Runners love to understand the big picture and be able to see the full view of their training. As both an athlete and a coach, I find it really helpful to take a look at the anatomy of a training cycle and break it down into its component parts, so that you can know what to expect during each phase of a training cycle and understand the WHEN, WHAT, and WHY behind the training.
Here’s how I think about each phase of a training cycle:
BASE PHASE
Base Phase is where you focus on developing endurance and building aerobic fitness. This is a lower-intensity and lower-volume phase where the priority is to nail the basics:
Easy and aerobic miles
Strides for speed
Strength training, and
A solid long run.
The main goal of the Base Phase is consistency and the focus is on laying a strong foundation.
BUILDING BLOCK PHASE
The Building Block Phase is your prep phase - this is where you gradually increase both volume and intensity to prepare you for the Performance Phase. The focus is on improving endurance and getting stronger and faster through workouts like:
Progression runs
Pickups
Hills, and
Specialized long runs.
The main goal of the Building Block Phase is strength.
PERFORMANCE PHASE
The Performance Phase is your peak phase - this is an intense training period where you run more challenging workouts, in both volume + intensity, and hit your peak weekly mileage. You’ll be working hard and you’ll be tired, but this phase is a lot of fun! The main goal of the Performance Phase is quality. The focus is on dialing into goal race pace in workouts and simulating racing (often with a tuneup race).
TAPER PHASE
The Taper Phase is your pre-competition phase - this is where you get ready to race! The main goal of the Taper Phase is race prep. The focus is on reducing volume and intensity, adding in more recovery, and preparing yourself both physically and mentally to execute on race day.
RECOVERY PHASE
The Recovery Phase is the time to rest and reset after your goal race. The main goal of the Recovery Phase is rest. The focus is on recovering, both physically and mentally, and allowing the body and mind to recuperate from the intensity of the training cycle and race day. This is also a time to as move in other (non-running) ways that bring you joy, before gradually re-introducing running and gearing up for your next goal!
I hope this helps you understand the WHEN, the WHAT, and the WHY behind training as you gear up for your next big race!
Cheers,
Coach Kaitlin
Ready to tackle your next big running goal? We’d love to support you with online run coaching and match you with one of our expert run coaches. Learn more about Running Joyfully personal run coaching here!
