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Putting it all together

Just because there are lots of different workouts doesn't mean that you should do them all every week. Just the opposite in fact. Please consider the following.

Hard days
We recommend that most beginning and intermediate runners do just two hard days a week. More advanced runners can do three hard days if they're very careful. Each of the following is a hard day workout: tempo runs, maximum-oxygen runs, speed-form workouts, Yasso 800s, long runs.

Hard days/Easy days
A hard day workout should usually be followed by one or (even better) two easy day workouts. easy days can of course include rest days and cross-training days.

Rest days
Most beginning and intermediate runners should run 4 to 6 days a week. We recommend one or two rest days, when you do no training at all (or just take a relaxed 30-minute walk) and one or two cross-training days.

Cross-training days
With the boom in triathlons and exotic fitness equipment, the world of cross-training has expanded dramatically in recent years. While research indicates that cross-training probably won't make you a faster runner, we believe it can make you a stronger and healthier and less injury-prone runner. We believe that runners do best with cross-training exercises that are non-weight-bearing. This includes swimming and aqua-running, strength-training, bicycling and rowing. We also like non-impact exercises, which include nordic skiing, elliptical training and step climbing.

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