Sage, you often recommend 5 to 6 day training weeks, yet other runners have often recommended 3-4 day training weeks. How do you safely ramp it up to 5-6 days, while also increasing distance? Are there things you recommend for your students to avoid injury? How fast should we increase distance, say from only 20 miles per week?
This is exactly why we made our FREE, 9 week "Aerobic Base Building Plan"! at Sage Running...it can get you up from 20 miles per week to 30 miles (50km) per week and running more consistently for training. You do have to listen to your body (as always) to help avoid injury (as well as get enough sleep and try to eat healthy). You simply will not reach your full potential in distance running on 3-4 days a week only. By running 5-6 days a week you can run slightly less mileage each day (less stress), but then still hit higher weekly mileage totals. Check out our free plan here: www.sagerunning.com/newsletters/free-aerobic-base-building-plan/
Great advice Sage. Our was a team member in a distance challenge in January. I planned on doing about 200 km, which was a normal month for me. I ended up adding a couple of runs a week of what I called 'recovery runs', which were shorter runs (usually about 6 km) at a slower pace (5:00-5:30/km). This allowed my body to recover, without compromising my regular tempo and distance runs etc. Despite a slow start to the month, I ended up with about 350 km which previously I had never thought possible. This also gave me a really great base to build on, gave me more endurance and I had better speed over longer distances. I had some of my best and longest runs ever. As Sage says 'listen to your body' and by following his advice and plans you can safely get up to 5 or 6 days a week. Believe me it works. I found by doing this, I increased my endurance and decreased my recovery time.
I can only say that this plan works. Did 6 out of 9 weeks without a problem, but ended up with a knee injury. The injury was my own fault as i didn't follow the plan, and had only 14 hours between two runs. As for the increased distance and running for 5 to 6 times a week, i had no problems with that at all. And this was combined with some core training and a full work day.
Rum Faster Run Less (book) is another approach. Different people respond to different training methods although all required a good base of at least a year and #1 having a training plan ...not just logging empty miles.
I’m a year younger, shooting for below 1:30 but it’s a pretty ambitious goal. Running 4-5, and biking 2x per week. Any tips how you got there? Adults running are different from teenagers I think so just wondering
I have a half marathon this Sunday and I am attempting to beat my time from last year, which was a 1:32. Wish me luck and please make more training help videos. I want to qulify for Boston. -Matthew Guerrero from Humboldt County.
I only broke 1:30 once, 1:29:04 at age 40 after 2 years of running. I agree basically getting in more weekly miles can get you running faster and longer. And going longer is fun because if you can get comfortable with a certain pace for 20-30 minutes, you don't have to run faster, just extend how far you can hold it comfortably. Personally I like 15k better, but I never made a 60 minute goal there.
Circumstances can make or break your effort in a longer race like the half. Heat, wind, hills and a busy course can turn your record attempt into a mental exercise of acceptance and adjusting goals.
Another fantastic video, Coach. Thank you very much. Everything you explained is exactly what I was doing and I just ran a 1.23.59 for my 22k run this morning (in a typhoon...I live in Japan). GREAT advice, as always!
I did it in 1:24:45 that is my personal best. Now I want do it under 1:20. It is not a big deal, you just have to train every week at least two times 10 to 15 km per training.
Thanks Sage. I love your videos. I ran 1:33 today, a PB in a fairly flat half marathon. All I'm missing is some fast short runs. I will try some mile repeats and try for a 6:40 5k! I think I'm almost there. I have another race in three weeks and so fingers crossed. Looking forward to a weeks holiday in La Palma next week and will run and bike some other trans vulcania trails with my girlfriend. We were inspired to book the holiday after watching your video of the race.
Hi sage, I'm a big fan. I have to say, your videos have informed me so much, they definitely help me figure out sensible training runs. Thanks so much. Any chance you could do a vid on % improvement for the marathon. I've done a 3.12 marathon and was at my limit and I'm not sure if I can improve...
Really wish I'd found this kind of advice 10 years ago when I first started running. I had no clue. But my PR for the half was 1.31.08 so I'm hoping that 10 years down the line I can beat that 🤞
@@alex-dk2rj I ran a 1.31.03 on an very windy and undulating course last Sep. Then before the end of last year I ran 10 miles in 1.6.26. So fairly confident that in the right conditions I'd break 90mins for the HM.
I think it’s a bit exaggerated to talk about going from 50k/week up towards 100k/week to build a solid base for this particular goal. 50k is probably some sort of minimum, but I can’t see why you would have to go beyond ~70k/week for HM @ 1:30. If you’re at 100k/week and use those kilometres wisely, you can probably be aiming for 1:20 or even 1:15 (judging from runners I know/follow).
Do you sell those T-Shirts? I would love to support your channel by bying and wearing one of those shirts! Btw awesome video, exactly what I need for the summer! Keep up the good work, always love to watch your content.
Sage, decently experienced runner here, wondering if you could do a video about consistent training and training cycles? I have a problem with keeping my training consistent throughout the years and I think that's why I'm not seeing large gains in performance.
