Training guides & running sessions

Choosing a plan

Women's running5 min read

Training plans for women: symptoms, life stages and the limits of generic advice

Support individual needs without inventing cycle-synced rules or blanket age-based reductions.

Training7 min read

What the research can and cannot tell us about running plans

A transparent guide to the evidence, established programmes and our original editorial choices.

Training5 min read

Trail and ultra plans: match the route, not just the distance

Check terrain, time, navigation and support before choosing a generic trail programme.

Training6 min read

Should you run three, four, five or six days a week?

Arrange training around sustainable frequency, recovery and the rest of your life.

Training5 min read

Tapering, race week and the days afterwards

Reduce the training without trying to prove your fitness at the last minute.

Training5 min read

Strength, cross-training and recovery: the training around the running

Add support work without accidentally creating a second demanding plan.

Training5 min read

Progression and long runs: beyond the 10% rule

Build a routine without treating a percentage, mileage target or time cap as a safety guarantee.

Training6 min read

Pace, effort and time on feet: how to read your running plan

Keep easy running easy and understand why a time-based plan still needs distance checks.

Training6 min read

Missed runs, illness and bad weather: how to adjust without catching up

A practical interruption guide that treats recovery as part of the plan.

Training6 min read

How to choose a running plan that fits your actual starting point

Choose by recent training, available time and the event, not by a flattering ability label.

Training6 min read

How many weeks do you need to train for a race?

Understand what shorter and longer calendars can, and cannot, change.

Training6 min read

Fuelling and hydration belong in your training plan

Practise food and drink alongside the running, without making every easy outing complicated.

Training5 min read

First finish or faster time? Set a race goal without turning it into a guarantee

Use recent evidence and process goals instead of a promised finishing time.

Training6 min read

Beginner, improver or experienced? Ability labels without the pace snobbery

Use training history and recovery capacity rather than speed to find the right level.