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When you can't run far, concentrate on the basics


The Coronavirus pandemic has forced us to add new roles to our lives (teacher, cook, cleaner, entertainer, dog walker, you get the idea) and re-evaluate what performance means under those circumstances. In my previous post, I compared the current situation to training for a marathon and being asked to run an Ironman instead. It's doable but don't expect high performance in every discipline. How does that pan out to running? Let's face it, at the moment, there are many variables outside our control and we have to find the way to make the most of the opportunities we have, whether it is running-related or life in general.

Identify the constraints

I was reaching the end of the training cycle for the Paris marathon when the announcement of the cancellation came (that is 4 weeks before the race). I remember that Sunday I ran the Bohermeen half marathon as my last pre-marathon race. One day I had a race obejctive in mind, the next day I had no race and tons of disappoinment. I continued to run, partly cause I didn't want to lose the fitness and partly cause I didn't know what else to do. I had lost my sense of purpose.Two weeks later, the movement restrictions came in place in Ireland. This meant we couldn't go beyond 2km outside our house to exercise and it was recommended we didn't do it for more than 1 hour a day (I think, but maybe I borrowed this last one from the French restrictions).

Figure out a plan that works within the constraints

I usually run 2 marathons a year with some smaller races sprinkled on for variety or cause they're part of the marathon cycle. In between cycles, I have to admit, I don't follow a structured routine for base training. I just do a random variety of mileage with faster sessions here and there. Sometimes I don't have enough time to do base training between races. But I often wonder, what if I did proper base training for once? Would my results improve? I bet they would. Suddenly, the lockdown has given me the perfect opportunity. The only part of training that gets impacted is the long run. As for the rest of the week, I mostly fit it all within the 1 hour and 2km constraint imposed on me.

Figure out the finer details

My baseline mileage going into a marathon cycle is approximately 50km per week so I figured out that was still possible within the constraints. The trick is to stay consistent and make progress at the same time. As coach Jason Fitzgerald says:
Consistency is the "secret sauce" to successful running - but it can also be hard to maintain.
In order to achieve this goal, I have planned my week following the principle of the Hanson method where there's always a Something-Of-Substance (SOS) day followed by an easy day that can also be a day off. Therefore, my typical week now looks like this:
  • Monday. Easy or recovery miles depending on what I did on Sunday
  • Tuesday. Interval training (8x400m at the moment)
  • Wednesday. Off (PE with Joe Wicks and my 10yo usually works)
  • Thursday. Tempo or Fartlek (marathon pace)
  • Friday. Easy
  • Saturday. Off (Does gardening count as cross training?)
  • Sunday. "Long" run (up to 13km)

Measure, adjust and repeat

Even though there are no races over the horizon, I want to make sure I'm making progress. I track fitness using the VO2 Max and training effort stats from the Garmin app. I also monitor my resting HR and average HR during similar runs. Finally, I keep record of my lap times on Tuesday's 8x400s. What next? I'm not sure but maybe a time trial over 10km is on the cards. We'll see.


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Location: Ireland

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