I was wondering that, too. I have about a 9:30mm pace, but my wife has a 12:00mm pace, and I will run with her 3-5 miles at a time. I do count those miles and seem to still be making progress, so I'd call them "good" even if not the best miles.
How do you define max HR, it keeps on changing (trending upwards) over time with training. I remember I used to hit the wall at 174bpm when I started running, now I do threshold runs at 179-183bpm...with max reach of 193bpm (which I managed to hold for just over a minute)
Sage, thanks for all your tips! I had one question about base building, I run about 45/50 mpw but when I try to increase mileage I start getting little tweaks here and there. Here is the question. If I do my normal mileage with all the workouts you talked about, how effective would hitting the elliptical or bike be on the aerobic base afterward? So do the quality first then try to do volume in other forms so I stay injury free. 128 half pr. But want a better time.
Am I getting something wrong here? You watched this video while training for a marathon and finished it in 83 minutes? That's 1 hour 23 minutes?! While watching this video?! And finished second?! Who won? Flash?!
Sage, Thanks so much for the video. A lot of good thoughts here. I'm trying to get down to 1:24-1:25 myself in a half on September 24th. I also just found out I made my Army post's team for the Army Ten Miler, and that race will be on October 8th. so my question is, what recommendations do you have in regards to running a strong half and still being sharp and ready for the 10 Miler a couple of weeks later? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you from planet Metric! So much easier to absorb the information when both paces are included, saves crunching the numbers on the fly and being distracted from the next sentence.
Thank you for your advice. This is very useful. You've inspired a lot of people. Can you also give us an advice how to keep calm the night before the race.
Hi I was wondering , my pr is 1:33:30 for the half and I would like to one day run 1:30, I struggle a lot with running 3 mile tempos at 7:00 min pace... sometimes I can't even keep that pace. Do you have an tips to run tempo runs better? Also what should I be doing my tempos at @vo2maxproductions
Hi Sage, I was hoping for your expertise. For the past 10 months I have been getting tips from Arthur Lydiard's 'Healthy Intelligent Training' book and also your training talk videos. I am currently doing about 95-100km per week average, my average training week looks like this: Mon: 60 - 70mins easy aerobic running Tues: Vo2 Max Session (6 x 1km or 7 x 800m with 400m jog recovery) or a 6km Threshold (4:15/km pace average) Wed: 80mins easy aerobic running Thurs: 75min easy aerobic running Fri: 30mins Core session Sat: Hill Repeats (8 x 350m) Sun: Long Run 20km (1hr:30m) to 25km (2hours) Just recently I raced a 14km in 54mins but didn't improve since last year which was the exact same time & location (I rarely did hills reps or thresholds in my previous years of running, just ran a lot of easy mileage). I was wondering if you could please give me any tips on how I could improve? I mostly race the 15km and sometimes the Half Marathon. Thanks for your all your videos Sage, they are very informative ;)
I know that the marathon is different beast but I want to hear from you about the 3hr marathon barrier. I know people that run 1h25' for half and cannot break 3h for a marathon and some that even run slower marathons than myself and they easily run under 1h30 for half. My half best is 1h32' & my marathon is 3h08' but there is a girl in my running group that runs 1h25' for half and just broke 3h20' last year after 7 marathons.
Krasen Slavov my pr in a half is 1:25, but the only marathon I did was 3:15. I basically took a risk, tried to run in under 3 hours, but around 34 km mark my legs just shut down. I had to stop running and walk like 10 times. But I'm hoping I will crack 3 hours this year by running more miles and doing longer intervals.
It's a different kettle of fish, the marathon as opposed to the half marathon, isn't it. I've run two marathons, one being in an ironman triathlon, the other a straight marathon. The marathon on it's own was the only race I thought I might not finish - that was never a thought for me in the Ironman Triathlon. Possibly the key is doing two long runs per week for the marathon? A 1.24 half should convert to a sub 3 hour marathon but you need to do the miles for the marathon.
There is a problem I find with ramping up mileage. I ended up getting shin splints, and training on the pain tends to be unbearable, so I am forced to cut back on the running. If I rest for a while without running, would this hinder performance?
Have you tried replacing some of the relaxed long jogs with cycling? An acquaintance of mine (who was a Commonwealth athlete) also suggested having every fourth week off of your long run if you find you keep getting injured.
