Follow the training tips below and use the free weekly running schedule templates to build your training plan or track your progress.

(Feature photo by iStock.com/MarianVejcik)

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Life gets busy, sometimes in unexpected ways. You might start your marathon training plan sticking to every workout date. Speed workouts on Tuesday evenings, an easy run during your Thursday lunch breaks, long runs on Sunday mornings — never missing a beat.

But then your kids start soccer and practices fall on Tuesdays. A meeting appears on your calendar for Thursday at noon. Your flight on Sunday is too early to fit in your long run.

Training for a race when your schedule is inconsistent or unpredictable requires a flexible approach.

I know for me, my routine flips upside down during my husband’s deployments. We don’t have kids (unless you count our dog), but my day-to-day schedule still changes noticeably when he’s gone. Our weekly schedule is also out the window leading up to and after each move to a new base.

Between deployments, cross-country moves, and general life events, we find ourselves out of a routine more than we’re in one some years. This is why I prefer a more flexible weekly running schedule.

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Remove Stress By Adding Flexibility

When I remove the expectations to complete a workout on a specific day, I become more likely to stay on track, completing each workout of my training plan as it fits into my weekly schedule. I have more control over my training and my schedule, rather than a training plan having control over my life. I also feel more accomplished and confident in my progress because I’m not stressing over that one workout I couldn’t fit in last Tuesday.

A flexible approach to your weekly running schedule lessens the pressure you put on yourself. (And let’s be honest, we already have a lot of pressure on us in other areas of our lives!) Your training should be enjoyable. It should also be intentional. If you’re forcing a run into your schedule or struggling through it when you have a pounding headache, you’re not getting the full benefit of that day’s workout.

Instead, by planning your training runs and doing them as they fit into your week’s schedule, the quality of the workouts and your mental focus will be greater. Here are five tips on taking a flexible approach to your training plan.

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How to Make a Weekly Running Schedule Work for You

1. Stick to a lineup of workouts that repeats each week. Here’s an example:

Run 1: Easy run
Run 2: Speed workout
Run 3: Easy run
Run 4: Long run

The distances and details of the workouts will vary from week to week, building up to race day, but the types of workouts won’t change. Going into each week knowing your workouts makes it easier to decide which days to do them based on how your schedule unfolds.

2. For more flexibility, add mileage ranges and alternative options. Setting mileage ranges for your workouts is a great way to add flexibility on days when you have more or less time for a workout than originally expected. Further, if you’re feeling great on a day when you’ve planned to run 7-9 miles, you may knock out a 9-miler. Conversely, completing 7 miles still accomplishes the day’s workout. You can also factor in an alternative to a track workout for location flexibility in case something comes up and you’re unable to get to a track.

Here’s what this extra flexibility could look like:

Run 1: 3-5 miles easy
Run 2: 4 x 800 track workout or 4 x 4:00 intervals during a 4-mile run
Run 3: 3-5 miles easy
Run 4: 7-9 miles long run

Before you write your training plan, be sure to review these guidelines.

3. Be intentional about the order of your workouts. The most difficult part of this training plan approach is ensuring your core running workout days aren’t back to back. (A core/key running workout is any run that’s not an easy run.)

Your long runs, for example, could alternate between Saturdays and Sundays, depending on the week. And your speed workouts might need to switch between Tuesdays and Wednesdays. If you need to run your long run on a Friday, that’s fine! But avoid also moving your speed workout to Thursday.

4. Factor in cross-training as it makes sense. If you’re training for a race, your running workouts take priority. That means you may have a week when you need to cut a high-intensity cross-training workout if it will interfere with the quality you give to your core running workouts.

If you’ve planned for a leg day at the gym but can’t space it away from your core running workouts that week, another option is to do it after your speed workout on the same day. This ensures you give your best to your speed workout and that your legs have time to rest before your next core running workout.

5. Don’t be hard on yourself if you miss a workout. It happens. Even with flexibility built into your schedule, life throws curveballs. If you’ve missed a workout, it doesn’t mean you won’t be ready for race day. For a missed long run, adjust the mileage of your upcoming long runs so you’re not increasing too quickly.

Avoid stressing over a missed workout. Instead, focus on the progress you’ve made in your training and the next workout in front of you.

Need more training guidance? Learn about working with a running coach.

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Download These Free Weekly Running Schedule Templates

Below are three templates that you can use to build a weekly running schedule or log your workouts to track your progress. Each page has room for four weeks of workouts. If your training plan is 12 weeks, print three copies. At the top of each week’s block, write the date range and/or training week number. To use shorthand in your workout descriptions, refer to the key at the bottom of the page.

Happy running!

Get tips from eight running coaches on how to set running goals.

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LOOKING FOR PRE-BUILT TRAINING PLANS TO FOLLOW? FIND THEM HERE:

Free Marathon Training Plans

Free Half Marathon Training Plans

Free 10K Training Plans

Free 5K Training Plans

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