A strong winter season pays off twice. Those who lay the groundwork now often benefit well all the way through the fall. Discover which training elements make your winter workouts truly effective!

The cold season is much more than just a transition period for runners waiting for the next competition season. Right now, fitness, stability, and speed can be developed in a targeted way. For your winter training to be truly effective, a well-thought-out structure is crucial.

Goals shape the plan

Many endurance athletes resume training somewhat aimlessly after a break, without thinking about what they want to work on during the winter and how to implement it concretely. It’s therefore worth considering, before restarting, what your goal is for the next year, which physical demands this goal entails, and where your personal strengths and weaknesses lie.

For example, someone aiming to set a new personal best in a 10 km race needs to focus more on speed, while someone planning to complete a 50 km trail run should invest more in endurance and strength.

Improving base endurance

A solid aerobic base is, as everyone knows, fundamental for endurance athletes. Base training should therefore make up around 80% of the total training volume. With aerobic base training, we pursue two main goals:

• Improve endurance so we can run longer without getting tired.
• Enhance recovery capacity, so we can regenerate faster after hard sessions and races and maintain a regular training rhythm.

In practice, endurance training refers to zones 1 and 2, with an intensity that allows comfortable conversation and can be sustained for 60–120 minutes. After the workout, you should feel as if you could continue running without difficulty.

Methods:

• Recovery: Easy jog, walk, or active recovery, ~30 minutes
• Endurance runs: Steady run 45–60 minutes, long jog 75–120 minutes
• Supplementary long endurance sessions: Cross-country skiing, ski touring, cycling, etc., 90–180 minutes

Threshold training for improved race pace

Training at or near the anaerobic threshold aims to improve race performance and sustain a high pace for as long as possible. In this zone, the body still has enough oxygen to process the lactate produced.

Depending on the total weekly volume and number of sessions, one to two threshold sessions per week are sensible, representing 20–30% of all workouts—for example, one intense session in a four-session week.

Threshold training involves the pace you could maintain in a race for roughly 30 minutes. Speaking is limited to single words, and heart rate is approximately 80–95% of maximum.

Methods:

• Total load: 20–60 minutes per session
• Intervals: Longer efforts between 3 and 15 minutes, short breaks
• Continuous method: Road runs, test races, trial laps

Intervals can also be done uphill to develop strength and feel for climbing, depending on your goal.

Speed training for maximum pace

As spring approaches and the first races come closer, fast sessions become increasingly important to condition the body for higher intensity. Anaerobic training deliberately fatigues the muscles to promote maximum speed and help you push harder during races—especially in critical moments. It also improves lactate tolerance, allowing you to sustain higher intensity longer.

Supra-threshold training can be introduced toward the end of winter, replacing one threshold session every two weeks. In this zone, talking is nearly impossible, and heart rate exceeds 95% of maximum.

Methods:

• Total load: Max. 15–20 minutes
• Intervals: Short efforts of 15 seconds to 3 minutes, with long breaks for full recovery
• Continuous method: Short races, 1000 m / 3000 m tests

Complementary training

To round out winter training effectively and still make progress, it’s worthwhile to regularly include complementary sessions:

• Strength training: Regular strength work for legs and core improves stability and power while running and helps prevent injuries. Twice a week for 20 minutes is sufficient.
• Mobility: Stretching or foam rolling promotes recovery and prevents injuries. This can easily be done even while watching TV.
• Running technique: Regular drills can improve running form, leading to faster times and fewer strain injuries.