Do you use the RunMotion Coach app while also attending a running club or group occasionally or weekly? You might be wondering whether to adhere strictly to your training plan or to participate in the group sessions and then continue with your plan. Let’s explore our recommendations together.
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The benefits of group training
Running with others typically boosts motivation and competitiveness, particularly if you are all training for the same event, like the Paris Marathon.
Since every runner is unique, training programs might be similar but should be personalized as much as possible based on each runner’s experience and goals. The main risk of following a non-tailored training plan is the potential for injury.
When two or more runners are at a similar level and have comparable experience, they can motivate each other to push harder during sessions. However, it is crucial not to overdo it; performance is not solely built on successful workouts alone but also through a careful balance of intense training and recovery runs.
If your levels differ significantly, it’s best to coordinate meetings at a specific point after warming up to start the session together. The track is ideal for interval training with very different paces or separate workouts.
How to adapt your training plan?
In a club setting, sessions often revolve around a specific theme. For instance, every Tuesday evening might be dedicated to short intervals on the track. If that’s the case, you can align your own short interval session with the club’s schedule.
If the session involves a long run or an easy run, adapting is generally straightforward since these usually coincide with similar activities in your personal training plan.
Consider this example where my planned training includes:
- Tuesday: MAS session 10x400m on the track
- Thursday: Fundamental endurance 50min
- Saturday: Endurance 5x1km off-road
- Sunday: Long run 1h30
If I want to join a group that does MAS on Thursday, then I could swap my Tuesday and Thursday sessions to avoid two MAS sessions in the same week, which would be excessively intense.
Generally, avoid scheduling two intense interval sessions on consecutive days. The only exceptions might be if, at the end of your run, you include six 15-second accelerations—it’s just to add a dynamic finish, so this doesn’t count as an intense interval session, and you can safely follow it the next day with a session of long intervals.
Similarly, for short hill sprints—like 8 x 20 seconds on hills—since they are usually not performed at maximum effort, you can follow them the next day with long intervals.
What to do if I’m preparing for a long trail run and other club members are training for a 10K?
When training goals differ significantly within a group, like preparing for a long trail run while others train for a 10K race, coordinating workouts can be challenging. The simplest solution is to join the group for fundamental or active endurance runs that are common in most training plans.
If you typically run four times a week, with two sessions dedicated to interval training, you can perform your goal-specific training alone and participate in the group’s different session for your second interval workout. This approach helps maintain the social aspect of club training without compromising your training goals.
For instance, consider a week where you don’t have short intervals planned:
- Tuesday: Active endurance 50min
- Thursday: Fundamental endurance 1h
- Saturday: Endurance 4x10min on long hills
- Sunday: Trail run-hike 3h
If you wish to join the club for their session of 10 x 40 seconds on hills on Tuesday, you can do so and then use Thursday’s fundamental endurance run for recovery. This schedule adjustment allows you to integrate a club session that differs from your plan while still focusing on your critical long trail workouts, like the 4x10min hill repeats on Saturday. This way, you balance group activities with personal training goals effectively.
How to specifically adapt using RunMotion Coach?
In the RunMotion app, the Premium mode offers advanced settings for your training plan under “My Training Days.” Here, you can designate the days for your most crucial workouts, such as a long run and a long interval session for marathons or long trails, or a long interval session and a short interval session for distances like 5K, 10K, or half-marathon races.
We recommend scheduling your most important training day for when you plan to run alone, and the second most critical day on a club training day, aligning it with the club’s workout.
If the club session closely matches your planned workout, you can inform the coach that you completed the session and link the activity accordingly.
If the session significantly deviates from your planned workout, you don’t need to validate it; the session will still be correctly incorporated into your weekly training load.
Best of luck with your upcoming sports challenges! Regardless of the adaptations you make, training with the club typically yields more benefits than training alone. You can also join them for warm-ups or easy runs. However, if you find the session too different and feel uncomfortable, continue training for your goal independently. Consider preparing for your next goal in a group setting with one or more friends.