How Base Building Can Help Your Running and Why It’s Important

Many runners like to train for and run races throughout the year. It can be fun and motivating to have goals and work towards them! However, jumping from one training cycle to the next or constantly racing can lead to plateaus, injuries, or burnout. Throughout the year it can be helpful to focus on base building at times to give yourself a break from the challenges of training, both mentally and physically. This period of time can have other benefits as well. Let’s talk about how base building can help your running and why it’s important for runners to include throughout the year.

What is Base Building?

Base building can benefit all runners, whether you are new to running or a long time runner with lots of experience. Depending on your goals and where you are in your running journey, the base building period may look different. In general, it’s about 6-8 weeks of mostly easy running. Your mileage may be lower, giving you time to focus on other things like strength training and cross-training. Newer runners may use this time to slowly build up their mileage a bit to prepare for a training block.

You can learn more about getting back to training after base building here: From Recovery to Training the Base Building Phase

How Base Building Can Help Your Running

There are many benefits to base building if done correctly. Remember that this isn’t about running much lower mileage or taking lots of time off. You may replace some of your runs with cross-training sessions but you are still running a few days a week. (Note: after a big race, a full week or two off from running can be very helpful in allowing for adequate recovery and to give your body and mind a break.)

Shift your focus away from training

When we are always in training mode our brains become really focused on our goals and getting in our workouts. The base building period is a time to move away from that and just run to enjoy running. This can serve as a reset to your mind and allow you to focus on other things for a bit. You may also find that during this time you come up with different goals that you want to work towards.

Improve your aerobic capacity

Aerobic capacity is how much oxygen your body can use during intense exercise. By allowing yourself to do lots of easy runs in zone 2 you can increase the number of mitochondria in your cells which allows you to produce more energy when running. It also increases capillary density which improves your muscles’ ability to use oxygen. Base building is a perfect time to really allow yourself to get in those easy runs!

Give yourself more time for strength training

During the base building period you may be running a little less and can get in more of the strength work that sometimes falls to the wayside during periods of heavy training. If you usually strength train twice a week, try to get in 3 sessions during base building and aim for increasing your weights. If you weren’t strength training before, now is a great time to add it in.

Run hills and strides

Yes, I know I said easy runs are key during base building but there is a place for hills and strides as well! Both can help improve your running without wearing you down as much as hard workouts. Hills can be incorporated into your regular training runs by finding a route with rolling hills, or you can add some repeats in throughout a run. Strides can be used at the end of an easy run to increase your leg turnover and help with form. Neither of these should be super hard, but can benefit your training and help you stay prepared for your next training cycle.

Include some cross-training

Cross-training is an aerobic activity that is not running, such as swimming, biking, elliptical, etc. These activities give your body a break from the pounding of running and work your muscles in different ways. If you haven’t been cross-training, now is a good time to add it in and see what you like. Maybe you will even find that you want to continue cross-training during your next training cycle.

Work on your weaknesses

Some of the things I already mentioned may apply here, but think about what your weaknesses are as a runner and really use this time to improve in those areas. If you know your form needs some work make sure you are doing a good warm up and some drills before your runs. This is also a great time to establish some good recovery routines like a cool down, post-run nutrition, and mobility. Be honest with yourself and try to do something different that will help you become a stronger runner when you get back to training.

Example week of base building

This is going to differ based on your experience level as a runner and what you want to focus on during base building. Here are two examples, one for a beginner and one for someone who has been running a long time and is between big training cycles.

Final Notes on How Base Building Can Help Your Running

Spending some time base building can help you running in many ways. Not only does it give you a break from training hard, it can give you a chance to work on building mileage through easy runs and work on your weaknesses. Base building can also be a good time to try out different shoes and gear to make sure you have what you need when you start training. Need ideas for training gear? Check out my Amazon store or head to the Brooks Shoe Finder to find your perfect shoe!

Sometimes it can be difficult to hold back when you want to jump back into training. Remember that it will pay off when you are able to have a successful training cycle, and try to enjoy the break from an intense training schedule.

You may also like:
Running Workout Roundup for the Off-Season
5 Ways for Runners to Handle Winter Weather
The Most Effective Recovery Tools for Runners
Like a Fish Out of Water
Base Building Week 3
Frederick Half-Marathon Training Week 2

What benefits have you noticed from taking a base building period?
What do you focus on when you’re not training for a race?