You run, train and race, not necessarily by following someone else's program, but by learning what works for you and fitting that together into your own program. To assist, I attempted years ago to devise some generally applicable principles as guidelines, which I thought others could successfully apply to their own training and racing, These "principles" have been available on this blog. One "new" principle I can add, if not already included somewhere: as you train over longer distances, you can expect your times from 3000m and up to improve.
It is over a year since I published the "principles of running". Here are the links. You can also find them any time, via a link on the sidebar.
The Ten Conditioning Principles
#1 Schedule an easy or rest day after the longest training day
#2 Increase total distance by no more than 10% per week
#3 Plan races so that you have a day off racing for every mile raced
#4 Racing, together with sprinting in training, should not exceed 20% of distance run, and should probably be around 10-15%
#5 Increase distance or intensity from week to week, but not both at the same time
#6 Warmup first before stretching
#7 Usually follow hard days by easy days. Never have three hard days in a row
#8 Don’t ease off training for races, except the handful of races that are your major goals
#9 Treat injuries immediately
#10 Have fun
The Ten Form Principles
#1 The Importance of Relaxation
#2 Run like a child
#3 For Faster Feet, run on your toes
#4 Get those hips forward
#5 Run Tall
#6 Drive with the arms
#7 New breathing techniques may help.
#8 Be Alert and Aware
#9 Run with others who have a good style
#10 Be content with your unique style
Ten Sample Training Sessions
#1 cross training
#2 general endurance
#3 specific endurance
#4 fun sessions
#5 aerobic intervals
#6 hill sprints
#7 speed development
#8 anaerobic
#9 race practice
#10 racing
The Ten Racing Principles
#1 Redefine "Winning"
#2 Practise Surging
#3 Plan races so that you have a day's break from racing for every mile raced
#4 Have Long Term Goals
#5 Define short term goals
#6 Set Intermediate Racing Goals
#7 Horses for Courses
#8 Develop elite runners’ strategies and abilities
#9 Even Pace Produces Fastest Times
#10 Have an established pre race routine
A training pattern that works for me (58 year old Vet), and would suit anyone:
day 1 fast
day 2 long
day 3 medium-tempo
day 4 fast
day 5 long
day 6 medium-easy
day 7 medium-long tempo
But a fit young athlete could do 10 or 12 sessions a week, which can include one more long run and one more fast session, remembering that more recovery is needed after a long hard run than after a short fast session.
And of course I recommend reading the Nic Bideau article, also linked from the side-bar!
It is over a year since I published the "principles of running". Here are the links. You can also find them any time, via a link on the sidebar.
The Ten Conditioning Principles
#1 Schedule an easy or rest day after the longest training day
#2 Increase total distance by no more than 10% per week
#3 Plan races so that you have a day off racing for every mile raced
#4 Racing, together with sprinting in training, should not exceed 20% of distance run, and should probably be around 10-15%
#5 Increase distance or intensity from week to week, but not both at the same time
#6 Warmup first before stretching
#7 Usually follow hard days by easy days. Never have three hard days in a row
#8 Don’t ease off training for races, except the handful of races that are your major goals
#9 Treat injuries immediately
#10 Have fun
The Ten Form Principles
#1 The Importance of Relaxation
#2 Run like a child
#3 For Faster Feet, run on your toes
#4 Get those hips forward
#5 Run Tall
#6 Drive with the arms
#7 New breathing techniques may help.
#8 Be Alert and Aware
#9 Run with others who have a good style
#10 Be content with your unique style
Ten Sample Training Sessions
#1 cross training
#2 general endurance
#3 specific endurance
#4 fun sessions
#5 aerobic intervals
#6 hill sprints
#7 speed development
#8 anaerobic
#9 race practice
#10 racing
The Ten Racing Principles
#1 Redefine "Winning"
#2 Practise Surging
#3 Plan races so that you have a day's break from racing for every mile raced
#4 Have Long Term Goals
#5 Define short term goals
#6 Set Intermediate Racing Goals
#7 Horses for Courses
#8 Develop elite runners’ strategies and abilities
#9 Even Pace Produces Fastest Times
#10 Have an established pre race routine
A training pattern that works for me (58 year old Vet), and would suit anyone:
day 1 fast
day 2 long
day 3 medium-tempo
day 4 fast
day 5 long
day 6 medium-easy
day 7 medium-long tempo
But a fit young athlete could do 10 or 12 sessions a week, which can include one more long run and one more fast session, remembering that more recovery is needed after a long hard run than after a short fast session.
And of course I recommend reading the Nic Bideau article, also linked from the side-bar!
