Guides

Running guides

Plain-English running guides from the Runsense coaching team — training intensity, workouts, plans, race day, fueling, injuries, form, and gear.

Training Intensity & Zones

Heart Rate ZonesStart hereHeart-rate zones are a simple way to put a number on training intensity. Used well, they keep your easy days honestly easy and your hard days hard.
The Aerobic SystemThe aerobic system is the engine behind every distance from the 5K to 100 miles — how it works, and why building it is your highest-return investment.
Heart-Rate DecouplingHeart-rate decoupling — also called aerobic decoupling — measures whether your heart rate drifts upward relative to your pace over a steady effort.
Heart Rate, Pace & EffortHeart rate, pace, and perceived effort are three different windows onto the same thing — how hard you're working. None of them tells the whole story alone.
Lactate ThresholdIf VO₂max is the size of your aerobic engine, your lactate threshold is how much of that engine you can actually use for a long time.
Testing Your Lactate Threshold Heart Rate (LTHR)Your lactate threshold heart rate (LTHR) is one of the most useful numbers for guiding training — it anchors your heart-rate zones far better than an…
Polarized Training (the 80/20 Idea)"Polarized" training means most of your running is easy, a small slice is genuinely hard, and very little sits in the moderate middle — the familiar…
The Talk TestThe talk test gauges effort by how easily you can speak — no watch needed. How it maps to intensity, and why it is the simplest way to find your easy pace.
VO₂maxVO₂max is the maximum rate at which your body can take in, deliver, and use oxygen — the size of your aerobic engine.

Workout Types

Types of Running WorkoutsStart hereA training plan is a small set of workout shapes, arranged so they build on each other. What each one is, the job it does, and how it should feel.
Back-to-Back Long Runs (for Ultras)Back-to-back long runs are two long runs on consecutive days — most often a Saturday-and-Sunday pairing — used mainly by ultrarunners.
Easy & Recovery RunsEasy runs are the quiet workhorses of training — the runs that feel almost too gentle to matter, yet build most of your fitness.
Fartlek"Fartlek" is Swedish for "speed play," and that's exactly what it is: bursts of faster running woven into an easy run, done by feel rather than by a…
Hill RepeatsHill repeats — running hard up an incline, jogging down to recover, and repeating — are one of the highest-value sessions in running.
Hill StridesHill strides are short, powerful uphill efforts — about 15 to 20 seconds each — run with strong, driving strides up a moderate grade.
Intervals & VO₂max WorkoutsIntervals are the hard, fast repeats that raise your VO2max — the top end of your fitness. What they do, how to run them, and how often to use them.
The Long RunThe long run is the cornerstone of distance training — the single session that most directly builds the endurance, durability, and confidence to go the…
Progression RunsA progression run is a single run that gets faster as it goes — you start genuinely easy and finish at a strong, controlled effort.
StridesStrides are short, controlled accelerations — about 15 to 20 seconds each — that you run fast but relaxed, with full recovery between.
Tempo & Threshold RunsTempo and threshold runs are the comfortably-hard efforts that lift the pace you can hold for long — the top sessions for half and full marathoners.

