Run Strong All Year: Breakthrough Performance Takes More Than a 12-Week Plan
When you have a big race on the calendar, you meticulously follow a training plan for those weeks - usually around 12 for a half marathon, 18-20 for a marathon. But what about the months leading up to that plan, the time between races? Do you ever think about how you prepare your body for the training?
You may have seen training plans with a “prep” phase before the race-specific training begins: a few weeks of simple yet consistent running to build up to the volume required in week 1. It’s a nice way to introduce the idea of base building to the recreational runner - the more of that “off-season” training you do, the better you’ll feel when you get to the business end of a training plan. If you can keep running fairly consistently year after year, every single one of those training seasons will help you feel better prepared for your next long distance race. This is especially true for half marathons, marathons, and anything longer, where endurance and resilience matters.
Peak performance — along with leg durability, mental resilience, and resistance to injury — hinges on a strong foundation built well before your official training cycle even starts.
Maybe you’ve never thought about training in this way. I used to be that runner, too. I would find a race, pick a training plan, and get to work on the prescribed day 1 of that plan. I made sure I was ready to handle the first long run, but paid little attention to the rest of it. After the race, I would either immediately pick another race and another plan, or just run casually with no plan whatsoever until the next race came around. Rinse and repeat.
Most recreational runners train exactly like this. Train, race, extended rest. Train, race, extended rest. It will get you ready for that one race - but you won’t see significant improvements year on year, and you won’t have time to explore your strengths and your potential. The up-down nature of training like this also leaves you susceptible to overuse injuries when a new training cycle starts and your training volume suddenly ramps up.
There’s a much better way.
Building the foundation: consistent running year-round
Here's the secret: consistent running throughout the year is crucial for a higher level of race performance as well as building lasting resilience in your legs. Imagine your marathon training cycle as the final climb to a mountain summit. The stronger your base - the months of consistent running beforehand - the easier and more enjoyable that climb becomes.
When I first started
working with a running coach, one of my main goals was to learn how to train “like the pros do”. No, not 120-mile weeks. For me, that meant understanding what happens between races, how training blocks stack together, and how I can hang on to the improvements I made in this half marathon cycle to get even faster and stronger next time. The goal is not to be in peak physical condition all the time; it’s not possible, and peaking is saved for important races. Naturally, your running volume will go up and down, and your focus will change from time to time. This isn't about big training weeks and structured workouts all the time. The goal is to be intentional about training and its purpose
at that time
and to know how the current training block fits into the big picture.
Running consistently year-round has several benefits:
- Reduced injury risk: High mileage jumps or sudden increases in intensity during race training will overload your body, increasing your risk of injury. When you run consistently throughout the year, your body has time to adapt to the stress of running.
- Better durability and resilience: Consistent running strengthens your muscles, tendons and bones, making them more resilient to the demands of longer distances. This allows you to handle higher mileage during race training without breaking down. These adaptations are slow and won’t happen in the space of a single training plan.
- Improved endurance: Regular running strengthens your cardiovascular system and improves your body's ability to use oxygen efficiently. This translates to better performance over long distances - you may see it as a lower heart rate and perceived effort, and the ability to keep running for longer.
- Mental toughness: Sticking to a consistent running routine builds mental discipline, a crucial asset during important training cycles and challenging workouts and races. More training equals more opportunities to practice good runs, hard runs, and the ones where you truly have to dig yourself out of a black hole.
How having a strong base improves your race training
The difference in my running and racing was drastic.
Looking back on my old training logs now, I’m not entirely sure how I even survived my first two marathons. My long runs were long enough, but the build was fast and the overall mileage stayed low as there was no base to build on, no consistent volume over a period of several months. I did survive them, and even enjoyed one (the other one made me quit running for a few months), but I also walked some, paid no attention to pace, and turned up simply to complete them.
Fast forward to marathons number 3 and 4. By the time I ran my third marathon, I had been working with my coach for a full year - the highest volume year I had ever had, with weekly mileage that I previously thought would lead me down a path to certain injury. Instead, I felt strong, loved the training, found the marathon very doable and fun, and never hit the wall - and took 35 minutes off my finish time. Marathon number 4, another year later, and I didn’t even have to do race-specific training for 20 weeks. Because of the strong base I had built over the previous two years, the variety of training already in my legs, and a significant starting distance on my long runs, I did just 14 weeks of focused marathon training, yet qualified for Boston with a comfortable margin and recovered remarkably well afterwards.
I hope my story illustrates how the benefits of consistent running are cumulative. If you start marathon training today, you’re not simply starting from square one with the miles from today, tomorrow, or this week. Your training gets added to the training you did last month, 3 months ago, and in your previous marathon training cycle last year - as long as you maintain consistency in between. If you did a lot of work in the spring to build your aerobic engine and endurance, that base is still there in the summer even if you did an eight-week block of speed work after that.
Through year-round consistency, race training becomes easier. When your base mileage is solid, you get to work on fine-tuning your speed and stamina for the specific needs of your race distance, rather than simply getting in enough miles to be able to complete it. If you’re already halfway there with mileage and your mental strength, you’ll come out the other side much less likely to suffer from burnout.
Plan ahead to lay the groundwork
Not yet in the habit of running regularly between races? Start with your next training cycle! It’s never too early to plan ahead for a big goal race.
Here are some things you should consider:
- Know how long your race-specific training plan is going to be, and work backwards. When will you need to start your 12-week or 18-week training? Mark that date.
- Next, what does week 1 of that training plan look like, and where are you now? Can you seamlessly move from your current running to race training without increasing mileage or intensity too much?
- If not, you’ll need to work in a preparatory training cycle that gradually gets you to the point where you’re comfortable at the starting mileage and intensity. This might be 4 weeks, or it might be a few months - the longer you can give yourself the better off you’ll be.
Once you have recovered from the race, why not put these tips into practice and look for a fun maintenance plan that allows you to keep building on your successes?!
Need help figuring out how you should be preparing for your next big race, whether that’s in 6 months or next year? I offer free consultation calls to chat about what your training and goals look like, and how 1-on-1, community or group coaching might support you. Start the conversation by completing a
coaching interest form.
About the author:
Heini Tallent is an RRCA Level 2 certified distance running coach and licensed sports massage therapist. She helps recreational runners aged 40ish and up train with more confidence, feel more motivated, and discover sustainable ways of making running a healthy and enjoyable lifelong habit. Heini coaches her clients 1-on-1, through small group programs and the Run Empowered online community for women. She also works with everyday athletes and active people at her private massage practice near Portland, Oregon and is currently working toward becoming a functional medicine certified health coach.
