Should you consider « peaking » and « off seasons » as an hobby jogger ?

Training Advice/Discussion

4 years ago 02/15/2020 3:09am EST

Assuming you don’t have any races planned for at least the next 2 years.

I know that competitive runners have specific time when they need to peak and they can’t hold their peak form more than a few weeks.

I was wondering how should you plan your peak forms if you don’t do races. I mean should I just continuously train every week the same way, or maybe it’s actually healthy to consider « peaking » so you can also deload a bit and not overtrain, or maybe as an honby jogger there is no way you can overtrain or ... I don’t know, what do you think ?

4 years ago 02/15/2020 6:47am EST

re: Starno

i would say no reason to peak. BUT you should continuously work on different systems, or at least periodize and have a focus on different systems throughout the year. But you don't need to cut miles and increase intensity to squeeze every last drop out of a goal time you are trying to hit. Forget the taper/peak. Keep the ball rolling.

4 years ago 02/15/2020 10:28am EST

re: high school xc coach

Break your years up into two equal segments, with a pattern within each segment as follows:

First 6-8 weeks: Start at just under half and build to just over three-quarters the volume of running you’ll do at peak, with an emphasis on a non-running area of weakness (heavy lifting, yoga, etc)

Next 6-8 weeks: Build from three-quarters peak running volume to full peak running volume, doing some light intensity (hills, fartleks, fast-finish long runs, strides) while still doing the non-running activity regularly

Next 4-6 weeks: Add intensity to your running (tempos, cruise intervals, occasional VO2 max workouts) while maintaining near-full volume and backing off substantially on the non-running activity

Next 3-4 weeks: Drop your volume back to three-quarters peak and do regular high-intensity workouts (VO2 max work, true speed workouts, hard tempos and time trials—I know you said you don’t have any races planned, but maybe hop into a couple unplanned) while foregoing the non-running activity entirely

Rest for 1-4 weeks, only running and/or doing serious non-running activity when you want to, in a non-regimented fashion

Wash, rinse, repeat. You’ll come out of 3-4 cycles of this with a strong foundation for whatever kind of training you want to do next.

4 years ago 02/15/2020 6:01pm EST

re: Starno

Sure, why not? It will give you time to balance up your muscle groups and when you start running again you will feel how hard it is and get in a "hard" workout at some rediculously slow pace. Then you can look forward to trying to catch up to the other hobby joggers in the spring or summer fun runs, over-do it, get injured, and then end up taking 6 months off. What's so bad about that?

Peaking takes up to 10 weeks, so I recently read.

After that, you don't improve. You over-train. So, I think you should maintain consistent running with plenty of variety, but no serious effort to be race ready. Do some peaking activities every few months, but don't do it seriously until you are a couple months away from a race.

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