Thoughts on training time

Time is the only important metric to track.

If your hypothetical coach said to you on a Sunday evening: “I want you to keep it simple this week, just spend 10% of your time training” you’d probably think OK, no problem.

But then, on closer inspection, you’d realise that there are 168 hours in a week. So 10% training time wouldn’t be far shy of 17 hours!

Unless you’d averaged anyway near that figure in the last 12 months, attempting to aim for this volume of training would be a recipe for disaster.

However, if you considered that you probably spend 8 hours per night and 56 hours per week asleep, your available training time is actually 112 hours and your 10% training time now equates to approximately 11 hours.

And most of us work 8 hours per day, 5 days per week as well, leaving even less – only now 72 hours. Just over 7 hours now would hit the 10% target.

How does 7 to 11 hours per week compare to your current training volume?

A hell of a lot can be achieved on 7hrs per week.

How would you spend it?

Remember, even if running is your absolute #1 priority, it’s not necessary to spend 100% of your training time running and running alone. Variety is the spice of life. And it’s healthy.

Not only would cross training be extremely beneficial to your running, it also helps achieve the training volume goal. It’s likely to be more enjoyable too.

Perhaps the real key: incorporate exercise into your normal daily life wherever possible. Using your own power for work commutes being a prime example. Even a 15 minute bike ride to and from work becomes 2.5 hours per week.

If, like mine, your current training week is below 7 hours, you of course don’t need to make the jump in one go. Think, plan and cajole your way to increased aerobic fitness over a reasonable time period.

The majority of this training volume should not be taxing. Many use pareto 80/20 but I prefer 95/5 or 90/10. In practice this would mean 90-95% of the weekly volume at easy, aerobic effort levels and 5-10% at threshold/race pace intensities.

Thinking in percentage terms of total time available can help you realise you may have scope to safely do more. This also increases your chances of getting the training intensity right, as well as diversifying the modes of exercise you are doing.