How to Plan a Running Season (Cyclical Training) - StrengthRunning

Aug 13, 2025

Intro: This is a quick summary of How to Plan a Running Season (Cyclical Training) from StrengthRunning. It’s a great watch — we’re breaking it down so you can try the workout today. Be sure to check out the full video for all the details.

Key Points:

A running season can be organized into four cyclical phases: Rest, Easy (Base), Competition, and Peaking.
Rest Phase follows a big race or a break for new runners—focus on recovery and low‑impact activity.
Easy Phase builds frequency and consistency: run 5‑7 days a week, keep paces at easy or tempo‑pace or slower, and add a short weekly workout to spin the wheels.
Competition Phase introduces harder workouts and tune‑up races (e.g., 5K races) to raise intensity.
Peaking Phase targets 1‑2 key races, reduces overall mileage while maintaining or slightly increasing intensity, allowing you to race hard for 2‑3 weeks before the cycle restarts.

Workout Example:

Rest (1–2 weeks) – optional cross‑training, easy jogs under 30 min, no structured workouts.
Easy/Base (4–6 weeks) –
- Run 5‑6 days/week, easy runs at < 1 min per mile slower than your goal race pace.
- Long run building from 6 mi to 10‑12 mi (or 10‑12 km to 16‑20 km) at comfortable effort.
- One short weekly workout: 20‑30 min at tempo pace (≈ 10‑15 s per mile faster than easy) or simple strides.
Competition (3‑5 weeks) –
- Add a weekly challenging session: e.g., 5 × 800 m intervals at 5K race pace with 2‑min jog recovery, or a hill repeat set.
- Schedule a tune‑up 5K race.
Peaking (2‑3 weeks) –
- Cut weekly mileage by ~10‑15 %.
- Keep intensity: one hard run (e.g., 3 × 1 mi at 5K pace) and a key race (target 5K or 10K).
- Maintain frequent runs (4‑5 days) to stay sharp.

Closing Note: Try mapping your next season using these four phases, and feel free to adjust paces and distances in the Pacing app to match your own goals. You’ll stay motivated, avoid burnout, and keep racing faster! 🚀