Polar: An Elite Coach's Guide to Run Training (5-42KM)

January 29, 2025 / 
SHARE

Here is our guide on how to get the most out of your training for 5, 10, 21 or 42KM. 

From setting heart rate zones, to understanding the key phases of a training plan, to identifying the different types of training runs and their benefits, having a simple hydration plan, to managing your training load and recovery safely, we’ve got you covered. 

Backed by over 50 years of science, Polar is here as the Official Heart Rate Training sponsor of the ASICS Gold Coast Marathon to help you get the most out of your training, and to enjoy it along the way! This running advice is also brought to you by renowned running Coach of Lace Up Running, Benita Willis - also World Champion runner and four-time Olympian. 

 

Heart Rate Zones | The Basics

An effective running plan or workout plan will include different types of workouts with varying frequency, duration, and intensity spaced out so that you have time to recover. This means that some workouts should be short and intense, some long and light, some can even be long and tough. It’s the variety that makes your workout regimen effective.

Your heart rate is one of the best indicators of how hard your body is working during a workout. For over 50 years Polar has been delivering the gold standard of accuracy for tracking your heart rate, with running watches and heart rate monitors to suit any type of runner. 

Heart rate zones, or HR zones, are a way to monitor how hard you’re training. There are five heart rate zones based on the intensity of training with regard to your maximum heart rate.

Check out our guide and calculator on how to set your own heart rate zones here

 

Running Tests | Personalise Your HR and Pace Zones

Whilst the above method is a good starting place for setting your initial heart rate zones, the best method is to do a running test. Your heart rate (and heart rate zones) can vary considerably depending on factors like: your age, fitness level, training history, current health conditions, stress levels, temperature, stress levels and much more. 

To get the most out of your training efforts, it’s therefore essential that you personalise your maximum heart rate and training zones specifically for you. All of your training sessions should be guided by heart rate, so if your heart rate settings aren’t accurate your training sessions simply won’t benefit you as much as they should. 

The good news is that you can not only set your heart rate zones, but also your pace (and running power zones) all with a guided test from a Polar running watch

Having your personal heart rate, speed and power zones nailed will make your running more meaningful than ever. Check out our guide on running tests here

 

What To Consider Before Starting Your Training

Some helpful pointers to help get you on your way. 

  • Finding the right starting distance: 
    • If new to running, currently walk/jogging 20-25 mins, aim for a 5K race
    • Intermediate or advanced, aim for 10/21KM
    • Experienced runners 21K+, aim for the marathon
  • Consider your personal health factors
  • Hydrate
  • Start EASY to avoid overtraining / injury
  • Ensure you have good shoe(s) 
  • And a running watch to help track your heart rate, pace, training load and recovery
  • Get social with running groups
  • Running is a hard sport in the first few months … but don’t get discouraged, the trick is to get out the door!

 

The Key Phases of A Running Training Program

Always Consider Your Training History

As we noted, you should also consider your individual history and ideally be introducing safe running 3+ months out from a race. 

It’s important to consider:

  • Your running history
  • Training age
  • Personalised heart rate / pace zones (see above)
  • Prior injuries and training errors
  • Work / life / family balance, priorities and commitments
  • Structuring your week for success, with blocked time for training and enough recovery
  • How you will train safely (building training volume / intensity SLOWLY)
  • Ways you can set up a training plan you can stick to, but one you’ll enjoy!

 

Base Building 

  • 12-16+ weeks out
  • Safely run in line with training history, and running program
  • Start early and easily. You can’t “Cram” fitness!
  • Slowly build your base oxygen delivery in your body
  • Aerobic conditioning
  • Focus on carefulling building mileage (not racing!)
  • Easy + long runs + ‘some’ hills
  • Focus on just getting up and running
  • Don’t exceed heart rate / pace / stress targets
  • Focus on building a good weekly plan and rhythm
  • Try to nail your consistency, without overdoing it
  • Grab a running buddy, get to a parkrun, jog in scenic places
  • Most importantly, enjoy your running

 

