Endurance Training
This page aims to provide some suggested programs for young or inexperienced athletes to develop their technique and knowledge of the 800 metres, 1500 metres, 5 km, 10 km, walks and steeplechase events.
Before You Start
Before starting any training, you must have a medical examination to ensure it is safe for you to do so. Any training program application is at the athlete's discretion and risk.
Overview
The season's training program is based on the six phases detailed on my Planning page, each comprising a repeated four-week plan. The workload in the program's first three weeks should increase each week (easy, medium, hard), and the 4th week comprises active recovery and evaluation tests to monitor training progress. The four-week cycles aim to build the athlete up to a level of fitness (3 weeks), allow a recovery (1 week), build you up to a higher level of fitness, allow recovery and so on. Remember a plan is athlete-specific, and the results of the tests in the 4th week can be used to adjust the training in the next four-week cycle to address any limitations.
Year Training Program
The plan is based on three weekly training sessions, with the major competition being in phase 5. The duration of each phase could be as follows:
- Phase 1 - 16 weeks
- Phase 2 - 8 weeks
- Phase 3 - 8 weeks
- Phase 4 - 8 weeks
- Phase 5 - 8 weeks
- Phase 6 - 4 weeks
The objective of each phase is as follows:
- Phase 1 - General development of strength, mobility, endurance and basic technique
- Phase 2 - Development of specific fitness and advanced technical skills
- Phase 3 - Competition experience - achievement of qualification times for main competition
- Phase 4 - Adjustment of the technical model, preparation for the main competition
- Phase 5 - Competition experience and achievement of outdoor objectives
- Phase 6 - Active recovery - planning preparation for next season
Suggestions as to the sessions for each phase are detailed below. I leave the content of each four-week cycle to you.
Key to notations and terms used
1-4 × 2-5 × 300-600m
- 1 to 4 sets of 2 to 5 repetitions of a distance between 300 and 600 metres
Phase 1
Tuesday
- General strength - Circuit or Weight training
- 30-minute runs with alternating pace each 800m
Thursday
- 30 minutes easy run (Heart rate 60%-70% HRmax)
- 30 to 45 minutes continuous relay.
Sunday
- 2nd event technique
- 30 to 40 minutes. Fartlek or Cross country
Notes
- Steeplechase athletes may include hurdles in Thursday sessions
- The running technique must remain sound.
- Walks - Walk on Tuesday and Thursday, run on Saturday
- All events will probably elaborate on the 3-day program with at least one other day when the athlete runs 30 to 40 minutes easy (Heart rate 60%-70% HRmax)
- Each training session to include an appropriate warm-up and cool down
Phase 2
Tuesday
- General strength - Circuit or Weight training
- 45 minutes run with alternating pace each 1 km
Thursday
- 30 minutes easy run
- Repetition runs: 1-4 x 2-5 x 300-1,000m
or 2-4 x (600m, 400m, 300m, 200m, 100m)
Sunday
- 30 minutes easy run or interval training
- 45 minutes Fartlek with 10 to 12 hills of 100 to 200m
or Cross country.
Notes
- Steeplechase athletes should work over hurdles on track units -and should also work technique over the water jump.
- Walkers walk on Tuesday and Thursdays - run on Sundays.
- All events will probably elaborate on the 3-day program with at least one other day where the athlete runs 30 to 45 minutes easy (Heart rate 60%-70% HRmax).
- Each training session to include an appropriate warm-up and cool down
Phase 3
Tuesday
- 30 minutes easy run
- Repetition runs - 1-4 x 2-4 x 300-600m
or 2-3 x (600m, 400m, 300m, 200m, 100m)
or 3-6 x differential 400m (i.e. first 200m at 80% racing speed, second 200m as fast as possible).
Thursday
- 30 to 45 minutes easy run
- Repetition runs 2-3 x 3-6 x 150m
or 2-4 x 3-8 x 100m
or pyramid 30m, 50m, 70m, 90m, 110m, 130m, 150m - then back down
Sunday
- Competition
Notes
- Steeplechasers will use hurdles on Tuesday.
- Walkers will use 2 x 30 minutes on Tuesday and use Tuesday's repetition distances (or longer) on Thursday
- Each training session to include an appropriate warm-up and cool down
Phase 4
Tuesday
- General strength - Circuit or Weight training
- 45 minutes run with alternating pace each 1 km
Thursday
- 30 minutes easy run
- Repetition runs - 1-4 x 2-5 x 300m -1,000m
or 2-4 x (600m, 400m, 300m, 200m, 100m)
Sunday
- 30 minutes easy run or Interval training
- 45 minutes Fartlek with 10 to 12 hills of 100-200m
or Cross country.
Notes
- Steeplechase athletes should work over hurdles on track units -and should also work technique over the water jump.
- Walkers walk on Tuesday and Thursdays - run on Sundays.
- All events will probably elaborate on the 3-day program with at least one other day where the athlete runs 30 to 45 minutes easy (Heart rate 60%-70% HRmax).
- Each training session to include an appropriate warm-up and cool down
Phase 5
Tuesday
- 30 minutes easy run
- Repetition runs - 1-4 x 2-4 x 300-600m
or 2-3 x (600m, 400m, 300m, 200m, 100m)
or 3-6 x differential 400m (i.e. first 200m at 80% racing speed, second 200m as fast as possible).
Thursday
- 30 to 45 minutes easy run
- Repetition runs 2-3 x 3-6 x 150m
or 2-4 x 3-8 x 100m
or pyramid 30m, 50m, 70m, 90m, 110m, 130m, 150m - then back down
Sunday
- Competition
Notes
- Steeplechasers will use hurdles on Tuesday.
- Walkers will use 2 x 30 minutes on Tuesday and use Tuesday's repetition distances (or longer) on Thursday
- Each training session to include an appropriate warm-up and cool down
Page Reference
If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is:
- MACKENZIE, B. (2007) Endurance Training [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/tplans/enduranc.htm [Accessed