In a previous blog, I already explained the reasoning behind the complete overhaul of our training plans. Here, we’ll zoom in on this specific part.
It’s important to clarify how the plans are structured - you’ll also find this in the in-app FAQ. How is your plan built when you select what we call an ‘ultimate goal’ in the app?
In the final 12 weeks leading up to your goal race, you follow a specific training plan. This plan focuses on the particular physical demands required to perform well at your chosen distance. To keep it simple: more volume for a marathon, more speed for a 5K. This section now goes live, specifically for the half marathon.
Of course, this requires a solid base. Without a foundation, there’s no room for specificity. That base is built in the support plan. For the more experienced runners: this phase focuses more on capacity work.
A more specific build-up
The specific plan for the half marathon spans 12 weeks. And those 12 weeks now look a bit different than before.
We’re working more specifically toward the demands of the half marathon. Thanks to the updated calculation of your thresholds, the tempo runs in particular are now better tailored to the needs of your half marathon. To the untrained eye, the changes may seem minor. But in practice, you should feel the difference.
Beyond that, the plans still offer enough variety. That said, runners who train "only" 3 times per week will see a bit more emphasis on endurance runs. But we’ve made those more engaging by adding strides.
12 + 12: Ideally, you set your half marathon goal about 24 to 22 weeks in advance. The support plan comes first, followed by the specific plan. That way, you go through the full cycle of base building and specific preparation.
But don’t worry if that timing doesn’t line up perfectly.
Important: this doesn’t mean you can go from zero to a half marathon in 24 weeks. If you’re a relatively new runner, I still recommend starting with our build-up plans. Being able to comfortably run 10K is an absolute prerequisite before tackling an ‘ultimate goal’ using the support and specific plans.
More plans and more training days
Also worth mentioning: Trenara is attracting faster runners too, something we didn’t expect right from the start. With this update, we’re better meeting their needs.
So I wrote extra plans with more training days. The distribution of effort between sessions is now also different. Previously, the plans were quite flat. There wasn’t much difference in volume between sessions. That’s no longer the case.
If you train more often, that extra session contributes to a better base without adding excessive load. Recovery runs are now fundamentally shorter. And if you’re doing seven sessions per week, we’ll often recommend making that seventh one a cross-training session.
In short: we’re now guiding you even better.
Improved instructions
As mentioned earlier, the training descriptions are also getting a serious upgrade. The goal is to give you more insight into your fitness and your sessions.
We love our sport and this gives us a chance to explain it in more depth.
It also lets us show how seriously we take your running goals, which are often an essential part of your life. You and we, we’re not just doing something random.
