Written by Christina Schultz
In our last newsletter, we discussed building a base for your training. This is your foundation for the rest of your season, cycle, or year.
Generally speaking, no matter what is being built, the foundation itself won’t be distinct enough for you to know what is going to be built there. Of course, it needs to be big enough to hold the building that will be built on it but that is about it. Much like in construction, the base we build in our training should be rather vague and only distinct by how big it is.
Now that the foundation is established, we can begin building. When construction starts, the process will start as a generic frame of lumber and will slowly take shape to look more like the intended building. Whether it’s a wide shopping mall, tall townhouse, or bulky apartment building, there will be vastly different components of the structure that will start to take shape.
Your training at this phase will transition similarly. Assuming the base you have built is big enough for your intended goals, you are now ready to transition your workouts to progressively become more race-like.
Determine the volume and intensity (and any other components that are specific to your goal), and you can begin to develop these. Of course, this doesn’t happen overnight, and this phase will take time to transition and develop from general fitness to race-specific. Longer tempos become threshold runs and eventually intervals at 5k pace, and so on. Rest intervals will lengthen, and work volume will fluctuate to allow for recovery while maintaining intensity.
Remember:
Be patient, and don’t skip steps. When construction is rushed you can tell.
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About the Author: Christina Schultz
Christina Schultz graduated with a degree in exercise science from Florida Atlantic University. She was a captain for the cross country and track teams at the University. She went on to earn a Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of St. Augustine. While at St. Augustine, she was a head high school cross country coach and distance track coach at a local high school. During this time she became a certified strength and conditioning specialist in order to enhance her abilities to treat athletes and improve their performance.
Christina moved from Jacksonville, FL to Greenville, SC with her dog Rosie to help keep our community active. She continues to run in her spare time and is enjoying exploring the city and hiking.