How Can I Modify A Stryd Training Plan?

The new Stryd training plans were meticulously designed in partnership with Coach Steve Palladino to transform your running journey and propel you towards becoming a faster, healthier endurance runner.

And while following the plan as prescribed will yield the best results, you may find yourself needing to or wanting to modify your plan.

We recommend referencing this guide before making changes to your plan.

Can I add more volume to my training plan?

You may want to add more volume to your Stryd training plan because you are accustomed to running higher volume.

While Coach Steve Palladino is inclined to say that less volume may be exactly what some runners need to improve, he recognizes that others will still wish to add more time on feet.

Here are some things to keep in mind when adding extra volume to your training plan:

• Do so cautiously and follow the progression of the plan
  You may want to add 5 minutes to the easy run days.  If the easy run days are 40 minutes at the start of a plan, and you bump them to 45 minutes, then when the plan goes from 40 to 45 minutes, you would progress from 45 minutes to 50 minutes.
• Avoid making easy aerobic runs longer than 60 minutes
  You should aim to cap easy aerobic runs at 60 minutes.
• Work backwards from the end of the plan
  You should decide what you want your volume to be by the time you reach the end of the plan and then work backwards.

Ask yourself, can I comfortably start the plan at a higher volume based on my current fitness?

*The Stryd Workout Builder is available as part of the Stryd Membership to add volume to a training plan.

How to modify the long run in the marathon plans?

The peak long run in our marathon training plans is 3 hours long.

If you average slower than 9:00/mile (5:35/km) and want to reach a max long run of 20 miles or 32km (instead of the 3 hours), then reverse engineer the long run duration from whatever 20 miles or 32km would likely take you. It is important to follow the progression back to the beginning of the plan.

For example:

9:30 miles x 20 miles = 3h10m. Week 15 then becomes 3:10, week 14 becomes 3:05, week 13 becomes 3:00, and so on. In this example, the week 1 long run would be 1:40.

Ask yourself, can I safely step into the plan at a 1:40 long run?

If you average faster than 7:15/mile (4:30/km), you might want to cap the peak long run at 40-45km rather than progress to the full 3 hours. Keep in mind that you will still continue to follow the tempo duration progression within the long runs.

*The Stryd Workout Builder is available as part of the Stryd Membership to modify the duration of the long run.

Can I modify the duration of the tempo run within my long run?

Some runners may wish to increase the duration of the Marathon Power (MP) tempo within their long run.  

Before doing so, consider that the marathon plans default to a 20 minute tempo at MP in the first long run and a 40 minute tempo at MP in the peak long run.

If modifying the tempo duration, you would add the same duration to the MP tempo for every long run in the plan so that load progression is appropriately maintained.

For example:

A 60 minute MP tempo in your peak long run means you would add 20 minutes to every long run in the plan.

Ask yourself, is a 40 minute MP tempo in the first long run of the plan reasonable and safe to do at my current fitness level?

*The Stryd Workout Builder is available as part of the Stryd Membership to modify the duration of the MP tempo run.

What is the best way to adjust the runs on my calendar?

Some weeks you may need to make adjustments to your calendar.

If you need to swap runs, keep in mind that you will want to avoid back-to-back higher stress days (aka back-to-back interval days, tempo days, and long run days). Always keep at least one easy run or day off between these sessions.

And remember that sometimes life happens.

If in doubt, leave it out! Skip training on days where you feel like you are coming down with something, are very fatigued, or have an evolving injury. If you miss a scheduled run, do not attempt a “make-up” session the next day - no make-ups!

In a 6 or 7 day/week plan, trying to make-up a workout typically creates a cascade of unwanted schedule issues. No one workout is more important than the plan as a whole. If you miss a run, move on to the next and forget the one that was missed.

In plans that are 5 days/week or less, you may attempt to preserve runs by shifting them to runnable days. You can do so as long as the “no back-to-back higher intensity or long run days” guideline is not violated. If shifting the runs on one week interferes with the following week’s schedule, don’t do it.

If you miss a run, you can add 5-15 minutes of easy running to other runs in the week. Be careful though as too much volume sharing can increase your injury risk.

Remember: If in doubt, leave it out and just move onto the next run as scheduled.

If you miss more than three consecutive runs, then Coach Steve Palladino advises against jumping ahead to where you would have been had you not missed any days.  Instead, he recommends 3-7 days of easy aerobic running, then try to re-enter the plan at the week just prior to where the problem caused the missed running. Longer layoffs may call for restarting the plan from scratch.

*All Stryd users can move workouts around on their calendar regardless of membership status.

Can I substitute a race in place of testing or a long run?

You can replace a 20 minute test with a 5K race. You will want to use Stryd’s Race Power Calculator to find your power target for race day.

And while you can substitute a 10K race for a 20 minute test, keep in mind that doing so will involve some level of post-race fatigue that could impair your “A” race training and/or increase your risk of injury.

In regards to racing a half marathon or a “B” race in the middle of your training plan, Coach Steve Palladino specifically advises against this.

If you wish to run a half marathon in place of a long run, then you should run the half marathon as a training run.

For example:

Run the half marathon in the context of a long run by incorporating the long run duration and prescription into your execution of the half marathon (aka a “C” race).

Get started with a new training plan today!

Our new training plans are available now for all Stryd users. You can access these new plans in the latest version of the Stryd Mobile app and be on your way towards surpassing your personal bests.

Be sure to add a new plan to your calendar and begin your training journey today!