Training week · Edition 03 · Archive
Three easy runs, room between.
Three conversational outings, two familiar strength sessions and three days without scheduled training. Choose a week that fits the running you already do, with no missed sessions to catch up on.
Jump to the weekBefore you start
Four rules that outlast any one week.
Start from the week you actually run
Use your recent comfortable frequency, weekly time and longest outing as ceilings. This edition stands on its own; it does not progress you from an earlier week. Omit or shorten sessions when the full prescription exceeds your current baseline, and never catch up on missed editions.
Let conversation set the effort
Keep every run easy, around 2-4 out of 10 effort, where 10 is maximal. You should be able to speak comfortably in full sentences. Slow down or walk on hills and whenever breathing becomes strained. There are no intervals, strides or fast finishes to add.
Repeat familiar strength work
Use exercises and resistance you already tolerate. Leave about three comfortable repetitions in reserve and rest 60-90 seconds between sets, longer if needed. Each 25-minute cap includes warm-up, practice sets, rests and transitions. Omit remaining sets at the cap instead of rushing.
Make the gaps useful
Tuesday, Friday and Saturday have no scheduled training. Normal daily movement is welcome. If soreness or fatigue carries into a planned session, shorten it or rest. Stop for pain that changes how you move. A skipped session creates no debt to repay later in the week.
12-18 Oct · 3 runs, 2 lifts
The week.
12 Oct
Monday
2 sessions30 minutes total
Easy run
Run
A comfortable half-hour
- The session
- Warm-up: 5 minutes walking or very gentle jogging.
- Main: 20 minutes easy running on a familiar route. Include any walking breaks within these minutes.
- Cool-down: 5 minutes gentle jogging or walking, with no faster finish.
- Effort
- Easy, RPE 2-4 out of 10. Comfortable full-sentence conversation.
- Why it is here
- An easy start with a clear time limit and no pace target.
Get this rightIf you ran yesterday and still feel tired, shorten or omit this run and lift. Do not move the missed work onto Tuesday.
Up to 25 minutes total
Strength
Gym
Strength A: keep the movements familiar
Squat, hinge, push, pull and trunk control
| Exercise | Sets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bodyweight or goblet squat | 2 x 8 | Choose your usual version and a comfortable depth. Keep about three repetitions in reserve. |
| Glute bridge or light dumbbell Romanian deadlift | 2 x 8 | Use only a movement you know. Keep the load familiar and the repetitions controlled. |
| Incline push-up or light chest press | 2 x 8 | Use a stable support or familiar equipment. Choose resistance that leaves about three repetitions in reserve. |
| Seated band or cable row | 2 x 8 | Use a securely anchored band or familiar machine. Pull smoothly without jerking. |
| Dead bug | 2 x 6 each side | Use a comfortable range and stop before trunk control changes. |
- Warm-up
- Within the cap: 3 minutes easy walking or cycling, then 2 minutes of unloaded squats, hinges and gentle shoulder movements. Include easy practice sets before loaded movements as needed within the same 25 minutes.
- Why it is here
- A short opportunity for familiar whole-body strength alongside the first easy run.
Get this rightRun first if combining the sessions, then take a breather. Lifting later that day is also fine. Rest 60-90 seconds between sets, longer if needed; finish at 25 minutes even if sets remain.
13 Oct
Tuesday
RestNo running
Recovery
Recovery
No scheduled training
- Why it is here
- Space after Monday to notice how the run and lift have settled.
Get this rightOrdinary movement is fine. If soreness persists tomorrow, use rest or a comfortable walk instead of the run.
14 Oct
Wednesday
1 session30 minutes total
Easy run
Run
Repeat the easy effort
- The session
- Warm-up: 5 minutes walking or very gentle jogging.
- Main: 20 minutes easy running. Slow down or walk hills within the allotted time.
- Cool-down: 5 minutes gentle jogging or walking.
- Effort
- Easy, RPE 2-4 out of 10. Full sentences should stay comfortable.