The Build Phase

  • 3-12 Weeks out
  • Building on your conditioning and oxygen capacity
  • Developing your anaerobic capacity
  • Hit key sessions based on your individual heart rate and pace targets
  • Running sessions now include tempo and interval and workouts
  • As well as some lead up runs/races, and practising race scenarios
  • Ensure you have a very clear view of your recovery
  • Accurate sleep tracking and nightly recharge are key
  • So you can recover, but also adapt and get the most out of your training
  • Pay close attention to your training load and stress, so you aren’t overreaching
  • And putting yourself at injury or sickness risk
  • Training nutrition will be key, as will pre-post run nutrition throughout your day

 

Tapering

  • 1-3 Weeks out
  • Time to recharge, and get race ready
  • Where your running training volume comes down
  • But you keep up some intensity / paced intervals
  • Keep a similar daily routine
  • Ensure you sleep and activity cycles are aligned with race start timing
  • REST! 
  • Charging and loading up
  • Ensure your equipment is all on point and planned out ahead of race week
  • Build your race week plan

 

Peak Race Time

  • Showtime! 
  • The day is here
  • Ensure you have a good plan covering
  • Covering: the week, night before, race morning, race plan, post race plan
  • Hydrate and have a clear, tested nutrition plan
  • Ensure you have a race plan
  • Be disciplined and stick to your pace / heart rate targets
  • Stay within your limits
  • Celebrate! 
  • Recover, review, progress

 

The Key Running Workouts

Workout Tips

  • Check your heart rate / recovery before training as a guide
  • Monitor your heart rate and paces during sessions to get the most out of each training run
  • But also so you are ‘compliant’ to the specific purpose of each run
  • Every run has a purpose (see below)
  • Avoid over exerting yourself in easy / long runs
  • Do the easy runs easy, so the hard ones can be hard
  • Enabling you to get most out of your training sessions
  • Have a hydration / fueling plan if you are running 60-90 mins +
  • Do your best to avoid skipping sessions and playing catchup!
  • The number one success factor in running, is consistency
  • Be smart with your planning and prioritising
  • And your expectations, trust the process, trust the science
  • Avoid the main cause of running injuries, training errors. Doing too much, too soon
  • Most of all, be kind to yourself

 

The Easy Run

  • Heart Rate: zone 1-2, 50-60% Max
  • Promotes: recovery and helps make up the volume in your week
  • Slower than: 5.45 per km pace (but base off your run test)
  • Many runners: do these too fast! 
  • This is the most underrated run
  • This is zone 2 and really key to building your fitness / race day performance
  • Running: your own pace (by yourself if you need to)
  • Feels: enjoyable
  • Duration: 30-60 mins

 

The Long Run

  • Heart Rate Zone: 60-70% Max
  • Simply the most important run of the week
  • If you can’t miss a run, it’s this one! 
  • Strengthens: oxygen delivery
  • Pace: varied, with some longer pace efforts
  • Design: start at 45-60+ mins
  • Safely: increase volume over time
  • In line with: your goal race distance
  • No longer than 25% of weeks total distance
  • Good indicator of fitness (try not to miss!)

 

Tempo Runs

  • Heart Rate Zone: 70-90% Max
  • Strengthens: aerobic capacity
  • Pace: ~/+ race pace
  • Design: 20 - 30 minutes set (+ warmup-down)
  • Feels: strong, but you should feel fairly good when you finish
  • Not: wrecked for few days afterwards
  • Often missed
  • Can: impact how well you run the second half of your races (don’t miss)

 

Intervals

  • Heart Rate Zone: 80-90% Max
  • Works: strength, oxygen capacity, speed
  • Feels: hard
  • Design: (distance/pace specific)
  • Hills: incorporate to build strength
  • Repetitions: 400m, 1K, 1.5K
  • Track sessions are fun! 
  • Varied surfaces (i.e. grass in base phase)
  • Moving towards specific surface/terrain

 

Specific Workouts for 5/10/21/42K

Examples of some workouts that you could build into your training plan. 

