Plan Ditch those aimless kays and give your running some structure.

DON’T STOP!

RUNNER’S WORLD COACH, STRENGTH COACH, OVERALL BADASS

JESS MOVOLD

MY FAVE PART OF THE RUN WHEN I FIND MY GROOVE AND SETTLE IN I NEED MY RUNNING BUDDIES TO... BRING THE GOOD VIBES. AND KNOW WHEN TO TALK, AND WHEN TO JUST CRUISE. LONG RUN OR SPEEDWORK? SPEEDWORK

FRENEMY WORKOUT DEADLIFTS AND LONG TEMPOS

SCARIEST RUNNING GOAL 5K SUB19, AND MARATHON SUB-3 HOURS

DO YOUR KAYS FEEL AIMLESS? LET’S BUILD A TRAINING PLAN!

A few weeks ago, one of the runners I coach contacted me. She felt discouraged. Her running was unstructured, inconsistent, and, she felt, pointless. She genuinely loves running; she just felt stuck. Like most of us, she’s had no races to train for.

I estimate 99 per cent of the runners I coach only follow a training plan if there’s a race at the end of it. In the Before Covid Times, this was fine. They’d train, race, and recover – then repeat.

But it’s been a year without most major running events, so I imagine you too have felt similarly discouraged.

But here’s my little secret: you don’t need a race to follow a training plan! Races don’t have to dictate your training. Plans serve many objectives, and you can simply follow one to bring purpose, satisfaction and improvement back to your running life.

I have built hundreds of specific training plans, to meet goals from finishing a first 5K to a sub-2:45 marathon. No matter what the experience of the runner, weekly mileage level, or intensity of the workouts, all plans have one of two things in common: either they train you to run longer, or they train you to run faster. Some may even do both.

If you’re stuck in a running rut, I want you to start by asking yourself one thing right now: do you want to run faster? Or do you want to run longer?

Excellent. Now, let’s build a plan that will help do just that – no race required.

I like to joke that training plans are like cheap takeaways: the same basic ingredients make up several different dishes. (And as with cheap takeaways, if you mix-and-match incorrectly, your body pays a price.) So, there are four simple running ingredients that make up a variety of different plans. Here’s a primer on each one, why they’re essential, and a monthlong plan for running with purpose. Let’s go!

→ The Easy Run / It makes up the majority of a training plan. You should do it at a conversational pace, or 1:00 to 1:30 minutesper-km slower than your 5K PB pace. These kays still help build up your aerobic system, without the intensity of the other workouts. Easy runs can be anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour, depending on your typical mileage. They should leave you feeling fresh, relaxed, and ready for more intense training ahead. → The Tempo Run / This is a faster and sustained effort over a set period of time. The goal here is to push to the upper limit of your aerobic system without crossing your anaerobic threshold, where you start building up lactate faster than you can clear it. This is typically between your 10K and half-marathon race pace, or about 20 seconds-per-km slower than your 5K race pace. These runs are not as conversational as an easy, aerobic run, but they’re not max effort, either. Mixing in a 20- to 45-minute run at threshold pace once a week is a staple of any good training plan. These efforts can be intimidating, mentally daunting, and easy to skip. I encourage you to embrace them. Even with no race on the calendar, they help you mentally navigate tough workouts.

→ Intervals / Essential to developing speed, intervals come in all shapes and sizes: on hills, on a track, or out on the roads or trails. They are typically 1:00 to 3:00 minutes long, and range from 90 to 95 per cent of your max heart rate. That can be equivalent to your 5K PB pace or even faster. If you can hold a conversation while running intervals, you’re

RUN FASTER

RUN LONGER

TRAINING

WEEK 1

WEEK 2

WEEK 3

WEEK 4

WEEK 1

WEEK 2

WEEK 3

WEEK 4

MONDAY TUESDAY

(easy) (interval)

ONE MONTH TO RUN WITH PURPOSE

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY

(easy) (tempo) FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY

(easy) (long run) (rest)

• 30-40 minutes

• 30-40 minutes • 20-minute warm-up, 8-12 x 400m with 90-second recovery, 20-minute cool-down

• 20-minute warm-up, 4-6 x 800m with 2-minute recovery, 20-minute cool-down

• 20-minute warm-up, 10 x 2 minutes hard with 2-minute recovery, 20-minute cool-down

• 20-minute warm-up, 3 x 400m, 800m, 1200m, 2-minute recovery for all, 20-minute cool-down • 40 minutes

• 40 minutes

• 35-45 minutes

• 30-40 minutes • 50 minutes

• 50 minutes • 15-minute warm-up, 15-minute tempo, 15-minute cool-down

• 15-minute warm-up, 4 x 5-minute tempo with 1-minute jog recovery, 15-minute cool-down

• 15-minute warm-up, 3km tempo, 5minute jog recovery, 2km tempo, 15-minute cool-down

• 15-minute warm-up, 2 x 10-minute tempo with 5-minute jog recovery, 15-minute cool-down • Rest, or 30 minutes • 90 minutes • Rest

• Rest, or 35 minutes • 90 minutes • Rest

• Rest, or 40 minutes • 110 minutes • Rest

• Rest, or 40 minutes • 110 minutes • Rest

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

(easy) (easy) (long) (rest) (easy) SATURDAY SUNDAY

(long) (rest)

• 20-30 minutes • 30-40 minutes • 60 minutes • Rest • 30 minutes • 90 minutes • Rest

• 20-30 minutes • 30-40 minutes • 60 minutes • Rest • 30 minutes • 100 minutes • Rest

• 20-30 minutes • 30-40 minutes • 70 minutes • Rest • 30 minutes • 110 minutes • Rest

• 20-30 minutes • 30-40 minutes • 70 minutes • Rest • 30 minutes • 120 minutes • Rest

not going hard enough! Intervals are crucial in every training plan for which the goal is to build speed, whether you’re training for 1 600m or a marathon. Make sure you warm up well before any interval workout, and do a proper cool-down afterwards.

→ The Long Run / My personal favourite, the long run should be done at the same intensity as your easy run (conversational, 70 per cent of your maximum heart rate), but – you guessed it – longer! An effective long run should be at least 60 minutes, and up to three hours if you’re training for a marathon or you’re deeper into your training plan. The 90-minute mark is vital, because that’s roughly the point at which you’ve depleted the glycogen stores your body uses for energy, and you must take in fuel or shift to burning fat. Training your body in that zone is the only way to improve your body’s lipid metabolism, meaning, you’ll become more efficient at burning fat over time. This is an essential tool for any distance runner to have in their arsenal, since (for most of us) a marathon and a half marathon take longer than 90 minutes to complete.

You have the ingredients. Now, let’s cook. You’ll find the bones of two basic one-month plans above, aimed at the goal you picked. Each follows a simple schedule. To run faster: each week, perform three easy runs, one interval workout, one tempo, one long run, and one rest day. To run longer: each week, perform three easy runs, two long runs, and two rest days. Increase your mileage by no more than 10 per cent week to week.

The plans above are designed for runners comfortable completing 30-plus kilometres a week and running for at least 60 minutes at a time. If you’re just starting out, feel free to cut back the running time and interval workouts by up to half, or have a look at our fantastic training plans for beginners on runnersworld.co.za/training.

Races are coming! We must be patient, but we’ll all be at a finish line again soon. For now, I hope you do one thing: find purpose in each and every kilometre.