If the new year has you dreaming of a fast finish, you’re likely pondering which race you’ll run and how you’ll train. Start by analyzing your past: “Your previous races and training cycles are filled with clues that can help you get to the next level,” says Andrew Kastor, head coach of the California-based Mammoth Track Club. Kastor and head coach of Chicago Endurance Sports, Lori McGee Koch, can help you learn from past efforts to make your next ones the best they can be.
How to Start Running. When it comes to performance at any distance, your weekly volume is the most important factor, says Koch. Every run you do increases your blood volume and the number of mitochondria and capillaries in your muscles, which improves aerobic capacity. The more miles you log, the greater your stamina.
To assess if you’re running enough for your racing goals, compare the average weekly mileage you ran the last time you trained for your target distance against these minimums: 25 to 30 miles for 5K, 30 to 35 for 10K, 35 to 40 for a half marathon, and 40 to 45 for a marathon. If you were below, bring your volume up to these baselines. If you were at or over the minimums—and not injured—a small increase might still help, says Kastor.
Do this by adding one 20- to 45-minute run to your week—if you run four or fewer days, make it another day; if you run five or six days, make it a second run on an easy day. And be on the lookout for grumpiness, excessive fatigue, or recurring aches and pains—all potential signs that you need to back off.
Look at paces. While most of your mileage should be done at an easy pace, each week should also include time at a comfortably hard (“tempo”) pace as well as a hard (5K or faster) pace. “Running a variety of paces ensures you’re hitting the specific training zones that lead to becoming a faster runner,” says Kastor.
Fast intervals boost the cardiovascular system, and tempo miles work the metabolic system. Both paces improve your biomechanics, while easy days allow recovery. If you weren’t doing any speed variation, start by adding four to six strides (30-second pickups) after easy runs for two to three weeks. Then, do a weekly workout of 6 x 400 meters at goal race pace with equal time for recovery. (If you’re aiming for eight-minute average pace, run two minutes for the 400s with a two-minute recovery jog.) If you were logging speedy miles, make sure you hit all three paces.
“Some marathoners do tempo and long runs but miss tapping into a faster pace, while some 5K runners think all they need is intervals when tempo work helps sustain 5K pace, too,” says Kastor.
The ideal week: one goal-specific workout (intervals like 8 to 16 x 400 at slightly faster than goal race pace for 5K or 10K runners; 30- to 60-minute tempo runs for half- and fullmarathoners); one long run at a comfortable pace; one grab-bag workout that introduces the missing pace (3 x 5-minute repeats at tempo effort for 5K or 10K runners; 800s at 5K pace or strides after an easy run for halfand full-marathoners); and a couple short, easy runs.
Look at races. Study past race splits to see whether your pace was especially off in the early, middle, or late miles, says Koch. Explore why, and create strategies for addressing those issues in training. If fear of bonking made you start too slow, focus on getting on pace during the first repeat in workouts.
If miles eight and nine in the half marathon were slow due to negative thoughts or simply a wandering mind, use long runs and tempo workouts to practice staying focused and upbeat. Late-race fatigue? Try taking walk breaks or running negative-split long runs to sustain energy.