5K

  • Build up to 4 runs per week
  • Long run: 40-60 mins, 5-10K
  • Interval session, 1 x per week
    • 3 x 1K + 2 min jog recovery, reps 2/3 progressively faster
    • Advanced: 6 x 1KM + 90 secs jog recovery
  • Tempo: 
    • 500m (5-10K pace) on, 500m off (float = faster than slow jog recovery) for 6K and 10K pace, 
    • 20-30 min heart rate progression. 
    • Advanced: 3 x 8 min varied pace efforts with 2 min jog recovery. 
  • Also: 
    • Time trial: 5K 
    • Or 2 x 1K faster than race pace + recovery to heart rate + light tempo run
    • Fartlek: 3 min, 2 min, 1 min, 2 min, 3 min efforts with equal float recoveries

 

10K / 21K

  • Intervals: 
    • 3-4 x 1500m, 2 at 10-21K pace, 2 at 10K pace
  • Fartlek: build up to 20-30 mins of 1 min on 1 min off at 10-21K pace
  • Track: 7x700m at varied pace (5-10K pace)
  • 2K effort at 21K pace, 400/300/200s at 5K progressive pace, lap jog recovery
  • Tempo: 
    • Warmup, 30 mins tempo at progressive 10 min pace (42K, 21K, 10K pace)
    • Pace is critical: these types of sessions help to dial in the right pace for your race
  • Intervals: 3-4 x 9 mins (faster pace every 3 mins), 1 easy, repeat
  • Long run: build up to 45 mins - 2 hours based  on your starting point. Gradually build! 
  • Advanced: medium run 50-80 mins 2 days after interval session
  • Long runs: shouldn’t be too structured, important to go easy and use HR/pace guides to ensure you don’t over do it
    • If aiming to run 90 min half marathon and 4.15 is your pace, long run shouldn’t be faster than 5 min pace
  • You’ve got to ensure they’re a lot slower than the time your planning to run in your race, especially on the days after hard sessions

 

42K

  • The marathon needs to be a gradual build
  • Long run:
    • Gradually build the long run to 34-38K, some at 32-34K, others 30K or less
    • You don’t need to run a marathon to do a marathon
    • Some weeks easy, some weeks build intensity into the longer run, i.e. 5x3K efforts with 1K float,pace above-at-below 42K target pace 
    • With this type of long run, you would only do one other effort/interval session in a week
  • Intervals: 
    • 1.5K, 6-10 x 1K based on what is safe for you to handle, 
    • Fartlek, 34 min equal float recovery 
    • 50 min warmup, short hills at 5K warm down. 
  • Tempo: 8K of 1K at 21K pace and 1K float, or build to 2/3K reps or 9min efforts.
  • Use your watch to get comfortable with your different pace efforts, and see what your heart rate is up to. Pacing is very important.
  • Getting in a 21K race situation is good idea

 

Having A Hydration Plan To Go The Distance

When you’re doing a long training session or race, it’s crucial to maintain adequate energy and hydration levels. 

Two key tips: 

  1. Practice with race day nutrition: Fixx Nutrition is a great local company specialising in nutrition for runners. They have been named as the official Hydration Partner of the ASICS Gold Coast Marathon. Do check them out so you can have the best chance of being optimally fueled in training, and on race day.
  2. Have a plan, execute it! If you are planning on going the distance, whether it’s a training run, or pushing it in workouts or in the heat, it’s vital you practise your race day nutrition plan early. The great news is you can do this all from a running watch. Polar’s Fuelwise hydration tool helps you plan nutrition and hydration. It’s a smart fueling assistant personalised on your individual heart rate zones. This automates your hydration plan and reminders while running, so you can keep going and perform at your best. 

 

Managing Your Training Load Effectively

To get the most out of your performance, you need to progressively increase the volume and intensity of your training, and also monitor your progress to make sure you’re gradually getting fitter and more ready for The Big Day.

Training Load is one of the Polar Smart Coaching features that helps you quantify your training, recognize your personal limits and adjust the intensity and duration of your workouts. Training Load also shows you how the training you do affects your body.

When you know how your training affects your body, you’ll be able to keep your training productive and improve your performance.

Importantly, because Polar offers the gold standard in heart rate tracking, you can accurately and safely see what training category your running is in, and progress safely for the best result. The training load categories cover the following phases: maintaining, productive, overreaching, and detraining / tapering. These will help guide you to get the most out of your training, while also highlighting when it’s time to tag the foot off the gas to best avoid injury.

Related Articles

View All