In 2015, after many years away from the sport, I laced up my running shoes and headed out the door. I had a bucket list item of running a marathon, so signed up for a race and headed online to find a training program. I followed the schedule, completing the specified miles each week, but was just running at whatever pace felt right on any given day. While this got me through my first marathon it was not without cost. I ran out of steam at mile 20 and was running with an ITB (iliotibial band) injury, a result of over training.
I repeated this process with my next marathon and did not achieve my goal – to improve my performance. It was only once I started reading about the sport of running and working towards my coaching certification that I began to understand the components of the training cycle and the importance of effort and periodization.
Periodization
There’s a lot of literature on the subject of periodization. Pioneered by Arthur Lydiard in the 60’s, it has expanded into a complex topic with different coaches having differing ideas and methods of implementation. What follows is a very brief overview of my training plans.
Before starting race specific training, ask yourself is are you prepared? How often do you run? How many miles a week do you complete? Have you done strength or speedwork? Do you cross train? Having a base mileage and level of fitness before beginning the 12-18 week training that culminates in a race is crucial. Simply put, when you look at the first week of a plan, it should be a schedule and distance that you are already, or are close to, achieving. Trying to go from zero miles to even low weekly miles with a short (~5 mile) long run puts you at risk of injury, and will likely leave you frustrated as you struggle to complete the necessary training.
If you do the same intensity or volume of training day after day over time your body adapts and stops improving. Periodization ensures that you are continually challenged. Training is divided into planned periods that vary in their type, intensity and objective, the aim being to get you to peak condition for your target race(s) while minimizing injury.
Let’s look at this using as an example a recreational runner with a goal of completing a first marathon.
Macrocycles, Mesocycles, and Microcycles
The Macrocycle is the whole season, for our novice marathoner we’ll say a year that culminates in one goal marathon. The macrocycle contains subdivisions called mesocycles which can vary in length. They last a few weeks, building on each other, focusing on different skills, with specific goals that move our runner toward being able to successfully complete their marathon. Mesocycles are also subdivided into shorter cycles (the weekly training schedule) called microcycles.
Periodization and its constituent cycles can be visualized as a pyramid
The Base training mesocycle is a time for runners (both new and those between race specific training cycles) to build up their base fitness and volume. Running is “conversation pace” building up aerobic endurance at a pace (which may include run/walk sessions) where you can easily have a conversation with someone. The length of time of this mesocycle will vary depending on where each individual runner is in their training. For our novice marathoner we’d be looking at around 10 – 15 weeks, encompassing a distance of 300-500 miles. Even during race specific training, easy pace running will be around 75% of weekly mileage, improving aerobic function, energy use, allowing the body to adapt to the stresses of distance running.
Race specific training for our novice marathoner lasts 16-18 weeks. Goal specific, quality mesocycles, starting with strength work (hills, tempo runs, and fartleks) are added into the weekly microcycle in combination with ongoing, increasing base mileage (primarily increasing the long run). Strength mesocycles last 3-4 weeks, with usually 1-3 cycles (3-9 weeks) per macrocycle. The aim of strength mesocycles are to improve aerobic capacity, lactate threshold, strength, endurance and running efficiency.
Following on from strength are speed mesocycles which take the form of intervals where a given distance is run at a given pace with a specified rest period between repetitions. The specifics are dependent on the goal race and the type of runner (novice, vs elite, vs recreational runner). Intervals are in the anaerobic zone, training the body to more efficiently utilize fuel and remove waste products, and increase strength and power. For our novice marathoner, intervals might not be beneficial, and even if incorporated would be long and not at maximum effort.
The final mesocycles is the taper. Its role is race preparation with a reduction in demanding runs and workouts. Volume starts decreasing in the 2 weeks before the race to 60% and then 30% in race week. This is the time to develop your race plan, and make certain you are well fueled and rested.
But wait, there’s more …
Recovery
At the bottom of the macrocycle you can add another row for recovery. After your race it is important not to just stop all exercise because you’ll start losing the gains you made during the previous cycle. The Recovery mesocycles lasts about four weeks and is a time to re-evaluate. It includes some rest (i.e. no exercise, just stretching etc.), cross training and very limited, slow miles. Depending on goals, a runner may move from recovery straight back into race specific training or may enter a base training mesocycle to maintain fitness.