Training Structure, Plans & Who You're Training

PeriodizationStart hereA good training plan isn't a random pile of workouts — it's a sequence of phases, each with one job, stacked so that the fitness you build early makes…
Training for the 5K and 10KThe 5K and 10K are deceptively demanding: short enough to hurt at a fast pace, long enough that real aerobic fitness decides the outcome.
Base BuildingBase building is the foundation phase of a training cycle — weeks of mostly easy running that build the aerobic engine before any race-specific sharpening.
Starting to RunStarting to run is the hardest and most rewarding phase, and almost every beginner mistake comes down to one thing: doing too much, too soon.
Training for the Half MarathonThe half marathon is many runners' favorite distance, and for good reason: it's long enough to demand real aerobic endurance, but fast enough that it…
Training for the MarathonThe marathon is as much an endurance and fueling event as a fitness one. How to build the aerobic engine, durability, and pacing you need to beat the wall.
Masters RunningRunning well into your 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond is absolutely doable — plenty of masters runners are fitter than people half their age.
Progressive OverloadProgressive overload is the core principle behind getting fitter: to keep adapting, you have to keep gently raising the demand — a little more volume,…
Returning to Running After an InjuryThe comeback is where a lot of runners get hurt a second time — almost always by doing too much, too soon, out of eagerness to be back.
TaperingThe taper is the last few weeks before a goal race, when you deliberately reduce training so accumulated fatigue clears and your hard-earned fitness can…
Training Load & RecoveryTraining does not make you fitter — recovering from it does. How the stress-and-adaptation balance works, and how to get enough recovery to keep improving.
SpecificitySpecificity is one of the bedrock principles of training: your body adapts to the specific demands you place on it.
Training for an Ultramarathon (50K–100M)Ultras, from 50K to 100 miles and beyond, reward durability over speed — staying on the move, eating, and problem-solving for hours. How to train for one.
Training Considerations for Women RunnersMost running advice applies equally to everyone, but a few considerations matter specifically for women — and it's an area full of both genuinely…

Race Day & Mindset

Race-Specific PreparationStart hereAs race day approaches, good training stops being generic and starts looking like the race itself — its pace, its terrain, its fueling, its demands.
Crew and PacersIn a 100-miler the race is won or lost as much in the aid stations as on the trail. How to set up your crew, pacers, drop bags, and aid-station routine.
Grade-Adjusted Pace (GAP)Grade-adjusted pace (GAP) estimates what your pace on a hill would equate to on flat ground — so you can compare a hilly run to a flat one and judge your…
Staying MotivatedFitness is built over months and years, so the real challenge isn't any single workout — it's staying consistent when motivation dips, and it will.
Cutoffs and Relentless Forward ProgressA 100-miler is run against two clocks: your body and the cutoff. What cutoffs are, and how relentless forward progress keeps you ahead of them on race day.
Race-Day FuelingRace day is not the day to improvise your nutrition. A simple, rehearsed plan — a familiar pre-race meal, a fueling rate you've practiced, and a…
Race-Day PacingMore races are ruined in the first few miles than in the last. Why even effort, or a slight negative split, is the most reliable race-day pacing strategy.
Race Goal-SettingSmart racing starts before the gun. How the A/B/C goal framework — three goals set in layers — keeps a hard day from ever feeling like a failure.
Race PsychologyAmong runners of similar fitness, the difference on race day is often mental — managing nerves, staying focused, and tolerating the discomfort that a…

Fueling, Hydration & Nutrition

Fueling & Hydration for RunnersStart hereFor runs over about an hour — and for racing — what and how much you eat and drink can matter as much as your training.
Carb LoadingCarb loading means topping off your muscles' stored carbohydrate (glycogen) in the days before a long race, so you start with a fuller tank.
Carbohydrate During ExerciseOnce a run stretches past about 90 minutes, the carbohydrate stored in your muscles (glycogen) starts to run low — and topping it up as you go keeps your…
Daily Nutrition for RunnersWhat you eat day to day — not just during runs — is the foundation of your training. How to get enough energy, carbohydrate, and protein from whole foods.
Training Your Gut to Tolerate FuelThe gut is trainable, like any other system. If high-carbohydrate fueling leaves you bloated, nauseous, or cramping, the answer is usually not to fuel…
Hydration and Electrolytes for RunnersStaying adequately hydrated helps you run well, and the mistake most runners actually make is the obvious one — not drinking enough, especially in heat…

