legendre wrote:
Imagine you started running at 25+ years without any college running practice. So you are slow and more predisposed to endurance distances. What would be your perfect running macro plan for 2-3 years?
Would you concentrate on shorter distances like 5k/10k before moving to half/marathon later on? How often would you race? Any specific training for each race or general training with threshold/intervals/long run year round? Concentrate on volume or hammer intervals?
What's the common wisdom on the subject?
I started running at 30 after being completely sedentary for many years. I was speedy, but had no endurance at all.
Whether you excel at endurance events or sprints has to do with your genetics and muscle fiber distribution. If you got speed, you know it. You would be the fastest kid in school, at dodgeball or when running to trees (last one loses) etc.
If you don't have speed, you could become a good endurance runner but it is hard to know. Some sub 30 10k guys are crazy talents (like Sondre Moen who ran like a 31 min 10k at 14), others start slow but respond incredibly well to training and just get faster and faster. I've seen 3 hour marathoners become 2:20 guys.
5k/10k are not short distances. They are LONG. If you want to run a good marathon, you need to be able to run a good 10k. Short is considered 100-400m, middle 800-1600, and long 5000-marathon, the 3k falls kinda between.
You need to build mileage first. Only easy running. Do that until you are at 7x a week, then add a long run and build to 60 minutes a day. THEN you can start adding workouts, but first your priority needs to be to strengthen your tendons and muscles and prepare them for the stress of faster running. Stay injury-free!