Base Building 101: What to Do Before Your Training Plan Starts

What Is Base Building, Exactly?

Base building is your pre-training phase. It’s the calm before the storm. The time to lay the groundwork before speed workouts, long runs, and peak mileage hit.

Think:
✔️ Easy, consistent mileage
✔️ Aerobic development (aka heart + lungs getting stronger)
✔️ Focus on form, habit, and building durability

No pressure. No pace targets. No stress. Just smart, steady work.

Why It Matters

If you jump into a marathon training plan without a base, you’re basically asking for:

• Injury
• Burnout
• Endless fatigue
• Or all of the above 😬

Building a base helps you:

✅ Handle higher mileage later
✅ Avoid training shock
✅ Recover faster between runs
✅ Arrive at Week 1 ready, not rusty

How Much Should You Be Running?

Here’s a quick mileage guide depending on your background:

Start low, stay consistent, and increase gradually if you feel good.

What Else to Focus On

🦵 Strength Training (2x/week):
Glutes, core, hips, and hamstrings. You don’t need a gym. Bodyweight is a great start.

🧘 Mobility Work:
Add 5–10 minutes of dynamic stretching or foam rolling a few times a week. You’ll thank yourself later.

🏃 Short Races:
Signing up for a 5K or 10K during your base phase is a great way to stay motivated and practice race-day habits.

🚴 Cross Training:
Add a day of swimming, cycling, hiking, or elliptical to boost your aerobic base without pounding your joints.

My Real Talk

The best fall marathons I’ve ever run? They didn’t start in week one of training.
They started here, with boring, beautiful base miles.

It’s not flashy. It’s not viral. But it’s the reason you’ll feel strong later on, when training gets serious.

Want a 4-Week Base Plan You Can Start Today?

I’ve got a simple PDF guide with weekly mileage suggestions, strength workouts, and cross-training options perfect for the “almost ready” runner.

📩 Reply to this email or DM me on Instagram and I’ll send it to you!