Injury, Health & Recovery

Injury Prevention for RunnersStart hereMost running injuries aren't accidents — they're overuse injuries that build up quietly when training outpaces what your body can absorb.
Achilles TendinopathyAchilles tendinopathy — pain and stiffness in the Achilles tendon at the back of the ankle — is one of the most common overuse injuries in runners.
Foot Care, Blisters, and ChafingOver a day-long effort — a 100-miler, a long point-to-point, anything that keeps you moving for many hours — your feet and skin take a beating that no…
IT Band SyndromeIliotibial band syndrome (ITBS) is a common cause of pain on the *outside* of the knee in runners — among the leading running injuries on the lateral…
Overreaching & OvertrainingHard training is meant to tire you; overtraining is when fatigue outruns recovery and performance drops. How to spot the signs and back off in time.
Pain vs. SorenessEvery runner has to learn one skill: telling ordinary training soreness apart from pain that means something's wrong.
Plantar Fasciitis (Plantar Heel Pain)Plantar fasciitis — the most common cause of plantar heel pain — is a frequent, stubborn complaint in runners.
Rest DaysA rest day isn't a gap in your training — it's a tool in it. The improvements you're chasing are built while you recover, not while you run, which makes…
Runner's Knee (Patellofemoral Pain)"Runner's knee" is the common name for patellofemoral pain — aching around or behind the kneecap, one of the most common complaints in runners.
Shin Splints (Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome)"Shin splints" — medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS) — is one of the most common lower-leg overuse injuries in runners: an ache along the inner edge of…
SleepIf there were a legal supplement that improved recovery, performance, mood, and injury resistance all at once, every runner would take it.
Stress Fractures (Bone Stress Injuries)A stress fracture is the serious end of the bone-stress spectrum: a small crack or area of overloaded bone that builds up from repetitive pounding.

Form, Economy & Strength

Running FormStart hereRunning form matters less than most runners think — and deliberately forcing a "correct" style usually does more harm than good.
Core Work for RunnersA stable trunk and hips help you hold your form when you're tired late in a run — but it's worth being clear-eyed: isolated "core training" is not the…
Muscle Fiber TypesYour muscles are built from different fiber types, and the mix you're born with shapes what you're naturally suited to.
Running CadenceCadence — the number of steps you take per minute — is one of the most-tracked running metrics and one of the most misunderstood.
Running EconomyRunning economy is how much energy you burn at a given pace — your efficiency. The third determinant of endurance alongside VO2max and lactate threshold.
Strength, Mobility & Form for RunnersStrength training, mobility work, and form drills each do a different job for a runner — and none of them replaces running.
Strength Training for RunnersStrength training is one of the highest-return things most runners can add — it makes you more economical (you use less energy at a given pace) and more…

Gear, Terrain & Conditions

Choosing Running ShoesStart hereThe single most important thing about a running shoe is that it fits well and feels good to *you* — not which "pronation category" a chart puts you in.
Carbon-Plate "Super Shoes"Carbon-plate "super shoes" are the biggest equipment change running has seen in decades — and unlike most gear claims, this one is backed by real data.
Downhill Running and Quad DurabilityAsk anyone who has blown up in a mountain ultra what gave out first, and they rarely say their lungs. They say their quads.
GPS Watches and Running TechA GPS watch is the most useful piece of tech most runners own — pace, distance, heart rate, and a training log in one place.
Heat Suit TrainingHeat suit training means deliberately overdressing on a run — extra layers or a purpose-built sauna suit — to spike your core temperature and force heat…
Night Running for UltrasAlmost every 100-miler forces you through at least one full night, and the dark is where runners quit for reasons that have nothing to do with fitness.
Passive Heat TrainingPassive heat training means sitting in a hot environment — a dry sauna or a hot tub or hot bath — after an easy run or on a rest day, so your body adapts…
Terrain & ConditionsA pace that is easy on a flat road turns hard on a steep trail, at altitude, or in heat. How to read terrain and conditions — and prepare for each of them.
Uphill TreadmillAn uphill treadmill session is sustained easy running on a steep treadmill grade — roughly 10–15% — held at an easy aerobic effort for 30–45 minutes.

One running guide a week.

Calm, useful, no spam. Plain-English coaching from the Runsense team, once a week.