Training Principles (updated in 2025)
- High Peak Running
- Aug 10, 2020
- 5 min read
Updated: Oct 23
Some incredible achievements continue to come from endurance athletes across the UK (and globally) — people like Philip Sesemann, Tom Evans, Sarah Perry, Alex Yee (and many others) are pushing boundaries. But behind every breakthrough performance lies years of disciplined training, intelligent planning, and gradual progression.
Here’s a more modern, detailed take on foundational training principles — plus practical examples and tips you can apply to your own running journey.
1. Consistency Over Time
Why It Matters
Gains in fitness don't come from one big block of training — they come from many small, steady inputs over weeks, months, and years.
Injuries, illness, burnout, or life stresses are the most common disruptors. The more consistent you can stay, the more cumulative progress you’ll build.
Practical Tips
Create a baseline schedule — e.g., 3–4 runs per week — and stick to it even if intensity varies.
Plan for “anchor workouts” (non-negotiable sessions, e.g. long run or interval day) and build your other workouts around them.
Use a training log or app (Strava, TrainingPeaks, Garmin Connect, etc.) to track frequency, volume, and how you feel — this also helps you spot when consistency is slipping.
When life gets busy, preserve the habit even if volume must drop (e.g. shorter “maintenance” runs).
2. Progressive Overload (But Gradual)
The Principle
To improve, your body has to be challenged — more distance, faster paces, more elevation, or extra workouts. But the challenge must be applied gradually. Overdo it, and you risk breakdown.
More Modern Nuances
Use periodic ‘micro-cycles’ and ‘meso-cycles’ (e.g. 3-4 week phases), rather than just adding volume every week.
Monitor internal load (how hard it feels) as well as external load (distance, time). Some weeks you might maintain volume but reduce intensity to allow adaptation.
Consider “wave loading” or undulating periodization (where volume/intensity fluctuate across a cycle) instead of linear increases.
Example
Week 1: 40 km total, with one interval session
Week 2: 44 km (10% increase), with similar interval
Week 3: 48 km, slightly faster intervals
Week 4: 36 km (recovery / adaptation week)
This allows your body to absorb the load and adapt, rather than being pushed flat-out continuously.
3. The Interplay of Load & Recovery
Why Neither Can Be Ignored
You can’t just “go hard all the time.” Training stress and recovery must balance. Adaptation—the physiological improvement—happens during recovery, not during the workout itself.
Recovery Tools & Tips
Sleep: Aim for consistent, high-quality sleep. For serious athletes, 7–9 hours is typical.
Nutrition & hydration: Post-run fueling (carbohydrate + protein) helps recovery. Periodize nutrition (more calories / protein in heavy phases, lighter in taper).
Active recovery: Easy runs, walks, mobility work, yoga, foam rolling, swimming — to help circulation and movement without major load.
Deload weeks: Regularly schedule easier weeks (volume & intensity down) to let the body “bank the gains.”
Monitoring signs: fatigue, resting heart rate, mood, soreness — a persistent upward drift in resting HR or bad moods may indicate too much fatigue.
4. Specificity & Individualization
Tailor to Your Goal & Biology
Race/Goal Specificity: If your target is a hilly trail marathon, your training should include hills, technical terrain, strength for climbs/descents, etc. If your goal is a flat road 5k, your focus will differ.
Your Strengths & Weaknesses: Maybe your strength is aerobic endurance; your weakness is speed or strength. Focus extra sessions on your weak spots.
Lifestyle & Time Constraints: Training has to fit your life — if you only have 4 quality days, train smarter rather than trying to match an elite schedule.
Examples
A 50-year-old runner may benefit from more recovery days or cross-training compared to a 25-year-old.
Someone with knee issues may reduce frequent long runs on hard surfaces and use softer terrain or cross-train (cycling, pool).
An ultra-runner needs to build volume, but also ensure heat acclimatization, nutrition, and mental resilience for long hours.
5. Periodization & Phasing
Why It Helps
Periodization is the process of breaking the training year into chunks (phases) — e.g., base, build, peak, taper — so that you peak at the right moment and avoid overtraining or undertraining.
Strategies
Use block periodization for focused blocks (e.g. 3-week strength, 3-week VO₂ max).
Incorporate polarized training ideas — most sessions should be easy pace (e.g. 70–80 %), while a small percentage is very high intensity (e.g. 5–10 %), and moderate-intensity training is used sparingly.
Reverse periodization can work for some goals (e.g. start with higher intensity, then shift to volume) particularly for shorter races.
Sample Annual Structure
6. Variety & Cross-Training
The Value of Variety
Reduces overuse injury risk by distributing stress across different muscle groups.
Improves overall athleticism, strength, balance, proprioception.
Cross-Training Options
Cycling, swimming, rowing for cardiovascular work with lower impact.
Strength training (especially core, glutes, posterior chain).
Mobility / flexibility / yoga / Pilates for movement quality.
Strides, drills, plyometrics to maintain neuromuscular sharpness.
Integration Tip
Use cross-training on easier days, recovery days, or when you want to maintain fitness while reducing running load (e.g. when injured or during heavy fatigue).
7. Feedback, Monitoring & Adjustment
Always Be Listening to the Body
Your plan is a blueprint, not a rigid prescription. Be ready to adjust based on how you're responding.
Tools & Metrics
Heart Rate / HRV (Heart Rate Variability) — can give insight into readiness/fatigue.
GPS watch / power meters — track pace, elevation, power (if available).
Subjective measures: perceived exertion, mood, sleep quality, soreness.
Training software: TrainingPeaks, Strava Insights, Garmin’s “Training Status,” etc.
Adjustments If You See Warning Signs
If you feel unusually drained or your performance is dropping, scale back load.
Extend easy/recovery phases if adaptation isn’t happening.
If progress plateaus, introduce a new stimulus (different workout type, terrain, intensity) but avoid radical jumps.
8. Long-Term Mindset & Patience
Success Takes Time
Many athletes see their biggest breakthroughs 5–10+ years into their running habits.
Progress is nonlinear: you’ll have plateaus, setbacks, jumps — that’s normal.
Keeping Motivation Alive
Use mini goals / check-in markers (e.g. a benchmark 5k every 8-12 weeks).
Celebrate small wins (e.g. consistency streaks, form improvements).
Have off-season or deliberate rest periods to rekindle love for running.
9. Recent Trends & Considerations (2025)
Heart Rate Zone Training with Polarized Approaches: There's growing research supporting polarized training (mostly easy, some hard, little in the middle) especially for endurance athletes.
Better nutrition periodization: More athletes are using training-specific nutrition strategies (e.g. fasted runs, low-glycogen sessions, “train low / race high”) carefully integrated rather than dogmatically.
Data overload and mental health: With more metrics available, it's easy to get overwhelmed. Don’t let metrics override your intuition and how your body feels.
In Summary
Training that lasts and evolves is built on:
Steady consistency
Smart progressive overload
Balance between stress and recovery
Specificity to your goal & your body
Thoughtful periodization & stimulus variety
Monitoring, feedback & flexibility
A long-term mindset
A Little Extra Support from Us
At High Peak Running, we’re passionate about helping runners tackle their races with confidence.
We’ve got a library of helpful blog posts full of tips on training, nutrition, kit, and mindset — all written for real runners, by runners.
And if you’d like a little more structure or motivation, we offer bespoke coaching and training plans tailored specifically to your goals, schedule, and experience level.
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