In a previous blog, I already explained the how and why behind the reworking of all training plans. Here, we will zoom in on this specific part.
It is important to explain how the plans are structured. You can also find this in the in-app FAQ. How is your plan built when you choose what we call an ‘ultimate goal’ in the app?
In the last 12 weeks before your goal, you follow a specific plan. This phase focuses on the key fitness elements needed to perform well at your chosen distance. To keep it simple: more volume for a marathon, more speed for a 5K.
This approach requires a strong base fitness. Without a solid foundation, you cannot build specificity. That foundation is built with a support plan. For the more experienced: this phase includes more focus on capacity work. This part is now live, specifically for the 10K.
Shorter intervals, longer LSDs
The support plan for the 10K lasts 12 weeks. Until now, the 5K and 10K shared the same support plan. That is no longer the case. We now work with more focus.
The general rule still applies: if you want to aim for a performance goal, you need base fitness. We currently set that bar at 10K. First you build up to 10K, then you move on to the additional training load of an ‘ultimate plan’ targeting performance. This is a responsible choice because we care about your long-term health.
Since we now wrote new plans specifically for the 10K, the approach is slightly different than before. On average, the volume of the interval sessions goes down (but intensity goes up), while the volume of the long slow distance runs goes up. In other words, more focus on aerobic fitness, the foundation of the pyramid.
12 + 12: if you want to follow the full program, you should set your 10K goal about 24 to 22 weeks in advance. The support plan comes first, followed by the specific plan. That way you complete the full cycle of support and specific training.
A side note: such a long preparation is not necessary if you have already run races at this distance. The shorter the race distance, the less critical the support phase becomes. On the other hand, the structure now offered by combining support and specific plans is absolutely worth doing. I really believe it will make you stronger.
More plans and training days
Also important to mention: Trenara is attracting faster runners. We didn’t fully expect that in the early days. With this update, we are better meeting their needs. The foundation for a fast 10K is not only laid in the final 12 weeks, but also in the phase before that. As mentioned in the introduction, that part was not yet well developed for faster runners.
You may have read in the general blog that all plans are now being updated to support up to 7 training days. That also applies here, although the specific 10K plans will only be available in the app starting next week.
More true threshold work and some new elements
In the past, it was harder to define your thresholds accurately. That made it difficult for me to label sessions properly.
Everyone knows that tempo session where the description did not match the experience. "This one should not be too hard" and then ending up screaming for your mom.
That will no longer happen by design. That doesn't mean there will not be tough sessions, but when they are tough, that is the intention. For 5K and 10K race goals, that will be the case more often, because in those races you are running above your limits. That is something we need to train.
And, of course, a bad day can still make a session feel hard. But that will no longer be due to the design.
We also made some other changes. For runners who do not train very often, the plan no longer includes a recovery run by default. We rely on passive recovery instead.
That does not mean the plan becomes harder. The classic trio of interval, tempo and recovery is now optimised with a focus on aerobic base. For runners training three times per week, interval sessions, endurance runs (with strides) and a weekly LSD are the best combination.
