Story By Coach Bjorn Jansen
Coaches and athletes often frame outdoor-season training as a choice between endurance and speed. Many athletes worry that increasing aerobic work outdoors will blunt the sharpness built during the indoor season. In reality, rebuilding the base correctly allows speed to express itself more consistently as the season progresses.
At SpeedPro, this phase is about layering aerobic development without disconnecting from speed identity. When training moves outdoors, the goal is not to slow athletes down but to support faster running later in the season.
Why the Outdoor Season Demands a Stronger Base
The outdoor season exposes athletes to longer races, increased weekly volume, and more demanding competition schedules. Without a solid aerobic base, these demands often lead to inconsistent performances or stalled progression.
Rebuilding endurance outdoors improves an athlete's ability to recover between sessions and races. It supports rhythm endurance, late-race control, and repeatability across weeks. Importantly, this work does not need to feel slow or disconnected from race demands.
Introducing aerobic development with intent supports speed rather than limiting it. Athletes who can recover well are better positioned to run fast when it matters.
Training for the Outdoor Season Does Not Mean Running Slowly
Training for the outdoor season should not remove speed from the programme. Instead, speed remains present through strides, relaxed fast running, and rhythm-based sessions that reinforce mechanics and intent.
Many athletes misunderstand aerobic work outdoors as nothing more than steady mileage. In practice, it includes controlled tempos, threshold efforts, and rhythm sessions that sit comfortably below maximal intensity. These sessions support efficiency and coordination rather than fatigue.
By keeping speed cues within aerobic work, athletes maintain sharpness while building durability. This balance allows training load to increase without dulling responsiveness.
How Speed and Endurance Develop Together Outdoors
As training moves outside, the interaction between speed and endurance becomes more important. A stronger aerobic base allows athletes to handle higher-quality speed endurance and special endurance sessions later in the season.
Early outdoor phases focus on consistency rather than intensity. As aerobic strength improves, athletes feel smoother at faster paces and more controlled under fatigue. Speed becomes easier to access rather than forced.
This progression ensures that sharper work later in the season is supported rather than rushed. Athletes arrive at key competitions prepared rather than overreached.
Training for the Outdoor Season Requires Patience and Structure
Training for the outdoor season rewards patience. Attempting to replicate mid-season speed too early often leads to fatigue or inconsistency. Instead, structured progression allows adaptations to settle.
Weekly rhythm, clear session intent, and controlled increases in load create a stable environment for development. Athletes learn to trust the process rather than chase early markers of form.
Over time, this structure produces athletes who feel stronger, faster, and more confident as the season unfolds.
The Finish Line
Training for the outdoor season is not about choosing between endurance and speed. It is about building a base that allows speed to show up more often and with greater control. When aerobic development and speed exposure work together, athletes become more resilient and more race-ready.
At SpeedPro in Wimbledon, this balance sits at the centre of our coaching philosophy. By rebuilding the base with intent, athletes set themselves up for consistent performances and confident championship preparation. Those interested in experiencing this approach can begin with our free trial sessions.
