How to Structure Your Year of Running

Most runners don’t struggle because they lack motivation. They struggle because they train hard all year, with no real plan for progression or recovery. The result is familiar: fatigue builds, small aches linger, and eventually running starts to feel like work rather than enjoyment.

Structuring your year of running helps you train with purpose and reduce your risk of injury. It also ensures that you arrive at races feeling your best instead of worn down.

Start with a goal race  

A structured running year begins with one main goal race. This could be a marathon, a half marathon, a trail run, or a personal challenge you have been working towards. Your goal race gives direction to your training and helps you decide when to push and when to ease off.

Other races can still be included, but they should support your main goal rather than compete with it. When everything leads towards one key event, your training becomes far more manageable.

Use classical periodisation to guide your training  

Classical periodisation is simply a way of breaking the year into phases, each with a different focus.

The general conditioning phase is about rebuilding overall fitness. This includes strength training, mobility work, and easy running to prepare your body for higher loads.

During the base phase, aerobic fitness is developed. Weekly mileage increases gradually, and most runs stay at a comfortable, conversational pace. This phase lays the endurance foundation needed later.

The build phase is where training becomes more demanding. Runs become longer, and intensity is added carefully to prepare your body for race conditions.

Finally, the taper phase allows your body to recover fully before race day. Training volume decreases, fatigue drops, and performance improves — even though you are running less.

Respect the 3:1 training rule  

A simple guideline is three weeks of progressively harder training followed by one easier recovery week. Recovery weeks are essential. They allow muscles, tendons, and joints to adapt to training stress, thereby reducing the risk of overuse injuries.

What counts as hard training?  

Hard training is not just about speed. Different types of sessions place different demands on your body:

• Hill sprints are short, powerful efforts uphill. They build strength, improve running mechanics and increase load on the calves, Achilles and glutes.
• Tempo runs are sustained efforts at a harder pace. They improve endurance and efficiency but place steady stress on muscles and connective tissue.
• Long runs build endurance and mental resilience. While often slower, they can cause cumulative fatigue and place a prolonged load on joints and soft tissues.

These sessions are important, but they need to be balanced with easier days and adequate recovery.

The off-season: your reset phase  

After your goal race, your body needs a break. A transition phase of two to four weeks away from structured running allows physical and mental recovery. Cycling, swimming, or other low-impact activities help maintain fitness while giving your running system time to reset.

A well-structured year helps you recognise early warning signs before pain turns into injury. At Hein Viljoen Physiotherapy, our goal is to help you keep running — not just to treat you when something goes wrong.

Keep your eyes on the goal! We will take care of the rest. Click here to book a physio appointment.