Why training between races matters for runners and cyclists
When runners and cyclists don't have a race booked, training can still have a clear purpose. The time between events provides an opportunity to develop areas of fitness that may receive less attention during race-specific preparation, such as aerobic capacity, strength, training consistency and individual performance limiters. This article explores why training between races matters, how to identify what to work on next, and how these periods can help prepare you for the demands of future events.
Strength training for runners and cyclists over 30 is a game-changer for performance, resilience, and long-term health.
If you want the full breakdown, check out my Strength Training Over 30 Guides:
TRAINING BREAKDOWN
"The race results are the bits we tend to see and celebrate, but there's an awful lot that goes into getting to those start lines in the first place; the training that doesn’t make the highlight reel."
By Emma O'Toole
Hi there,
I haven't raced all that much in 2026, certainly not as much as I usually would, but I haven't stopped training either!
It's been a pretty busy year, especially over the summer, with coaching, supporting athletes at their events and building out the BUILT TO ENDURE® free app… and there's been a heck of a lot going on with the endurance athletes I've been working with too!!
The training behind the race results
I had the pleasure of supporting Jane as she rode from London to Paris in 24 hours for Planets Charity, which was something I'll remember for the rest of my life!
Liz completed her first ever Ironman, Estelle took close to an hour off her 70.3 time from last year, and Bren completed his first Olympic-distance triathlon in August. Considering that at the end of last year he was struggling to swim a single length of front crawl, completing the open-water swim and coming 19th in his age group is awesome!
Matthew has completed multiple audaxes this year, including an incredible 1,000km event, Simon took 37 minutes off his Gralloch time from last year, while Kate enjoyed an epic multi-day cycling adventure in France after rehabbing her knee following a VMO tear.
Cheryl ran her first marathon at Brighton, while Stu ran his 'race of dreams' at Berlin Half Marathon, negative splitting his way to a PB of 1:25:05. Daniel has been ringing the PB bell endlessly this year too, and rang it yet again earlier today at the Great South Run!
Mhairi has continued making progress on the bike, with her MAP increasing by 15.1% and her FTP by 4.9% since January, building on the improvements she's made in previous years, and has completed her first road race and TT series.
And we have the small matter of Falk setting a world record!!!
That's just a handful of what everyone's been up to! It's honestly been heart-warming and has me beaming ear to ear seeing what everyone's achieved, particularly knowing how much work has gone on behind the scenes to get them there.
The race results are the bits we tend to see and celebrate, but there's an awful lot that goes into getting to those start lines in the first place; the training that doesn't make the highlight reel.
Ups and downs of my own training
As for my own racing, I have had a few key races this year. I started the year with a trail half marathon, finishing 2nd woman, followed by Southampton Half Marathon, where I finished 7th woman. Both were decent results, although I came away from Southampton knowing there was more there.
Unfortunately, I then had a setback with my right hip which affected my running, and looking back, I have to take accountability for that.
During the build towards Southampton, I'd been so busy with coaching and continuing to build our app that I'd let my hip rehab work slip. I'm still working through a more targeted phase of rehab for my hip, alongside my regular strength and conditioning training. These are exercises I need to be particularly consistent with at the moment, although that doesn't necessarily mean I'll need to keep doing them at the same frequency forever and this is an approach I take with many athletes I coach who come from an injury background.
I knew it was something I needed to keep on top of, but it had gradually fallen down the priority list as other things took over. I can't say that was the reason my hip flared up, but I’d put money on it being a big contributor.
Since the end of July, rehab has been a very regular fixture in my training week. Have I managed 100% compliance? Absolutely not! But I'd put it at around 90%, which I'm happy with as it's made a sizeable difference to how my hip feels when running. It shows what we can do when we put our minds to things and have some accountability.
I also raced at the Masters TT National Championships, where I became National Champion for my age group and improved on my previous performance at Thruxton. There are always variables to consider when comparing TT performances, particularly the conditions on the day, but I was pretty pleased with how that went.
So although I haven't spent a huge amount of time on start lines this year, I've continued running and riding, kept my strength training going and made sure my rehab is getting the attention it needs… basically doing the training that doesn't make the highlight reel!
I've also had to listen to how my body (and mind) have been feeling and adjust my training and race plans accordingly. After all, you can't pour from an empty cup!
BUILT TO ENDURE® is a one-woman band, and there's an awful lot that goes on behind the scenes. Keeping my own training going alongside coaching and running the business has meant being realistic about what I can manage at different times.
What I've been working on without a race booked
Having fewer races in the calendar has given me an opportunity to spend more time working on areas I want to improve. Vo2 focused work on the bike has been one of those areas, and I've spent a lot of time this year doing sessions aimed at developing it.
Earlier in the year, I was struggling with 2 sets of 4 × 2 minute intervals at 105% FTP. More recently, I completed 6 × 4-minute intervals at 110-112% FTP pretty comfortably… well, as comfortable as you can be doing Vo2 intervals!!
It's been good to see that progression, particularly when I haven't had a specific race to prepare for. I've also continued working on my strength and hip rehab, both of which are important parts of supporting the running and riding I want to do.
For the remainder of 2026, I'm planning to spend some time focusing more on my running speed while continuing with that strength and rehab work.
I might find a shorter race to finish the year with, but I'm not too worried about having one booked at the moment. I've got plenty I want to work on in the meantime, and I'd rather give myself the time to do that properly than rush it.
Why training between races matters
I think it's easy to overlook how useful the time between events can be, particularly when you're used to having a race in the diary and a training plan building towards a particular date.
When you've got a marathon, sportive, time trial or triathlon coming up, there's usually a fairly clear direction for your training. The event, distance and demands of the race help determine what you're working on and how you structure your training.
However, when you haven't got anything booked, you've got a little more flexibility to spend time on things that might otherwise get pushed down the priority list.
For one runner, that might mean gradually increasing the amount of running they can tolerate each week, particularly if they've struggled with consistency or repeat niggles.
For a cyclist, it might mean spending a block developing an area of fitness they've identified as a limiter, rather than simply repeating the same sessions week after week.
And for plenty of runners and cyclists over 30, that might mean finally giving your strength training the attention it needs.
The work you do during these periods can put you in a better position to handle the training demands of your next event and it's also why jumping from race to race to race could be hindering your longer term growth as a runner and cyclist.
Of course, when you do decide what you're racing, you'll still need to prepare for the specific demands of that event. Training for a 10 mile TT is going to look different from preparing for a 100 mile sportive, just as a 5K training block will have different priorities from marathon preparation.
You don't have to wait until you've signed up for something to start improving and this ties in with something I talk about a lot when coaching: looking further ahead and working backwards from where you want to get to.
You might not know exactly what your next race will be, but you can still have an idea of what you'd like to improve over the coming months. That gives you something to base your training decisions on now, rather than waiting until you've got a race/event on the horizon and trying to fit everything into the time you've got before it.
So, what could you be working on before your next event?
If you've finished your main events for the year, or you're not quite sure what you're racing next, have a think about where your training is currently and what you'd like to improve.
There's a lot of useful training you can do without having a particular race date to work towards, trust me I've spent most of this year doing it!
And if you'd like to bounce some ideas back and forth about what you could be working on, head over to my free coaching community for runners and cyclists over 30.
Happy running and riding!
Emma x
Join the Strava club!
3 FREE WAYS TO ELEVATE YOUR RUNNING & CYCLING: |
|
Comments