- Why it is here
- Keep a simple midweek running rhythm without increasing duration or intensity.
Get this rightChoose conversational company if running with a club. Let a faster group go rather than turning this into a workout.
15 Oct
Thursday
1 sessionUp to 25 minutes total
Strength
Gym
Strength B: repeat, without adding load
The same familiar full-body patterns as Monday
| Exercise | Sets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bodyweight or goblet squat | 2 x 8 | Repeat Monday's choice with the same or lighter resistance. One set is enough if you feel tired. |
| Glute bridge or light dumbbell Romanian deadlift | 2 x 8 | Repeat the familiar movement used on Monday. Leave about three repetitions in reserve. |
| Incline push-up or light chest press | 2 x 8 | Use Monday's version and comfortable resistance, with smooth repetitions. |
| Seated band or cable row | 2 x 8 | Keep the same resistance or reduce it. Take enough rest to keep the movement controlled. |
| Dead bug | 2 x 6 each side | Repeat your comfortable range. Stop the set when control becomes difficult. |
- Warm-up
- Within the cap: 3 minutes easy walking or cycling and 2 minutes of unloaded squats, hinges and gentle shoulder movements. Allow for easy practice sets within the same 25 minutes.
- Why it is here
- A second familiar strength session, followed by two days without scheduled training.
Get this rightThere is no run today. Rest 60-90 seconds between sets and stop at 25 minutes. Reduce or omit this session if Monday's soreness has not settled or Wednesday left fatigue.
16 Oct
Friday
RestNo running
Recovery
Recovery
Leave the training diary empty
- Why it is here
- Room after Thursday's lift without another planned exercise session.
Get this rightKeep daily movement comfortable. There is no need to add a recovery workout or make up missed sets.
17 Oct
Saturday
RestNo running
Recovery
Recovery
Another day without scheduled training
- Why it is here
- An open day before the week's longest outing.
Get this rightSkip the extra shakeout. If you still feel tired, plan a shorter Sunday or another rest day.
18 Oct
Sunday
1 session40 minutes total
Long run
Run
Forty minutes, still conversational
- The session
- Warm-up: 5 minutes walking or very gentle jogging.
- Main: 30 minutes easy running on a familiar route. Walking breaks count within the time.
- Cool-down: 5 minutes gentle jogging or walking. No extra distance or faster final section.
- Effort
- Easy, RPE 2-4 out of 10. Comfortable conversation throughout.
- Why it is here
- A slightly longer easy outing that stays within your recent comfortable duration.
Get this rightForty minutes is a ceiling. Shorten to your usual comfortable longest outing if needed, and keep the same easy effort when running with friends.
Make it fit
Scale it to your week.
Your usual week is shorter
Use Monday 20 minutes, Wednesday 20 and Sunday 30, each including 5 minutes to warm up and 5 to cool down. That is 70 minutes of run/walk time. With two familiar lifts capped at 25 minutes each, the maximum is 2 hours total. Shorten further or omit a run if either frequency, weekly time or the longest outing exceeds your current comfortable baseline.
You usually run four times or more
Use this three-run prescription as a lighter week if it suits you. There is no need to add a fourth run, intervals or a longer Sunday. This edition does not tell you to progress from last week's load or replace an established individual plan.
Two lifts are not already familiar
Keep only the strength frequency and movements you already tolerate, or omit both lifts. The full running-only option is 100 minutes (1 hour 40); the shorter option is 70 minutes (1 hour 10). If strength is new, learn suitable movements separately with qualified instruction before adopting these sessions.
Returning after missed weeks
Start from what feels comfortable now, even if that means fewer or shorter outings than the scaled option. Do not catch up on archive editions or move missed sessions onto rest days. This is not a rehabilitation plan; injury or symptoms affecting running need individual advice before following it.
Edition 03
Do it together.
When a new edition is published, it replaces the latest page while this edition stays at its permanent archive URL. The hard session and the long run are both easier in company.
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