Recently, The Running Algorithm has partnered with professional runner Jimmy Whelan. He’s known for training a lot, running fast and having one of the most aesthetically pleasing running actions on the planet. The most interesting thing about this partnership for us, is that we get a front seat view of Jimmy’s training. He is currently in his final preparations for the Melbourne Marathon and his predicted time from The Running Algorithm is 2:06. Jimmy’s personal best for the Half Marathon is 1:01:19 which gives him the following training zones…
These are Jimmy’s training zones from within his TRA app profile. You can download the app yourself, available on Apple or Android.
With this blog, we thought we’d take a look through Jimmy’s final really big training week just a few weeks out from his marathon debut!
How Jimmy uses TRA
The Running Algorithm was designed to be usable by all runners, from those trying to run their first 5k all the way through to athletes trying to break 14 minutes and beyond. Jimmy uses The Running Algorithm by adjusting his easy volume around key sessions. He does this by making use of the daily training limits by training zone graphs in his dashboard. This, adjusted by giving TRA feedback after every run, gives Jimmy the ability to push his training load as high as possible while avoiding injury.
Jimmy’s Training Week
Monday - Total for the week = 13.64km
Easy 60
13.64km at an average pace of 4:30/km.
This run contained a total of 256m of elevation in under 14km. It was an easy run for Jimmy, but a pretty steady pace with the fastest splits getting close to the 4 minute mark.
Tuesday - Total for the week = 39.67km
Easy 70
16.05km at an average pace of 4:22/km.
A flatter run, with just 18m of elevation across the 16km. It was a steady run with the fastest kilometer being covered in 3 minutes and 27 seconds. Still, the vast majority of the run was completed in zone 1 again.
Afternoon run
9.99km at an average pace of 4:16/km.
His second run of the day. Very similar to this morning. A flat run at a steady pace.
Wednesday - Total for the week = 70.66km
Threshold Workout
21km at an average pace of 3:52/km including 12 x 1km at a pace between 2:56/km and 2:52/km.
This session was done along the sea front. Jimmy did 12 repetitions of 1km with 60s walking recovery in between each rep. These reps were done at a pace that Jimmy is able to sustain for around an hour.
Afternoon run
9.99km at an average pace of 4:30/km.
His second run of the day. Very similar to the afternoon run the day before but a bit slower in order to aid recovery from the session done earlier that day. Jimmy has already racked up over 70km for the week and it’s only Wednesday!
Thursday - Total for the week = 97.4km
14.12km at an average pace of 4:28/km
12.62km at an average pace of 4:08/km
Another double day but both runs are extremely easy, either zone 1 or low zone 2.
Friday - Total for the week = 117.72km
10.32km at an average pace of 4:09/km
10km at an average pace of 4:18/km including 4 x 40s at 2:35/km
This is another easy double day but at the end of the second run, Jimmy completed 4 x 40s strides at a very high pace. The first zone 5 we’ve seen him do all week!
You can read about The Magic Of Strides in our blog here.
Saturday - Total for the week = 167.72km
40km at an average pace of 3:30/km including 32k of “6k on (3:02) 2k float (3:25-30s)”
10km at an average pace of 4:36/km
This was a 50km day of training including a marathon specific training session on the treadmill. This session of zone 4/zone 3 alternating work is a very common session archetype for The Running Algorithm and one of many things we incorporated into the app as a result of working with Jimmy.
Sunday - Total for the week = 178.74km
11.02km at an average pace of 4:14/km
On this run, Jimmy finished at the beach where, presumably after all that, he had a lie down…
What can amateur runners learn from this?
So, should you try to copy Jimmy’s training? No, you might die. Jimmy is a professional runner whose entire life is structured around training, recovery and performance. Running nearly 180km in a week, including a 50km in a single day, is not something that most amateur runners should even consider.
But there are some important lessons that do apply to everyone.
The biggest one is that Jimmy’s training is not about running hard every day. In fact, the vast majority of his running is extremely easy (for him, 4:00/km for everyone else is still quite fast). His week is built around a small number of key sessions, with the easy running providing the volume and aerobic stimulus needed to support them. The easy days are easy so that he can actually perform when it matters.
For amateur runners, however, there is an important difference. If you only have time to run two, three or four times per week, spending almost all of that limited running time on easy mileage isn't the best way to improve. You don't have the same opportunity to accumulate the huge aerobic volume that Jimmy does. Instead, your limited training time needs to be used efficiently, with a greater emphasis on the key sessions that provide the biggest stimulus.
The other major lesson is that the right training depends on the individual. Jimmy can run 4:30/km and call it easy because his fitness allows him to. For another runner, 5:30/km might be an easy pace. Trying to copy somebody else's pace, mileage or workouts misses the entire point. This is why it’s important to train at your own individual paces.
What amateur runners can copy is the structure: train according to your current ability, make your easy running genuinely appropriate for your fitness, prioritise the sessions that matter, and adjust your training based on how you're responding to it.
That's exactly what we built The Running Algorithm to do. TRA adapts your training to your current fitness, training load and feedback from every run, whether you're trying to run your first 5K or break the world record.
You can try The Running Algorithm free for 7 days, with no payment details needed to get started.
