How to find a good running training plan
Or should I get a running coach?
I’m currently editing a shedload of running training plans for a client. And while they are a great resource for experienced runners I’m becoming increasingly frustrated the more plans I edit.
Getting a generic plan from a website, book or app can help you to organise your training and give you guidance on the variety of running sessions to do. They are also great for goal setting if you want to run a certain distance, in a certain time. For example a sub-5-hour marathon.
But the problem is they can’t tell you what your starting position is, and what you should be aiming for. Using the best plan in the world I am not going to run a sub-3-hour marathon in 16 weeks time. And if I tried, I can 100% guarantee I would end up injured.
These plans can set the wrong expectations and more often than not lead to overtraining, burnout and injury. You might be capable of running a 10k in under 50 minutes but is a training plan of five or six runs a week, plus two strength sessions, going to put your body under too much strain?
How do you know whether to pick a training plan with three runs a week, or a plan with six runs a week? Unless you are an experienced runner this is very difficult to judge.
The problem with generic plans
Some plans which look like they are suitable for beginners start with a long run in the first week of 105 minutes. That’s crazy if you are currently running 30 minutes at a time. It’s too big a leap and too much, too soon.
And if you are new to running how on earth do you know what time you should be aiming for, and maybe you just want to complete a distance rather than aim for a finish time.
The temptation might be to think more is better, when in reality the opposite is far more likely to be true - particularly if your current mileage is low or you have a busy life juggling work, family and other commitments.
A plan doesn’t measure where you are at right now, it can only sell you the idea of where you want to be.
My other issue with some ready-made plans are that there are unnecessarily complicated. Glancing at them it looks like you need a degree in physics to decipher all the paces, with 45 secs @thisspeed and 75 secs @thatspeed, repeating 8 times before moving onto another calculation. You’d need to write instructions all the way up your arm or spend ages setting them up on your watch to simply know what you need to do minute by minute.
These plans are also often designed for men’s biology. And young men at that. They don’t consider age, sex or experience, or the fluctuations of periods and menopause. They often don’t recognise women’s greater need for recovery and the additional time pressures they face. Some have interval sessions on the same day as a hard strength session, which as a woman of a certain age, I know is an insane suggestion.
Another issue I have is that the plan will say ‘rest day’ and then put in a strength session. If you are new to going to the gym and lifting weights, then this is definitely not a rest day for the body.
And at the other end of the scale, some have no strength training sessions at all, which is a recipe for disaster particularly if you are taking on a marathon for the first time.
What’s the solution?
Firstly do your research and pick your plan carefully, whether it’s online or via an app. Then ask these questions: Does the plan say whether it is suitable for a beginner, intermediate or experienced runner? Does it have a gender bias? Does is tally with your lifestyle and availability? Does it align with your goals, whether that’s to finish in a certain time or simply complete a particular distance? Does it have flexibility built into it? Does it have enough rest days? Does it have strength training?
You will never find the perfect plan, as it won’t be bespoke to you, but the closer you can get, the better. Once you have found a reasonable plan think about how you can adapt it to suit your own availability and goals. Maybe you can drop one of the harder sessions or add in strength training if it’s missing. You may need to switch sessions around to suit your schedule and build in more rest if you know you take longer to recover from a hard session.
The best thing you can do though, is to get a coach. A good coach will be able to create a tailored plan which takes into account your experience, age, sex, availability, current running routine and more. A coach can also advise on race strategy, fuelling, kit, form and motivational tips.
Not everyone can afford a coach (Into Ultra offers free coaching for those wanting to try ultra running) but if you can, I’d argue it’s a much more worthwhile investment than an app subscription which can only ever give you generic advice.
But you need to find the coach that suits you. Every coach takes a different approach and has their own speciality whether it’s mindfulness, dry humour or getting a PB in your next marathon.
And that is a lovely segue way into my own services. I’ve been coaching women’s running group Great Bowden Runners for six years now. It grew organically from a group of mums wanting a bit of direction to get running again. I took up the challenge and loved it so much that within 2 years I had qualified as an England Athletics Coach in Running Fitness.
I’ve coached over 100 women women aged 20 to 60 from couch to 5k and beyond, all the way up to ultra marathon. I briefly dabbled in coaching men 1-2-1 but decided it wasn’t for me.
When some of my Great Bowden Runners moved away I started coaching them remotely. I have an online coach myself (every running coach, has a coach, I’m not sure where it ends…) and have been surprised at how effective it is.
All this preamble is to say, I’ve decided to offer more online coaching. I specialise in female runners and while I’d love to convert every woman into an ultra runner, I’m also confident coaching those getting back to running or wanting to build their confidence at varying distances. My approach is not about smashing PBs but enabling women to prioritise themselves, their running and their mental health.
If this sounds like something you might be interested in then please get in touch for an initial free consultation.
I offer different levels of coaching which include:
Monthly bespoke training plans (which are simple to follow)
Monthly 1-2-1 video calls
Ongoing 1-2-1 WhatsApp support
Advice on nutrition, recovery and kit
Race recommendations
My most recent running achievements include running 250km across Tanzania in five days, finishing 1st Female in my first ever 100km race, and finally coming first in age group at my local parkrun!
As well as coaching I work as a freelance running and fitness journalist writing about all the latest issues, tech and kit for Runner’s World, Women’s Running, Women’s Health, Fit&Well, Metro and Live for the Outdoors. If you need a pair of size 7 running shoes I have stacks of press samples!
I also teach sports journalism at Sheffield Hallam University and have 20 years teaching experience, which has really helped to inform my coaching.
Please get in touch if you would like to work with me!
Thanks for reading this week’s newsletter. If you have any running news for me, let me know! Send feedback to lilycanter@yahoo.co.uk or suggest topics you’d like me to cover.
One day on substack and I find someone how is also trying to address and educate others on the issue of generic runnings plans. Keep up the good work.