Base training Intermediate
Now we start building a solid foundation!
Basic training is one of the most valuable investments a runner can make as it provides a stable physical and mental foundation to build upon. This helps you keep running gentle and enjoyable over a longer period. By focusing on strengthening your muscles and improving your endurance, you will have a significantly more enjoyable running experience.
Gradually conditioning your body to training reduces the risk of injuries, which often affect runners who increase their training load too quickly. With basic training, you become more stable, strengthen your joints and ligaments, and improve your endurance – ensuring you can confidently tackle longer distances without risking injury. At the same time, you build up your self-confidence and develop a positive mental attitude. Every workout makes you a stronger runner.
Think of basic training as your personal superpower – it prepares you for everything from your first five-kilometer run to a marathon. It’s a journey that leads to better health, stronger mental endurance, and – perhaps most importantly – a lasting love for running.
Before we get started…
The most important thing with good base training is to maintain consistency and not push too hard in the beginning.
Good posture and proper running technique make running gentler and more efficient. Try to run with a slight forward lean and avoid taking overly long strides. This helps save energy and reduces stress on your knees and joints.
Feeling tired is normal, but pain is a warning sign. If you feel pain, take a break and give your body time to recover. Base training is all about building a strong foundation that you can build upon without stress.
Recovery is just as important as the training itself. Sleep well and allow your body time to recover between sessions – that’s when it truly builds and becomes stronger.
Always warm up properly before tackling quality sessions like intervals, threshold training, fartlek, and hill workouts! Spend 10-15 minutes with easy running to wake up your body, and include a few short strides to find your stride and get your heart rate up. It’s your chance to prepare both your body and mind to give your best during the session – and it also ensures you won’t suffer an unfortunate injury.
Hills & long runs
Let’s kick off the base training, with the goal of getting started, finding a great rhythm, and – most importantly – having fun along the way! We’ll focus on easy-paced distance runs where you can enjoy every step, ideally with someone to chat with as you go.
To build both running efficiency and strength, we’ll tackle hills – which will give you extra power and stability. And of course, long runs will also be part of the mix, helping you strengthen both your endurance and mental fortitude. These longer sessions will help you build your body up and feel stronger with each week.
Week 1
Session 1: Distance 50 min
Session 2: Hill repeats 10 x 60 sec + 10 x 30 sec with walking recovery downhill
Session 3: Long run 75 min
Week 2
Session 1: Distance 60 min
Session 2: Hill distance 50 min. Run up and down as many hills as you can find and are able to do.
Session 3: Long run 80 min
Week 3
Session 1: Distance 45 min + 5 stride-outs
Session 2: Hill training 5 x 2 min + 5 x 1 min + 5 x 30 sec with jogging rest down
Session 3: Long run 85 min
Intervalls & fartlek
In the next three weeks, we’ll increase the pace and incorporate interval and fartlek sessions to raise your heart rate and challenge your cardiovascular system! Each speed increase builds a stronger foundation for your new running goals, and here you’ll have the chance to feel your strength grow with every session. This is when you’ll start to notice your endurance improving and your body responding. Approach each training session with energy and curiosity, and let your desire to progress drive you forward.
Week 4
Session 1: Distance 50 min.
Session 2: Intervals 10 x 60 sec. Run fast! 90 sec. rest
Session 3: Long run 90 min.
Week 5
Session 1: Fartlek 10 x 60/60 sec. Alternate fast with easy jog
Session 2: Distance 60 min. + 5 strides
Session 3: Long run 90 min.
Week 6
Session 1: Distance 60 min. + 10 strides
Session 2: Intervals 3 x (30 + 45 + 60 + 45 + 30 sec.) Run fast with equal standing rest to the interval
Session 3: Long run 95 min.
Different Training Sessions During Base Training
Distance
The distance run is your time to simply enjoy running, clear your mind, and find peace in your stride. Keep your heart rate low and run at a relaxed, comfortable pace. The goal is to get your muscles, joints, and ligaments accustomed to running—this is a workout that strengthens you from the inside out, step by step.
Hills
Hill training is one of our favorite workouts for runners—it builds both strength and speed while boosting recovery. Hills can vary in length, steepness, and difficulty, and each type serves a different purpose: developing endurance, building explosive speed, or improving technique and running muscles. Choose your hill and let each step take you closer to becoming a stronger, faster runner!
Intervals
Intervals are the sessions where we really push ourselves and take our running to the next level! Here, we focus on increasing speed and improving oxygen uptake, aiming to become faster and stronger. Intervals are typically short and intense, with longer recovery periods in between—perhaps in the form of light jogging or short standing or walking rests.
Threshold
Threshold pace is the speed you can maintain right at the edge where your body can clear lactic acid as quickly as it builds up. It’s a “comfortably hard” pace where you’re running fast but controlled, without crossing into a point of extreme discomfort. The goal with threshold training is to improve your endurance and your ability to maintain a higher speed for longer periods, gradually teaching your body to handle lactic acid more effectively.
Threshold pace is often compared to the pace you could maintain during a 60-minute race, or around 80-85% of your maximum heart rate. Many find it to be a pace where you can speak in short sentences but feel your breathing becoming more labored.
Long Runs
The long run is the runner’s sacred time—an essential part of the journey to the finish line. Here, the goal is to build endurance and get your body used to being active for extended periods. Long runs range from 70 minutes to over three hours. The longer races you’re training for, the more valuable these long runs become. Not only do they strengthen the body for prolonged exertion, but they also build the mental endurance and determination necessary to carry you all the way to the goal.
Threshold & Combo sessions
In the final block, the focus is on building a solid foundation and strengthening endurance, so you’ll be well-prepared for this year’s big goals. We’ll incorporate threshold workouts to drive you forward and complement them with inspiring combo workouts, where we mix threshold training and faster intervals within the same session.
Week 7
Session 1: Distance 60 min
Session 2: Threshold 4 x 4 min. Run fast, uncomfortably but controlled. 60 sec. standing rest.
Session 3: Long run 120 min
Week 8
Session 1: Distance 50 min.
Session 2: 5 x 60 sec. fast with 30 sec. standing rest. 1 x 7 min fast but controlled. 60 sec. standing rest. 5 x 30 sec. fast with 30 sec. standing rest.
Session 3: Long run 120 min
Week 9
Session 1: Threshold 10 + 7 + 5 min. fast but controlled with 90 sec. standing rest
Session 2: Distance 60 min.
Session 3: Long run 120 min.