How to build a good base

Since summer is starting up, its important to start building your base now so that when the middle of summer comes you are ready for the real workouts that gain improvements. Believe me, you can't just jump into a superman-training plan, your body will crash. You need to build up a base first before you start your real training.

Fortunately, runnersworld has provided us with a simple base building plan. I suggest following it for at least a month before you move onto real training:

Base Training Plan

http://nvxc.net/workouts.php
to each his own, though I feel guilty stealing another teams training program run for run

sharrison wrote:http://nvxc.net/workouts.php
to each his own, though I feel guilty stealing another teams training program run for run

I can't believe they put that online. But I'm glad they did. 40 building to 80, huh? Though according to the Sophmore plan I would only do 75% of those miles, so that would be 30 building to 60, about what I was planning on already.

I'll keep that website in mind
good find sharrison

sharrison wrote:http://nvxc.net/workouts.php
to each his own, though I feel guilty stealing another teams training program run for run

SWEET.

ive already started raceing, but i do take a few days out of the week and just go run as a base to build up.

ProtestTheZero wrote:

sharrison wrote:http://nvxc.net/workouts.php
to each his own, though I feel guilty stealing another teams training program run for run

SWEET.

I liked this quote on there.

"The more I talk to athletes, the more convinced I become that the method of training is relatively unimportant. There are many ways to the top, and the training method you choose is just the one that suits you best. No, the important thing is the attitude of the athlete, the desire to get to the top."

-Herb Elliot

FinishingKick wrote:

ProtestTheZero wrote:

sharrison wrote:http://nvxc.net/workouts.php
to each his own, though I feel guilty stealing another teams training program run for run

SWEET.

I liked this quote on there.

"The more I talk to athletes, the more convinced I become that the method of training is relatively unimportant. There are many ways to the top, and the training method you choose is just the one that suits you best. No, the important thing is the attitude of the athlete, the desire to get to the top."

-Herb Elliot

nice quote, i'm surprised it's not used more often...

*run*Forever* wrote:ive already started raceing, but i do take a few days out of the week and just go run as a base to build up.

You're racing more than one day a week during base? Good luck with that....
It's not even a good idea to race at all in the summer.
But whatever, thats just my opinion. Just make sure you don't hurt yourself.

i dont think its a good idea for me to do anymore then 30 miles so ill just add speedwork i guess

HXC_Runner2012 wrote:

*run*Forever* wrote:ive already started raceing, but i do take a few days out of the week and just go run as a base to build up.

You're racing more than one day a week during base? Good luck with that....
It's not even a good idea to race at all in the summer.
But whatever, thats just my opinion. Just make sure you don't hurt yourself.

My coach recommended that I do 3 or 4 5ks over the summer just to keep sharp. I mean as long as you are using the races as a tool to help you, like any other workout, I really don't think it's a problem. I just keep in mind that I'm racing them completely on summer training and don't worry so much about the time.

Yeah, racing isn't just about being fast; once we start getting up there in times race strategy comes into play so much more, thus the more race experience you have the better you should be

HXC_Runner2012 wrote:

*run*Forever* wrote:ive already started raceing, but i do take a few days out of the week and just go run as a base to build up.

You're racing more than one day a week during base? Good luck with that....
It's not even a good idea to race at all in the summer.
But whatever, thats just my opinion. Just make sure you don't hurt yourself.

How do you know what kind of shape you are in for workouts or training runs if you never race? I keep to a strict training plan, and that requires that I know exactly what shape I am in, I couldn't imagine just guessing.

RETURNover wrote:i dont think its a good idea for me to do anymore then 30 miles so ill just add speedwork i guess

NO. Speedwork is even more taxing on your body, so if you can't handle more mileage, you DEFINATLY can't handle speedwork.

PATIENCE young grasshopper.

To reply to racing, it's fine to race a bit over the summer, but I wouldn't race every week, maybe once a month or so.

It's really a bad idea to do anything anaerobic over the summer. But if you MUST do a race, do it as close to XC season as possible, because if you begin anaerobic development but don't continue, you lose conditioning.

RETURNover wrote:i dont think its a good idea for me to do anymore then 30 miles so ill just add speedwork i guess

question. are you retarded? building a base has nothing to do with speedwork. please for the love of god don't do any speed work during base training.

HXC_Runner2012 wrote:, because if you begin anaerobic development but don't continue, you lose conditioning.

How did you get that crazy idea?

runner_dude wrote:

HXC_Runner2012 wrote:, because if you begin anaerobic development but don't continue, you lose conditioning.

How did you get that crazy idea?

I might have mixed it up, but it's from Lydiard. I'll try to find the link.

Originally posted by Arthur Lydiard:
7. Once anaerobic training is started, it must be continued, otherwise development is lost.

Ha, yeah I got it mixed up.

my friend is a 4:25 miler and he races every one or two weeks. theres no competition for him though so he probably just tempos them.

HXC_Runner2012 wrote:

Originally posted by Arthur Lydiard:
7. Once anaerobic training is started, it must be continued, otherwise development is lost.

Ha, yeah I got it mixed up.

That'd be cool if Lydiard posted here lol.

hlwwcc wrote:

RETURNover wrote:i dont think its a good idea for me to do anymore then 30 miles so ill just add speedwork i guess

question. are you retarded? building a base has nothing to do with speedwork. please for the love of god don't do any speed work during base training.

I realize it has nothing to do with building a base this was my first year of running and im only 11 so i was pretty much spending most of spring and the end of winter building as base, and I did'nt think running more than 30 miles a week would be a good idea. What I did'nt realize is that speedwork would actually put more stress on my body than adding mileage.

on the racing topic: I think that if you really want to race during the summer, you should go ahead and do it. For me, doing races that I want to do adds motivation... so if you really want to race, you should go ahead and do it because the motivational aspect outweighs any bad thing it could do. Usually you know when you're body has had enough, so if you want to race, chances are your body will be able to handle it. but if you don't want to race, then don't.