No matter if you are training for your first 5K or your 100th marathon, it’s always best to have some structure to your training. That’s why we made some training plans for you!
Having some structure with your training allows you to know what you are going to do each day/week. Knowing how to structure your training week is a valuable skill to have in your running tool kit especially when you have to balance life at the same time!
Have a race to structure your training around
Without a goal or race, it becomes difficult to know what to aim for and this is when consistency may slip! This is arguable the most important part to your training. It’s not one particular session that helps you break PB’s, it’s consistent mileage building, strength training and listening to your body.
What type of goals can you aim for? Are you the type of runner that loves just completing race or do you like to chase a time? Have you got a competition that you specifically want to train for? If so, write these all down and have that in mind when structuring your training. You can work your weekly plan around this!
Choosing a plan
You can either download one our PDF training plans or view/run your plan within the Kinni app.
The structure of your overall training week
An example of a structured week
Let’s focus on the 5 runs a week within the Advanced 5k run plan. This includes one longer run and one harder session.
| Monday | Rest (or Cross Train) |
| Tuesday | Easy (30-35 minute run) |
| Wednesday | Speed session |
| Thursday | Easy (30-35 minute run) |
| Friday | Rest (or Cross Train) |
| Saturday | Easy (40 minute run) |
| Sunday | Long run (11 kilometres / 7 miles) |
You would have noticed that the hard session is on Wednesday. This is the most optimal training week as you get 3 days after your long run to fully recover and then another 4 days until the long run again. This obviously will not work for everyone as running club sessions are normally run on Tuesday or Thursday. If this benefits you more then just swap Wednesday and Tuesday around, just ensure you feel fully recovered after your long run!
Summary of how to structure your training week
The main thing to realise when structuring your training week is to fit it around your life and what you enjoy whilst ensuring you get the right amount of recovery in between runs. With running it’s always about trialing things and seeing what works best for you physically and mentally.