The Wrinkled Runner
The Wrinkled Runner
Building a Solid Foundation: Base Building for Runners
Hi Running Friends!
Ever wondered how to lay the groundwork for a successful running season? Tune in as I talk about base building, a crucial yet often overlooked aspect of training that can transform your running game, whether you're just beginning or have some experience. In today’s episode, I emphasize why a solid foundation through consistent and structured running is vital for avoiding injuries and preparing for more intensive training phases.
By outlining practical strategies for planning out your training weeks, incorporating strength training, and managing your running volume, the aim is to make your journey toward your next race or fitness milestone smoother and more enjoyable.
If you are looking for a coach to help you reach your running goals, even if it's just to start to run, take a look at my Coaching Services page on the website. I do virtual, in-person (Buffalo, NY area) and also offer single zoom sessions for those would just like to chat with a coach one time.
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If you have any running-related questions, please send an email to sherry@wrinkledrunner.com…I answer every one.
If you've been running for a bit, you have heard of building a base.
Speaker 1:If you're a straight up beginner, doing some kind of run walk program, then that's what you're doing now. You're building your foundation so that, as you get to your 30 minute run goal or three miles or 5k race, you will be ready to take on more. Base building is the groundwork a runner puts in before hitting a more intense training. Now there are runners who don't base build, either because they are making a conscious decision not to, or they're not aware of the benefits of it. Whether new or experienced, having a period of time where we are pre-training gets our bodies and our minds ready to take on bigger and better things. For example, when I decide I'm going to run a half marathon or a marathon, I put in about a month or so of conscientious running. That is planned out. If I'm not training for anything at any given time, there's much less strategy in how often or what kind of runs I do. So I'm still out there four or five times a week, but I care less about pacing intervals or high mileage. If I don't base train and, say, decide that in 17 weeks I'm going to run X named marathon, I don't have the optimal running fitness in my legs to crank out the 16 weeks of training that I typically do, so the first 10 miler may feel horrendous and it takes longer for me to feel okay on my longer runs. With base training I'm getting my body primed for the first 10-miler, say in the marathon training window, usually by structuring my running to get to at least one 10-miler in there in the base training phase, so that I'm not starting from scratch. So that feels a lot easier to me when I'm actually in the training than not. So how should we implement a base training plan? Now? If you're thinking of a race in particular, find the plan that you're going to use. I, of course, encourage you to check out utilizing a running coach who can put together a base for you. But if you use a book or a plan online, map out how many weeks you have for training and, depending on how far away from that date you are, sketch in four to six weeks prior to that. Include strength training in there as well. Building up muscle will go a long way in your running and make things just feel easier in general, and you will be stronger Whatever you're running. Now, if you are a beginner, add in no more than 10% volume per week. So this quote unquote rule is less hard and fast than has been presented for a lot of years, especially for runners who have been running for a while, but it is still a good rule of thumb for beginners.
Speaker 1:You can also run by time. So if you've been running three days maybe 20 minutes here, 30 minutes there get out your calendar and the first week go out for 30 minutes for your long run, two days of 20 minutes and then the following week go out for 35 minutes on your long run day, and another day of 20 minutes and another day of running. Five minutes easy, where you can hold a proper conversation, 10 minutes of a harder feeling run where you could speak a sentence but it wouldn't feel great to talk more than that and then walk the last five minutes. Build it up from there, add in another day. Just make it consistent and make it check-offable so that when you get to whatever you're training for, you have a good foundation and you're used to different types of runs before you really get into the nitty gritty of training. Now, if you're more experienced, you can ramp back up to your previous mileage from your last training block faster, even if you've been kind of slack lately. Just pay attention to your body and make sure that any niggles you're having isn't actually pain and you're not super fatigued and having trouble sleeping, those kinds of things. Pay attention and ramp up and get to where you were previously in your training and that will be a really good place to start for the training that you're going to do for whatever race you have.
Speaker 1:So I of course encourage people to do base training For my clients. Sometimes they'll do base training for my clients, sometimes they'll do base training on their own and other times I will build it in for them. But whatever you are looking ahead towards, you will get there a lot cleaner and feeling easier if you plan on some base building beforehand. Due to technical difficulties, I am having to finish this outside, so hopefully there's not a ton of traffic Trying to go to a quieter spot. One of the benefits of doing this before you start training is because you are kind of proofing your legs against injury, because as you run and when you do some of these faster runs you're you're challenging your skeletal system without having it be so intense as during your training, and so it's a less intense way to introduce some of this skeletal challenge and muscle challenge before you get into some of the harder stuff. So the bones are getting stronger and the all different adaptations that you're looking for are happening prior to getting into the training.
Speaker 1:For a beginner, this will help you get to a new level, different level, especially if you're finishing up like 30 minutes straight or 5k those kinds of things. It can up your game so that you're starting to get your body ready for a 10k or something you know more than that, or just getting your body used to the demands of just training in general doing faster runs, doing workouts, things like that. For those who are more experienced, you are not only getting back to where you were, but you're also adding to it by having some consistency and upping your volume and doing this in a purposeful manner. Another question that some people ask is if they should bother with base building if they don't race, and I think that it is a good thing because it can help you get more consistent, especially if you're planning things out, checking them off, doing things in a, like I said, purposeful way, and it can get you ready for workouts.
Speaker 1:So I think workouts are so much fun and it breaks up any kind of run and any kind of thing that you're doing.
Speaker 1:So instead of running for 30 minutes, like I said before, you can run for five, you can run hard for 10.
Speaker 1:You know, there are just all kinds of things you can incorporate into a run, even if you're not training for something, and that makes the time go by faster, it allows you to go longer if you're doing some kind of interval training, with maybe some walk breaks in there.
Speaker 1:Just you know, going out every day or whatever, three times a week, whatever, for 30 minutes or three miles, all the time is, first of all, not going to get you to the next level, because you'll be great at three miles or 30 minutes, but nothing beyond that, and it also gets boring and it can mess with your motivation if that's all you're doing. So even just building it up to a point so that you can do some speed work and longer runs and easy runs and mix it up a bit, will go a long way towards helping you stay consistent and keep at it, even if you're not training for something. So look into base building, give it a try. If you have any questions about it, you can email me and I can help steer you to getting in a base before either training or before you level up if you're a beginner.