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Programming

Marathon / 5K Base-Building Program

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Program example
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A running plan that builds a large easy-aerobic base first, then layers in threshold and VO2max work, governed by the 10% rule and a mostly-easy intensity distribution.

Detail

Distance-running performance is built on a deep aerobic base: most of the weekly volume is easy running, with a smaller dose of harder work added once the base is laid. This follows a polarized / pyramidal intensity distribution — roughly ~80% easy, ~20% moderate-to-hard (see Training-Intensity Distribution (Polarized / Threshold / Pyramidal)).

Phases (apply to both 5K and marathon, scaled by distance):

  1. Base — mostly long slow distance at easy zone 2, building weekly mileage gradually. Add one weekly long run that lengthens over the block.
  2. Build — keep the easy base; introduce tempo/threshold runs (raises sustainable pace) and, especially for the 5K, VO2max intervals.
  3. Peak/Taper — sharpen race-specific pace, then taper (cut volume ~40–60%, keep some intensity) into race day.

Progression rule: increase weekly volume gradually — the ~10% per week guideline limits overuse injury (see Progressing Cardio Training). The long run grows distance; quality sessions grow in specificity, not just volume.

Distance differences: the 5K weights VO2max and threshold more (shorter, faster); the marathon weights total volume and long-run duration more (longer, mostly aerobic). Strength training 2×/week (legs, core, hips) supports running economy and injury resistance — manage it as a concurrent plan so it doesn't sabotage key runs. Modality detail is in Running / Jogging (Cardio Modality).

Key facts

  • Built on a large easy-aerobic base; intensity distribution ~80% easy / ~20% hard.
  • Phases: Base (LSD/zone 2 + long run) → Build (tempo/threshold + VO2max intervals) → Peak/Taper.
  • Increase weekly volume ~10%/week to limit overuse injury.
  • 5K weights VO2max/threshold; marathon weights total volume and long-run duration.
  • Add ~2×/week strength concurrently to aid economy and injury resistance.

Connections

Sources

Cited in text — not yet linked
Endurance-periodization and polarized-training consensus (ACSM; Seiler intensity distribution); 10% progression rule flagged for verification.

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Atlas Connections

Progressing Cardio Training
Advance aerobic training by gradually raising one variable at a time — usually duration/frequency first, intensity later — in small increments, with the biggest early gains in the first 6–8 weeks.
Long Slow Distance (LSD)
Extended-duration, low-to-moderate-intensity continuous training that builds the aerobic "base" — high volume, easy pace, long time on task.
Running / Jogging (Cardio Modality)
A high-impact, high-intensity modality that easily reaches vigorous effort and builds endurance efficiently — but carries the most overuse-injury risk, so mileage must be progressed carefully.
Tempo / Threshold Training
Sustained "comfortably hard" work right around the lactate/ventilatory threshold — the pace you could hold for roughly an hour — to push the threshold itself higher.
Training-Intensity Distribution (Polarized / Threshold / Pyramidal)
How a week's training time is split across easy, moderate, and hard zones — the main models being polarized (mostly easy + some very hard), threshold (lots of moderate), and pyramidal (a tapering pyramid from easy to hard).
VO2max Intervals
Longish, hard intervals (around 3–5 minutes near maximal aerobic power) designed to accumulate time at or near VO2max — the most direct interval stimulus for raising maximal aerobic capacity.
Weekly Aerobic Volume Targets
The headline dose from WHO and U.S. guidelines — 150–300 minutes of moderate, or 75–150 minutes of vigorous, aerobic activity per week (or an equivalent mix).
Zone 2 Training
Steady aerobic work held just below the first lactate threshold (LT1) — an easy, conversational intensity that maximizes mitochondrial and fat-oxidation adaptations per unit of fatigue.
Hybrid / Concurrent (Strength + Cardio) ProgramClosely related
A plan that builds strength and endurance together, sequenced and dosed to keep the interference effect small — for people who want to lift and run/ride/row.
Peaking & Tapering
The final phase that strips accumulated fatigue while preserving fitness — by cutting volume sharply and holding intensity — so peak performance lands on the event date.