I was a 12 min miler for my long runs 3 years ago. Now, all my runs are between sub 8 for a 5k, and sub 9 min for 10 to 13.1 miles. I strongly recommend building your weekly mileage slowly with at least 3 days a week minimum. 1 short run, 1 medium run, and 1 long run. If your only sport is running, then add more daily sessions slowly as well. Take off a day / week if you wish if running is your only sport. I am a triathlete, so I have to balance everything. Take your time and slowly build up mikeage each week. Sign up for a 5k, then a 10k, then when a 13.1 Adding a little elevation helped me the most, plus consistent running on long runs. The other runs I do are mostly 1 mile repeats, and walk for about .3 to .4 tenths of a mile resting. Concentrate on relaxed good posture + breathing. Consistency over time will definitely get you faster.
yes Consistency over time is key! That is why we created our FREE 9-week "Aerobic Base Building Plan" at SageRunning (link below). We recommend getting up to running more regularly at 5-6 days a week though...start off with shorter, Easy paced runs (but more frequently) and limit harder/faster workouts until higher mileage (full volume) is hit. Then hit the higher intensity workouts/speed (like Tempo Runs and mile repeats) and 5km or 10km races! www.sagerunning.com/newsletters/free-aerobic-base-building-plan/
Vo2maxProductions Coac sage. All of your advice has helped me with each stage of my running. Since you are not accepting any new students at this time, I want to buy one of your full or half marathon training guides, but it seems like they are geared toward a sub 4 hour marathon or sub 2 hour half. Right now I can only do a sub 7 marathon and a sub 3 hour half. I'm starting the second week of your 9 week base building plan. I'd like to do a fall marathon. Can I merge the marathon and 9 week plans - just reduce the pace for the marathon plan. I should be able to handle the mileage. Hope this makes sense.
hi!!!!anybody know brand or name of watches used for runing that make that pitch...that you can change the ritm/frequancy of pitch...Thank you for who know
Not certain about the points made but ,if anyone else wants to learn about best marathon training try Niposcu Complete Running Adviser (Have a quick look on google cant remember the place now ) ? Ive heard some interesting things about it and my co-worker got excellent results with it.
Coincidence or not I just did that 20min +6min recover this morning, except I did 4 back to back, but got a half in 2 weeks and a marathon in 6 weeks. The last one was hard, did I do too much? I can sustain that 4'15 pace for a 10k, maybe a bit more, but I can't fathom doing it for the duration of a half marathon yet, I'd bonk pretty hard around the 15k mark. Do you think 800m intervals would help? Or should I just do more miles at lower intensity?
My Garmin 235 says I'm on a consistent "level 5" or 220 bpm from start to finish on all my Half marathons that are 1:25 to 1:30. I guess I feel it, but no pain no gain, right?
I've always performed horribly at the half Marathon in comparison to my 5k and it's definitely because of inconsistent training. Now I work an extremely irregular schedule that will make it difficult to get under that 1:30. There's no reason for my 5k pace to be nearly a whole minute per mile faster than my half pace. Gotta do my best to overcome this year. Thanks Sage.
Sage, I really appreciate your knowledge and coaching skills. Definitely interested in improving my training habits and racing results. I'm an older runner that still wants to be competitive for my own demands and expectations. Keep up the great work!!
The maximum i can run at the moment is 10 kilometers in 67 minutes. I know its slow, but is it possible to train for a half marathon in 2 month or should i leave this idea? There will be a half marathon in our town in 2 month and i really want to participate.
hi. Thanks for your videos. very interesting and new training information although I have been running for almost 3 years from time to time. I ran 4 hours marathon last year and planning to improve, but didn't train properly for long time, will have to start from the beginning. tried to download your free baseline training plan and it doesn't open on my mobile device. will try on the desktop but it seems pdf is corrupted
Loving the vids mate short straight to the point!!! Lately been averaging 100kms weeks and can really feel the benefits of it !!! And more importantly keeping it "EASY"@7 minute pace 90% of the time except for the once week speed hill sessions the other 10% . Cheers Sage I am a point where I am enjoying running slower paces and haven't had major injury of late Kudos to you!!! Keep making these vids
Really good explanation of the faster "two fingers", but for the slower one, what would be a good distance for the long run? Or should I do more of them (2) per week to up my mileage?
Hi Sage, could you do a talk on how and when to take a break from the training plan- I'm training for my 5th marathon and hit a point a few weeks ago where I just couldn't hit my paces- I run every day and have set weekly milage goals - I found that taking a few days off really helped getting me back on track but found it incredibly difficult to do- it's easy to find training plans but it's hard know what to do when training starts to go wrong
I’m looking forward to finally being able to use the base building plan. I’m finally around the 20 mile. Got a half I need to get out of the way, then a 10K and then I shall start. :)
Your training talks are always great because even though I already know most of this stuff it's good to have the reinforcement I'm on the right track. Can you do a video on 8-10 day training periods and what your thoughts are on them? You've touched on it in other videos but don't think you've gone into it in detail. Thanks
Sage, can you please make a video explaining shorter intervals-reps(as called by j.daniels) 200-400m. repeats. When is the right time-phase to use them in a training program? Thanks
Emmanouil Pediaditakis watch his recent 10k and 5K videos. Sage talks about short intervals in them. For half-marathon it's more useful to do longer intervals. I suppose the only real reason to do 200-400 repeats when training for a half is to improve your finishing sprint.
When you have been jogging for a while and you're warmed up, try holding the pace you want for a short distance (i.e. 100m), then slow down until you've nearly caught your breath, then try at the pace again but a little further. Increase the distance in increments. I knocked 3 minutes off my half-marathon PB today after adding in intervals and fast short runs in training for the last couple of months. Amazing how much it takes for me to feel breathless now!