SEASONAL TRAINING

People who enjoy racing often race year-round without considering breaks through the year.  However, we have found that breaking the year up into a few seasons will prove to be very effective for your training.  Also, structure within your season will help you bring out your best for your target races. 

THE SEASON

A season of training consists of 3-6 months of running with a discrete beginning, middle, and end.  The season is built around your target races being at the end of the season:

• Beginning: first, build a base of endurance and stamina.  Start with ¼ to ½ your highest mileage week, and slowly increase over 6-12 weeks.  Your runs should all be easy with NO speedwork.
• Middle: Here, your mileage plateaus as you add speed workouts to work on your speed and strength for racing.  You can even add a few races here. 
• End: the most fun part of your season is here, where your best races should be scheduled.  You basically taper your mileage and reap the benefits of your earlier training.   Simply race!

THE BREAK

After a season of training, you must take 2-4 weeks “off”.  This involves some component of total rest from running, with the remainder of your rest period allowing some very short/light running to get your legs back under you.   The break is extremely important because you get a chance to enjoy the successes of your season and troubleshoot any adversities that you encountered.  You can also modify or make new goals.  Most importantly, your body uses the rest period to repair tired/overworked muscles which often leads to maintained or increased strength, stamina, and endurance for your next season!

WHY NOT JUST RUN AND RACE YEAR-ROUND?

Racing throughout the year has many potentially negative effects:

• Burnout: a relentless racing schedule can become stressful and mentally exhausting, as you are preparing for races every single week.  Racing can become very stale, and also can be frustrating as your body fatigues and your performances wane. 
• Overtraining: a race schedule is very physically demanding, and can lead to injuries that will worsen over time when you are constantly racing.
• Decreased performance: your goal should be to improve as time goes on.  Taking breaks allows your body to regroup, recharge, and rebuild for your next season, better promoting performance improvement. 

Whether you simply want to run with less fatigue, or are looking to get generally faster, or want to work on specific raceday weaknesses, training techniques can help you achieve your goals.  Simply dedicate a day a week for the training component you want to work on improving.  Speed workouts are done at or a little faster than your race pace, while stamina workouts are done faster than a jog but not quite race pace, held for longer intervals.