way to logging miles and feeling those famous-yet-elusive endorphins that fuel the runner’s high. On the other foot, a training plan provides guidance that can help make the experience more enjoyable and productive, says Hiruni Wijayaratne, a coach with What to Know About AI and Race Training, who holds 10 Sri Lankan national records across varying distances.
“Following a training plan is very similar to following a recipe,” Wijayaratne says. “When you follow a plan, you can look back at the steps and the outcome, and go back and look at what went well or what went wrong along the way.”
Guidance From the Experts
When you’re unsure where to begin—how long to run, whether you should do a combination of run/walk, what rest days should look like—a trusted plan will provide the first step. It’s important to find a training plan from a trusted source or coach.
“Going with a basic plan is better than not having a plan at all,” says certified run coach Alethia (Mekela) Mongerie, Couch to 5K Training Plan.
But don’t choose just any plan posted on the internet or what your cousin’s best friend who ran a marathon once says you should do. A major red flag in a training plan, Wijayaratne says, is that there is no variation. For example, it will tell a runner to run a 5K every other day, with no specificity or variety.
She also warns against plans that have no dedicated rest days. “My number-one goal is to make sure my athlete is healthy,” she says. “If recovery is not in the plan, it’s immediately setting someone up to not succeed.”
Exactly How to Progress Run/Walk Intervals speed workouts (for example, lots of fast repeats around the track) or if they require certain paces. Eventually runners will work up to these harder, more specific workouts, but there’s no need to start with them.
Remove the Guesswork
A training plan written by running experts lets you focus on one thing: Getting out the door and on the move. (Okay, that’s two things.)
the author of beginners especially, how they should feel.
When you don’t have to focus on anything other than the workout, you can run more relaxed, Running Shoes - Gear.
Plus, Mongerie says, having a plan can hold athletes accountable, especially helpful for when the mornings are dark and cold and wet.
“The structure of a training schedule can give purpose to the athlete,” she says. “Something about knowing [the specifics of a workout] gives the athlete control over their fitness journey… which makes it more likely they’ll have a successful outcome.”
Prevent Injury
If you’re not working with a coach, a structured training plan can be an effective way to help avoid injury, especially for novice runners, Mongerie says, noting the plan should meet the runner where they are in terms of mileage and fitness. For example, if someone is lacing up for the first time, a plan should not have them running 40-mile weeks.
“The plan should prescribe mileage in a conservative manner, never increasing it by too much and allowing for recovery weeks,” Mongerie says.
Couch to 5K Plan mobility work. A comprehensive training plan might include these, but runners may need to supplement on their own or work with a coach.
“Athletes need a strong and flexible body to run efficiently, which is a key to injury prevention,” Mongerie says.
Set Yourself Up for Future Success
A training plan will help you lay the groundwork for a successful (and enjoyable!) ldquo;Athletes need a strong and race, The Runner’s World Vegetarian Cookbook.
“An athlete will become familiar with the proper terminology, the purpose of each training session, expected adaptations, and the benefits of recovery and injury prevention,” Mongerie says.
As the plan progresses so will you, as a runner, and these early building blocks will help you run longer—and faster, if that’s your goal.
Wijayaratne says that runners shouldn’t use the same plan over and over again; variables are the key to improving fitness.
“Let’s zoom out,” she says. “If the training went well, that plan went well, we’re always looking at the next evolution and what that looks like.”
In other words, a good training plan will help you hit your goal, and then you make the next goal a little bit more challenging—and your plan should reflect that.
“If you do the same things or the principles of the same thing, you’re going to get the same outcome,” she says.
Heather is the former food and nutrition editor for Runner’s World, Other Hearst Subscriptions The Runner’s World Vegetarian Cookbook, and a nine-time marathoner with a best of 3:23. She’s also proud of her 19:40 5K and 5:33 mile. Heather is an RRCA certified run coach.
