Season Planning for Runners – How to Plan your Running Season

After the running season, it’s time to think about the next one, to use a popular (and slightly modified) football expression. Now, the only thing left to do is decide how to plan the upcoming season. We’ve listed a few tips for you.

Set goals

Look back at the past running season and think about the experiences you can take with you, what you should improve, and what you want to achieve in the upcoming season. It could be a new challenge (e.g., your first (half) marathon) or reaching a new personal best. What’s important is that your goals are “SMART”:

S as specific
M as measurable
A as achievable
R as realistic
T as timed

Example of a SMART goal:
“I want to improve my 10 km personal best from 52 minutes to 50 minutes in 12 weeks with the help of a training plan.”

Find the right competition with the running.COACH Calendar

Choosing the right competition is a crucial step in your season planning. The running.COACH calendar offers a comprehensive overview of national and international running events – from 5 km races to marathons and ultramarathons. You can filter events based on the following criteria:

• Distance: Choose from various distances that fit your goals.
• Location: Search for events near you or plan a running trip to a special event.
• Date: Find races that fit perfectly into your seasonal plan.
• Type of race: Whether it’s a road race, trail run, or mountain race, the calendar has it all.

With the running.COACH calendar, you’ll surely find the right race to achieve your goals and prepare optimally.

Plan your preparation races

Once the main goal is chosen, you can think about the preparation races. These should be well-dosed (2-4 throughout the preparation) and always serve the main competition. On the way to the four base distances, it could look like this:

5,000m:

• 2-3 preparation races distributed over the last 8 of the 12 preparation weeks.
• Last race 7 days before the main competition, maximum 3,000m.
• Race distances decrease towards the competition, then increase. For example, 10,000m, 5,000m, 1,500m, 3,000m, and main competition.

10,000m:

• 2-4 preparation races distributed over the last 10 of the 14 preparation weeks.
• Last race 7 days before the main competition, maximum 5,000m.
• Race distances decrease towards the competition, with the final race shorter. For example, 15,000m, 10,000m, 5,000m, 5,000m, and main competition.

Half Marathon:

• 3-4 preparation races distributed over the last 12 of the 16 preparation weeks.
• Last race 14 days before the main competition, maximum 10,000m.
• Race distances increase towards the competition, with the final race shorter. For example, 5,000m, 10,000m, 15,000m, 10,000m, and main competition.

Marathon:

• 3-4 preparation races distributed over the last 14 of the 20 preparation weeks.
• Half marathon as a “mandatory element,” ideally four weeks before the main competition.
• Last race 14 days before the main competition, ideally 10,000m.
• Race distances increase towards the competition, with the final race shorter. For example, 10,000m, 15,000m, half marathon, 10,000m, and main competition.

Determine the weekly number of trainings

The number of weekly training sessions should be based on several factors (including previous training volume, ambitions, and available time). When increasing the number of weekly training sessions, consider that a maximum of one new training session should be added every six months.

This table provides a rough overview of the number of training sessions required for the corresponding performance levels.

More information on the topic is available here.

Plan your training

Of course, we highly recommend carrying out this step with suitable assistance. Enter the identified data into the settings of running.COACH and let the plan be calculated. This way, you will always know what training to do on which day and at what intensity.

We wish you a great season in advance!

This post is also available in DE, ES, FR and IT.