Re-building your endurance after an injury Part 2: Building volume in your week
Once you can handle consistent 30 min runs it’s time to build your volume with frequency.
Frequent running is the safest and easiest way to increase volume.
Here’s how I coach runners to build frequency in their week:
Often the hardest part of getting back to running is building to 30 mins of running.
Once you’re there you can progress nicely until you have the desired frequency.
A progression for you to try at this stage:
- 30 mins every other day
- 30 mins 3-5 times per week (add 1 back-back)
- Increase 1 run per week to 45 mins
- Maintain 45 mins 3-5 times a week
The goal here is to slowly add more volume, keeping track of how you are feeling at each stage. It’s ok to cap your volume for a few weeks if not tolerating the increase in volume.
The biggest challenge you might face in this progression is the first back-back run day.
When you get to the point of adding 4x per week you will need back-back days. The first time you try this I reccomend keeping the first day very easy. Same thing for the 2nd. And have a rest day after the back-back.
This ensures you can check-in and see how this went for the injury site.
As you build frequcny my biggest peice of advice is resisit the urge to continually add more running - even when feeling good.
Build a plan and stick to it.
You’re aiming for consistency here.
This plan might take you 5-6 weeks but then you will be ready to add a little more volume to the plan.
I will do that with the long run build.
How to build in a long run
Once you can continually maintain 3-5 runs at 45 mins you’re ready to add a long run.
This will lay the foundation for specific longer runs (if one of your goals is half or full marathon training).
I tend to follow the principle of only adding 15 mins to 1 long run per week.
If you’re not tolerating a duration then repeat the same run and only increase every other week.
A progression for long run (while maintaining 3-4 45 min runs):
- 60 min
- 75 min
- 90 min
- 105 min
- 120 min
- Continue until at long run target
We are now approaching a point where this is about sustainable endurance training - based on your current goals.
In part 3 we will talk about how to add the extra’s that will get you towards you run goals.
That’s all for today
Chandler
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Don't lose your mind or waste time doing the wrong things when you get an injury. Use this simple 5-step checklist to get back to triathlon training as soon as possible.
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