The Winter Run Project
If you are chasing improved performance in sport, life, or both, I’ll tell you a secret:
Committing to a really challenging goal is a massive performance catalyst.
It sounds simple, but it’s true. Taking on something lofty and ambitious drives focus and efficiency. The lessons learned from a journey deliver a great sense of reward and satisfaction. Growth can occur from challenges faced by a ‘forced external factor’, such as demands within your job – but the most powerful growth benefits emerge from something personal and full of passion.
Here is another secret. Folks who are successful at nailing their goals often undergo an initial progressive ‘building-up’ before diving into the hard work. In endurance sports, we call it the preparatory phase of training, or more commonly: “off-season”. At Purple Patch, this block of work is labeled post-season. Below, I provide the framework for a fun and valuable post-season goal called the Winter Run Project.
There are many pieces to this approach. Let’s outline the following:
Who Can Benefit
Whether you’re an injury-prone athlete, frustrated runner, triathlete wanting to focus on their running, or simply a fitness enthusiast wanting to build a good level of fitness, a dedicated period of running – if done right – can build you a base that will have benefits for years to come. Focusing on running during the post-season is a great way to build muscular resilience and cardiovascular conditioning outside the pressures of the racing season.
The Mission
Whether your goal is to run faster off the bike in an Ironman, qualify for the Boston Marathon, or simply get off the couch, the lessons and approach are the same.
A Winter Run Project lays the groundwork to accelerate your running performance, and overall performance, for the year ahead.
Let’s define the mission of your Winter Run Project:
Move into the new year an evolved runner – more on this below.
Build a platform of tissue resilience to reduce the risk of injury.
Make the project something you enjoy and not something that takes away from the primary role of post-season: recovery.
Maintain consistent activity and positive structure through the holidays and (for many athletes) the coldest and most unmotivating months of the year.
The Rewards and Outcomes
In order to reach success for an athletic goal (or any goal), we must first define what constitutes success, and what does not. The following is an outline of where you should expect to see improvements and evolution in a successful Running Project:
Better running form
Your running technique will improve simply by the sheer number of hours you spend on your feet.
Good form is essential for speed optimization and injury prevention.
Muscle and tissue resiliance
Frequent and consistent running (without injury) leads to muscular adaptation.
Resilience is central to reducing your injury risk.
Increased resilience = increased capacity for higher volume later.
Speed and power potential
On completion of this project you should have a platform to optimize returns from future tougher training. You will not maximize power or speed without first improving potential. This winter project achieves this.
I should note that the word potential is important, as it provides the required mindset for success. Taking on a winter running project doesn’t mean aiming to become faster over the winter. Instead, you are seeking to lay the platform to get faster, and keep getting faster, over the months following the project. Goodness me, if you can do nothing else.
Cardiovascular conditioning and muscular endurance
A good base of fitness and muscular endurance will allow us to easily layer on speed and power when race season does come around.
The focus is on sneaking the gains in conditioning, not chasing them as a primary driver.
The focus of this project should not be asking yourself with each workout: “am I getting faster NOW?” Rather, you should get on board for the journey, with appropriate expectations. If you stick with it, then come late March you will be able to say: “wow, I cannot believe what I have become.”
Now let’s get to the nuts and bolts of how you might put a winter project into action.
Implementing a Winter Running Project
While post-season is about getting time away from structured workouts and enjoying some well-deserved downtime, some structure is necessary to set up a successful upcoming season.
Allow me to outline the main focuses of a Winter Run Project:
Goal-driven
The aim of the run project should be clear in your mind. This will make the task equally more enjoyable and more successful.
The specified goal does not have to be race or competition-based. Rather I suggest building a goal around consistency.
For example: “I’m going to complete 90 runs in 3 months” (dependent, of course, on your current level and time availability).
Community
Post-season is the perfect time to find like-minded people similarly interested in performance success. It’s a great idea to seek out friends, family, group runs with a local club or running store, or other connection points with others on the performance journey.
For long-term projects like this, accountability and sharing the journey are key.
Soul-filling
Much of the training should be light and easy. Now isn’t the time to push yourself. You can seek out new trails or other soft-surface terrain and enjoy the scenery, or catch up on your favorite shows or podcasts if you’re on the treadmill.
While training is vastly more beneficial than simply exercising, your run project should not be stress-inducing. Use it as an escape from daily rigors, and aim to come out of your runs feeling energized, not drained.
Let’s see how a run project might look for two very different types of athletes:
A strong runner, chasing performance:
Major focus on run frequency (almost daily).
The majority of sessions will be lower stress.
One endurance run weekly, ideally on a soft trail surface.
One interval or hill-based session weekly that should not be overly taxing.
Strength training twice weekly, with a focus on heavy lifting.
Multisport should be leveraged for additional cardiovascular conditioning and muscle resilience. Example: twice-weekly bike sessions on a trainer.
There will be a high flex in total hours and miles, dependent on the athlete.
The project should be ‘foundational’ in mindset with goals of improving across strength and multisport - not run speed per se. That will come with time.
A newer or more injury-prone runner:
Major focus on strength training, 2-3 times weekly.
Maintain multi-sport support to avoid overloading running muscles and tissue. This might mean a bike ride or elliptical.
Hiking on the weekend, with short running sections, ideally on trail or soft surfacel.
Small add-on runs sessions: after an activity (bike ride, walk, etc), and very short (5-20mins).
2-3 additional weekly runs that are very easy and low stress.
All running should be done with walk breaks: walk before desperate, and before form begins to falter.
Never finish a run with massive fatigue. These sessions should be light, free, and energizing.
The prescription is different – but the outcome is the same:
BOTH athletes leverage strength, consistent frequency, and a multi-sport approach.
BOTH athletes' sessions should be relatively easy.
BOTH develop tissue resilience and build resistance to injury and muscle fatigue.
The more serious runner accumulates mileage - but they are not pressing against their mental or physical capacity, or chasing weehly hours/miles.
The more recreational runner leans into running/walk intervals and very short-duration sessions, progressing through frequency rather than through long, intense sessions.
Are you taking on a run project this winter? Drop us a line at info@purplepatchfitness.com or tag us @purplepatchfitness on your Instagram posts so we can hear about your journey.
Should you choose to embark on a post-season run project, allow us at Purple Patch to be your guide. We have a variety of programs including run, triathlon, and strength training programs (note that our run and triathlon programs include strength training by default). No matter your fitness level or goals, we can help you on the journey.
If you’re at a loss with where to start, feel free to set up a call with our team to find out which Purple Patch training program might be right for you, or meet with one of our expert coaches to put together an in-depth Winter Run Project that’s right for you.