Training Principles for Competitive Runners: How to Get Faster

The three pillars of faster running

Every improvement in your competition performance can be traced back to one or more of three physiological factors:

VO2max: the maximum amount of oxygen your body can absorb and use per minute. The higher your VO2max, the more energy you can deliver at high intensity. VO2max improves most by interval training at 90 à 100% of your maximum heart rate.

Lactate threshold: the rate at which lactic acid production increases faster than the body can remove it. Anyone who has a higher lactate threshold can run faster for longer without going into the red. You train the lactate threshold with tempo running and threshold intervals at a comfortably hard intensity.

Running economy: how efficiently your body converts oxygen into progress. Better running economy means that you run faster with the same oxygen consumption. Running economy improves through technique work, strength training and strides.

Which factor is most decisive depends on your distance. In the 5 km, VO2max dominates. In the marathon, running economy and glycogen management are at least as important as the lactate threshold.

The 80/20 rule: the most well-founded training distribution

Years of research into the training approach of elite endurance athletes leads to a consistent finding: the best runners train approximately 80% of their kilometers at low intensity and 20% at high intensity.

This division is called polarized training and has been extensively studied by sports physiologist Stephen Seiler. The conclusion: runners who spend too much of their training in the "gray zone" (moderate intensity, not easy and not hard), perform worse than runners who consciously polarize between easy and hard.

What this means in practice:

• Most runners train too hard on their easy days and not enough hard on their difficult days
• Zone 2 running (comfortable, having a conversation) should be the foundation of your training week
• Quality training (interval, pace) is limited in number but fully implemented

→ Read more about zone 2 training and training zones.

The training types that matter

Relaxed endurance run (zone 2)

The foundation of every competition schedule. Gentle endurance runs build your aerobic base, improve your fat burning, strengthen tendons and bones, and let you recover between intense sessions. They make 70à 80% of your weekly volume.

A good endurance run: you can easily have a conversation. Your heart rate remains below 75% of your maximum heart rate. You feel fresh afterwards, not exhausted.

Interval training

Short repeated blocks at high intensity (90 à 100% of your maximum heart rate or VO2max pace), alternating with active recovery. Interval training is the most powerful way to increase your VO2max.

Examples: 6 × 800m at 5km race pace with 90 seconds rest, or 5 × 1000m at 3 km pace.

Frequency: Once a week for recreational runners is sufficient. More than twice a week without sufficient recovery leads to overtraining.

→ Everything about interval training.

Tempo run

Running at or slightly below your lactate threshold: the pace at which you run approximately 40à can last 60 minutes in a match. Feels "comfortably hard": you can't have a full conversation, but you're not surviving either.

A classic tempo run: 20 à 40 minutes of continuous running at threshold intensity, preceded by a gentle warm-up of 15 minutes.

Tempo running is the most effective training for improving the 10 km and half marathon.

→ Everything about tempo running.

Long endurance run

The weekly long run is the backbone of any marathon preparation and a valuable part of any race schedule. It improves your fat burning, trains your glycogen management, strengthens tendons and bones and builds mental resilience.

The long endurance run always runs at a leisurely pace, never faster than zone 2. Anyone who runs too fast during their long endurance run will pay for it in recovery and increase their risk of injury.

Strides

Strides are short accelerations of 20à 30 seconds to almost maximum speed, with full recovery in between. They improve your running economy, neural activation and cadence without building significant fatigue.

Add three à add four strides at the end of an easy endurance run, two à three times a week. It is the training component with the best ratio between effect and fatigue costs.

Hill runs and hill sprints

Hill training combines strength training and running training in one. Uphill running strengthens the gluteus, calf and quadriceps, improves running economy and increases heart rate without the impact load of fast flat intervals.

→ Everything about hill sprints.

How do you structure a training week?

An effective training week for a competitive runner combines the above training types in a logical structure:

Principle 1: never do two heavy training sessions on consecutive days. An interval training or tempo run requires 48 hours of recovery before the next quality training. Anyone who ignores this builds up fatigue instead of form.

Principle 2: the long run is central. Build the rest of the week around it. The day before the long run is a rest day or a very short easy run. The next day too.

Principle 3: vary in volume, not just intensity. A week of 50 km with one interval training gives a different training effect than a week of 30 km with two interval sessions.

An example of a training week for a recreational runner training for a 10 km (four sessions per week):

Periodization: working towards the competition day

A competition schedule is not a fixed amount of training that you repeat every week. It is a structured structure in phases, each with its own purpose:

Basic phase (first third of your schedule): build volume, strengthen aerobic base. Little intensive work, a lot of zone 2. You lay the foundation.

Build-up phase (second third): intensity increases. Interval training and tempo running are becoming more common. Volume remains high but stabilizes.

Race prep (last weeks before the taper): sharper, shorter quality training sessions that are closer to race pace. Volume is already dropping slightly.

Taper (last two and three weeks): volume drops sharply, intensity remains present but in smaller doses. Your body recovers and recharges.

→ Read more about the theory behind periodization on the periodization page.
→ Everything about the taper: tapering for runners.

Strength training as part of competition preparation

Strength training is still too often skipped by recreational competitive runners. That's a shame, because the benefits are unequivocal: better running economy, less risk of injury, more powerful propulsion in the final phase of a race.

Two sessions per week of 30 à 40 minutes are sufficient. Focus on hip and glute strength (Bulgarian split squat, hip thrust, deadlift), eccentric calf strength and core stability.

During the taper period you reduce strength training to one lighter session per week.

→ Read the complete guide to strength training for runners.

Frequently asked questions

In summary

Competition training is built on three principles: the right balance between calm and intensive (80/20), a periodization that works towards the competition day, and sufficient recovery between quality sessions. More is not always better. Smarter almost always.

→ Ready for the details per distance? Read the guide for the 5 km, 10 km, half-marathon or marathon.
→ Everything about how to approach the race itself: race strategy.