Launching a New (FREE) Run Program
For those finishing the Beginner's Run Program: Next Steps
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Hello everyone and Happy Sunday! Today I bring the gift of yet another COMPLETELY FREE PROGRAM. I’ve said this in the past. There is absolutely zero excuse for not being in excellent shape while investing minimum (or ZERO) dollars in your own long term health. I aim to make is as easy as possible to get you there. The wealth of information online is enormous. And I have a ton of awesome resources for starting and progressing your personal health path. This program is purely a continuation of that.
The intent of this program is to take you from 50-100. The Ultimate Beginner’s Run Guide takes you from 0-50. HALF of the work is just starting and being consistent; showing up. The other half is nailing down a true regimen that makes you better at whatever skill you’re learning or trying to improve.
Take BJJ for example. Is half the work not just finding a gym, showing up, and rolling with the boys (and girls)? The other half is your time drilling constantly, learning fundamentals and techniques, and signing up for competitions. Running is no different. The hardest part is actually starting, lacing up your shoes and going outside. Once you are consistent with that, it is time to structure your training for actual improvement - speed, form, and building your aerobic capacity.
The Intermediate Run Program is 100% free and aimed at individuals who are already consistent in getting outside for at least a few miles a week. I would not recommend it for a TOTAL beginner as it may be too many miles too soon in your running journey. But if you have run in the past, or have alternate forms of consistent aerobic work currently, you are welcome to hop on it. The program starts out at 10 miles per week and builds to 22, incorporating speed work and tempo runs starting at week 5.
A few notes on the program:
Rest during intervals: Rest should be about 1:1 or 1:2 for intervals. For example, if doing 400m repeats, if it takes 2 min to do 400m, walk/jog for 2-3 min to lower your heart rate before the next interval. For 1k repeats, rest/jog 3-5 min between intervals.
During the tempo repeats, your pace should be hard but not a full sprint. The recovery period should still be an easy jog, or a fast walk. During tempo days the goal is CONTINUOUS movement with no time standing or walking slow.
Pacing:
Easy days: The rule of thumb here is “conversational”. Your heart rate should be low enough that you could maintain a full conversation if you are running alongside a training partner. If getting technical, this is the Zone 2 heart rate range, or 60-70% of your max heart rate. For some of you, it is not uncommon for this to be very close to a fast walk and that’s OK! If going uphill and need to drop down to a walk to keep your heart rate low, do it! The goal is not to crush yourself on the easy runs so you can put 100% effort into the intervals and tempo days
Intervals: When I reference mile pace, that is your goal or best mile pace. For a 400m repeat, if your goal mile pace is 7:00, then each 400m repeat should take 1:45 or faster. When I say 5k pace, the same rule applies. Slightly slower than your mile. For 100m repeats, go all out here, or about 90% of a FULL SPRINT like you are running for your life. Additionally, do NOT push yourself 100% on the first repeat only to die and gas yourself for the latter intervals. Your goal should be to have a consistent pace for every repeat. You get no benefit from running a 1:30 400m only to be running 2:00+ repeats following. BE CONSISTENT. If you can’t hold the same split for each repeat, the next time you do it you need to slow down your average split time by a few seconds. But also try not to overthink it. Just go out and work hard, track your paces, and look to improve over the following weeks.
Tempo: This pace is just before your lactate threshold. The pace should be hard but not a full sprint like on interval days
Progressive Overload: Just like weightlifting, we want to progressively improve our running paces on interval days. This takes time. The first couple interval sessions, just pick a pace and aim to be consistent. Then 2 weeks later, drop it by a few seconds and see how you do. Then repeat. It really is that simple. As you finish the program, set a harder goal for yourself to repeat the program. This program is infinitely repeatable as long as you are dropping your goal paces to continue improving!
Keep the easy days easy and the hard days hard. Many people first starting out equate hard with improvement. This is not the case with running. Just because you had a “hard” workout does not mean you got better. A LARGE portion of building aerobic capacity and endurance comes from hours upon hours of EASY low effort work. That’s the difference between world class cyclists and hobbyists/amateurs. Yes they have genetic gifts that separate them, but they put countless hours per week just easy spinning on the bike. The same applies to you. Your easy days should be easy so you can rapidly recover for the hard interval and tempo session coming up in the week.
Following the 12 weeks in the program, you can run the program back indefinitely, start training for a race, or just use it to continue building consistency. This is a FUN program. It keeps you consistent, varies the type of work you do, and will create drastic improvements in your pace and endurance. I hope you enjoy it. If you have any questions at all, don’t hesitate to reach out via email or instagram DM. Always happy to help.
You can get the Intermediate Run Program completely for free here!
Cheers ✌️
DISCLAIMER
This is not Legal, Medical, or Financial advice. Please consult a medical professional before starting any workout program, diet plan, or supplement protocol.