Runningmonkeys

Base training is surely the most fundamental and easiest type of training that a runner carries out in any season.  Why is it then that we so often get it wrong?  Why is it that a mid-season injury often surprises us, when we should have known all along that it was because of our inadequate training base?  What is a good training base anyway?

The word base doesn’t show up in day to day language very often but when it does it almost always refers to something that supports something else or upon which something else is built.  Think about it…the base of an object is always the bottom of it, and base (in terms of headquarters) is where the action starts. 

The image that comes to my mind when I think of the term base is “base camp”.  A base-camp is a kind of temporary headquarters set up relatively close to, but not quite at, the action.  Think of an attempt at climbingMount Everest.  If a team decided to climb, they would not just jump off the plane and set up their tents on the air strip.  Instead they would travel some distance so that they were as close to their actual mission as possible without actually getting into it.  It takes significant planning and work to move to and set up an effective base camp for a mission like this.  The base camp then becomes the safe, stable place that they can use for subsequent climbs, over an extended period of time. 

In our running context, base training isn’t that much different.  Assuming that we are starting from a return from injury or after a planned break or even when we are starting from scratch, we are not ready to launch into full training.  Our bodies are used to performing a large number of normal functions, but they aren’t ready for running long distances fast. 

If we have had any more than about 10 weeks off full training we can consider ourselves back to our baseline level of fitness.  Bearing in mind that this new baseline might be higher than previous fitness baselines due to permanent gains in running efficiency, we are still in need of building up this base until it will support the work we have in mind.  Before we do any heavy duty training, the first thing we should do is build a proper base.

Now at this stage it is important to know what sort of training we envisage we will be enjoying later on, as well as the sort of mileage we will be doing at our peak.  On the other hand, it is useful if we don’t have any pressing timetable for performance at this stage.  I can remember plenty of times in the past that the first thing I did in planning my running was to set in concrete the date of a peak performance.  Then I counted back the weeks to the current day, took out time for the various phases of my “proper” training and that is how I decided how long was left to spend building my base.  If it was a long time, then good, if it wasn’t long enough then too bad.  

If the primary aim of base training is to prepare us for the rest of the training phases then a base that is too short will leave us under prepared.  We are then lined up for an injury rather than the excellent performance we are seeking.  Imagine setting off up Mt Everest before half of your essential equipment had arrived.  Unimaginable!  But we still sometimes fall into the trap of starting a program with an under prepared base and all of the risks that this means.

If, on the other hand, we have a base period that is too long, then we face another negative outcome.  Remembering that base training isn’t exactly the most satisfying and exciting training for a runner who likes to run fast, there is a limit to how long a base period can last before frustration, apathy and risky running takes place.

The best duration for a base period is the exact time it takes for our bodies and minds to be adequately prepared for the next phase of training, no more and no less.  The problem remains how do we work this out?

Assuming we have an open ended schedule, but a goal distance in mind.  Assuming we have an ideal training plan including daily and weekly mileage already formulated and in the top draw.  Assuming that we have an accurate picture of our current running fitness level as well as our level of experience and running  history.  Then we put it all together.

If we know that we wish to race marathons and race them hard then we know the sort of training that we will be undertaking and the range of possible time that it will take us to fully prepare after we have our base intact.  We look to our training plan and locate our peak training mileage.  Then we look closely in the mirror and see what is possible (conservatively) for our initial base training mileage.  Then we do some maths.

Basically (excuse the pun) we need to be able to comfortably run for around 80% of our peak weekly mileage before we start on a new training program.  For example if your goal mileage is 100klms per week then you should be comfortably running 80 kilometres per week by the end of your base training.  If you intend to run 100miles per week then build to 80 miles per week before the rest of your program begins.  This is based on the idea that you will hit peak mileage somewhere later in your full program and will have the subsequent weeks to gradually build up the last 20% to get to that peak.

Then look at where you are now.  How many kilometres can you comfortably, and without risk of injury, run this week?   This will vary between almost zero for a complete beginner to perhaps 90 kilometres (56 miles) for a returning elite runner.  We should all aim to be conservative here but being too conservative can lead to an excessively long and boring base period. 

We then work out a schedule that bridges the gap between where we are and where we want to be in 10% jumps.  In most people’s eyes, 10% is the magic number for how much distance can be safely added to a weekly training program without risking injury.  Any increase in weekly mileage should always be 10% of the previous week (or less).  This doesn’t mean, as I used to think, that we could raise the mileage 10% every week.  It means that we can safely raise it 10% and then allow adaption to take place.  This adaption would be partially complete in around 3 weeks, then we can safely raise our mileage another 10%. 

These calculations will be fully covered in the next post “Runner’s Base Training 102″.  Until then, just remember that if you train without a  proper running base, you risk injury and overtraining with every run from then on, no matter how hard you try and catch up.

Build a proper base and you will have something to set your trophy on.