Here I am, closing out the second month of the year in which I have hit my “highest mileage ever” in my 19 year long running career at 218 miles. As I began reflecting back on my running journey, and thinking about my current training cycle, I decided I wanted to briefly document some of my progression, as well as touch base on what I’d like to call Running 101: Basic Types of Running.
It wasn’t until I became a running coach a little over a year ago that I really started to dive deeper in to the training world of marathoning. I had been a runner for over 18 years, and had basically adopted the training plan I discovered to be known as “vanilla” in the running community without even realizing it. Running had become such a huge part of my life, and marathoning was at the crux of it. Once I knew I was done having biological children, I put an emphasis on my goal to become a 50 state marathoner, heightening my desire to run as many marathons in a year that would make sense for me and my family. In 2016 I ran 6 marathons, in 2017 I ran 8 marathons, in 2018 I ran 6 marathons and I have 7 on the books for 2019. (Side note, my husband has been incredibly supportive of my marathoning ambitions for which I am beyond thankful! There is no way I could do what I do with our 3 kids and his job if I didn’t have his support.) Obviously marathoning is in my blood, so to speak, so it might sound surprising to hear that until 2018 I had been more of a vanilla zone runner. I had done pretty well for myself, but realized through getting my RRCA Level I Coaching Certification I had the potential to do better. More in another post about my personal running career growth, moving on here to the basic types of running.
Vanilla Zone Runner - running every run exactly how you feel. No focus on specific pacing, strength, or speed
Recovery Run - a nice and easy run after a hard workout (such as a tempo or speed); the purpose is to add miles to a runners training, done in a conversational pace, to help loosen up the soreness caused by muscle inflammation; the slower the better
Base Run - short to moderate distance running, done in a conversational pace (which is typically a runner’s natural pace; will make up the majority of a runner’s weekly mileage
Long Run - anything above about 90 minutes, done in a conversational pace, typically scheduled for one time a week with a max of 3 in a month; purpose is to increase running economy as well as increase endurance and the confidence for the runner’s success in each future long run
Strength Runs
Tempo - three different kinds (threshold, marathon pace and progression) and the “glue” for athletes to pull all the training together; a swift and sustained pace at lactate threshold intensity that you can run for 20 minutes - 1 hour
Hills - can be done as hill repeats, on a hilly course, or focused on a downhill; builds strength and confidence in runner with lower risk for injury due to less strain on ligaments and tendons
Fartlek - fast bouts of running followed by a bout of rest; can be based on distance or time; good intro to effort sessions for more novice runners
Speed Runs - specific amounts of mileage at a specific pace (fast) with a specific recovery (slow); has an increased chance of injury due to strain on muscles, ligaments and tendons; usually the last component added to a training program
Long Intervals - anything from 800 meters - 2000 meters, or about 2:30-10 minutes; good for marathoners, long multi-sport events and early training season for road racers
Short Intervals - anything under 800 meters or 2:30 and below; good for shorter road racers and track season and for improving leg speed
If you’re looking for a running coach, you’ve come to the right page. I’m ready and excited to work with you to help you achieve YOUR goals! Let’s do it!