Build the Engine, Stay Bouncy: A Two-Week Training Framework for Winter and Summer Break
By Ralph Havens PT, IMTC | Beyond Limits Physical Therapy, Fairhaven, Washington
The goal during winter and summer training breaks is simple:
build the aerobic engine, stay healthy, and keep the legs feeling fresh and bouncy.
Here’s a framework for high school middle-distance and distance runners.
1. Keep Easy Runs EASY
Start with genuinely easy running. Think 10-minute miles, progressing naturally toward 9s and 8s as fitness allows.
- Easy aerobic mileage.
- A few relaxed strides.
- No forcing the pace.
The goal is to accumulate consistent, healthy running without digging a hole.
2. Add Sub-Threshold Twice a Week
Sub-threshold training is the foundation for building the aerobic engine.
Consider short intervals, 800s, 1,000s, or mile repeats, with short recoveries of approximately 60–90 seconds.
The key: run at a true sub-threshold effort. You can’t run these sessions too slowly. The objective is controlled aerobic development, not racing your teammates or chasing a particular pace.
Gradually build the volume as fitness improves.
3. Keep the X-Factor
Every 10–14 days, include a little faster running to maintain speed, power, and coordination.
- Fast uphill efforts with plenty of recovery.
- Fast 150s or 200s.
- Occasionally, something a little longer.
These are not exhausting workouts. Think quality, full recovery, and finishing feeling powerful and springy.
4. Every Two Weeks, Reset
After each two-week training block, take three very easy days:
| Day | Training |
|---|---|
| 1 | 3 miles easy |
| 2 | 3 miles easy + a few relaxed strides |
| 3 | 3 miles easy |
Then begin the next two-week block.
Every three or four weeks, also reduce the overall training volume for a week to allow recovery and adaptation.
The Big Picture
Two weeks of building, three days of very easy running, then another two-week block.
Over time, gradually increase easy mileage and sub-threshold volume while keeping the running relaxed, controlled, and enjoyable.
The objective isn’t to win the workout. It’s to build a bigger aerobic engine while staying healthy, happy, and bouncy enough to keep training consistently.
And hopefully, we’ll get to Flagstaff this summer, do some of this at altitude, and have a lot of fun along the way!
What do you think? I’d love to hear how you’re structuring your training breaks.
Ralph Havens PT, IMTC
Beyond Limits Physical Therapy
Fairhaven, Bellingham, WA
RalphHavens.com
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