Our build-up plans deserve a little more love. And we are starting with a logical question for anyone who has just started running, or is returning to it: do we continue, or repeat a week?
Because as a coach, it is even more important for me to receive feedback when you cover a certain distance for the first time, or at least for the first time in a long while. A build-up plan does not only challenge your cardiovascular fitness. It also places a mechanical load on your body. And no matter how careful and logical the build-up is, those two systems do not always develop equally well or at the same pace.
That is why I will now regularly ask you:
Do you feel ready for the next step? Then we continue as planned.
Have the past few weeks been a little too ambitious, and would you rather play it safe? Then we repeat the previous week before moving on.
I will ask you that question on Friday, and we need your answer by Monday evening. So you have the entire weekend to think it over. If you do not answer, we simply continue.
And just to be clear: repeating a week is not a step backwards. It means consolidating your progress instead of putting it at risk before moving on. That is the key to long-term success. Consistency comes before suffering.
As a coach, I honestly do not care whether your build-up takes one or two weeks longer. I want you to get there without cursing me or yourself.
