With Coach Kelvin, offering Online Running Coaching for We Run and the We Run Virtual Running Club, and 1:1 Running Coach for Leeds and surrounding areas.
The Purpose of Base Building
Hi folks, Kelvin here. We Run Coach for Leeds and surrounding areas, as well as online coaching.
In this little video, I’m going to share some thoughts on the base building phase of training. This is often done in the winter when races are less frequent, and it can prepare us to add more race-specific work as we get closer to events later in the winter or early springtime.
Why Volume Alone Isn’t Enough
A base building phase shouldn’t just be about volume. Fitness gains plateau quite quickly on volume alone. The other challenge with volume is that for it to be a new stimulus, it needs to grow, and that just ends up being really time consuming.
Building More Than Just an Aerobic Base
When I think of a base, I don’t just think about an aerobic base – I think about a speed base. So, doing things like strides and rhythm work. I also think about a strength base, starting to bring in some strength training that may have dropped to a maintenance level over the previous couple of months.
Through the winter, I want to develop more strength so I can handle more work when the time comes.
Threshold and VO₂ Max Foundations
I also think about building a base around lactate threshold one (LT1) and lactate threshold two (LT2) – that’s the top end of zone two type work, and also classic threshold training around LT2.
I’ll also build a base for VO₂ max. There won’t be as much of certain elements as there would be during race-specific phases. For example, there won’t be as much VO₂ max work as I would do if I were training for a 5K, but there’ll still be some included.
Alternatively, I might start progressing sessions towards VO₂ max work so that in two to three months’ time, when I’m actually putting in a VO₂ max block, I’m prepared. That way, my training doesn’t look dramatically different from what it did in the previous weeks, because the body doesn’t like sudden, dramatic changes.
Example Progression in Base Training
An example might be that I do strides twice a week – perhaps six to eight times for 30 seconds. I might take one of those sessions to a hill, then start elongating the reps to 45 seconds.
Next, I might drop the number of reps from six to eight down to four to six and bring the duration up to around one minute. Over the next couple of months, I could progress that to 10 to 12-minute hill reps.
That’s essentially a VO₂ max session. By doing this, I’m preparing my body for the demands it’s going to experience in two to three months’ time.
Closing Thoughts
I hope that makes some sort of sense. If you’ve got any questions about base building, let me know in the comments below.
For now, happy running!
