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Off-Season Threshold & VO2max Running training plan

Off-Season Threshold & VO2max Running training plan

Goal: Improve threshold & VO2max

Duration
12 weeks
Sessions
68 in total
avg. 5.7 per week
Training time
avg. 3.7 h/week
Peak week 4.3 h
Key sessions
20 key sessions

How the training load develops

Training time per week over 12 weeks. The toughest week is week 7 with 4.3 h.

Weeks 1 to 12

Plan structure

68 sessions spread over 12 weeks, around 45 hours of training and a total load of 2,214 TSS.

  • Running 44 sessions 310.4 km in total
  • Strength training 24 sessions
Week Sessions Sports Training timeTime
Week 1 5 1 Key
  • 3× Run
  • 2× Strength
 3.3 h
Week 2 6 2 Key
  • 4× Run
  • 2× Strength
 3.7 h
Week 3 6 2 Key
  • 4× Run
  • 2× Strength
 3.9 h
Week 4 5 1 Key
  • 3× Run
  • 2× Strength
 2.8 h
Week 5 6 2 Key
  • 4× Run
  • 2× Strength
 4.1 h
Week 6 6 2 Key
  • 4× Run
  • 2× Strength
 4.1 h
Week 7 6 2 Key
  • 4× Run
  • 2× Strength
 4.3 h
Week 8 5 1 Key
  • 3× Run
  • 2× Strength
 3 h
Week 9 6 2 Key
  • 4× Run
  • 2× Strength
 4.1 h
Week 10 6 2 Key
  • 4× Run
  • 2× Strength
 4.3 h
Week 11 6 2 Key
  • 4× Run
  • 2× Strength
 4.2 h
Week 12 5 1 Key
  • 3× Run
  • 2× Strength
 3 h

A look inside the plan

Sample week: week 6 of 12

This is exactly how your plan will look in the Aspect App after you buy it. Tap a session to see its structure, intervals and target ranges.

Week 6 Build Phase 2 – Load Week 2 6 sessions 4:03 h 28.5 km 2
MonMonday 0:24 h
Rest DayComplete Rest
Today is all about full recovery. Your body gets the time it needs to regenerate and absorb the training load. Stretching, massage and foam rolling can help release muscle tension and support your recovery. Make sure you get enough sleep and fuel your body with good nutrition to get the most out of the break.
Mental Coaching
Embracing the Hard Intervals
This week it gets really fast for the first time. 30 seconds at 3 km pace feels uncomfortable from the fifth repetition on; that’s part of it and not a sign that you’re doing something wrong. Today, run through Thursday once in your head: the warm-up, the first repetition, the point in the second set where you’ll want to stop, and the recovery between sets before it. Prepare a short phrase for that point that you’ll say to yourself. Two or three words are enough, words you can still think when you’re breathing hard. Each repetition lasts only 30 seconds. After that, you get to jog for 30 seconds.
Read more
Strength
Running-Specific Stretches
0:24 h7 exercises
TueTuesday 1:29 h
Run
Endurance Run + 5 x 20 sec Strides
0:44 h7.3 km52 rTSS
Strength
Strength – Injury Prevention – Running
0:45 h9 exercises
WedWednesday
Rest DayComplete Rest
Today is all about full recovery. Your body gets the time it needs to regenerate and absorb the training load. Stretching, massage and foam rolling can help release muscle tension and support your recovery. Make sure you get enough sleep and fuel your body with good nutrition to get the most out of the break.
ThuThursday 0:45 h
Run Key
VO2max 2 x 8 x 30/30 sec
0:45 h7.6 km58 rTSS
Your first VO2max session. If the eighth repetition of a set no longer feels as fast and relaxed as the first, you started too fast.
FriFriday
Rest DayComplete Rest
Today is all about full recovery. Your body gets the time it needs to regenerate and absorb the training load. Stretching, massage and foam rolling can help release muscle tension and support your recovery. Make sure you get enough sleep and fuel your body with good nutrition to get the most out of the break.
SatSaturday 1:05 h
Run Key
Endurance Run
1:05 h10.8 km75 rTSS
SunSunday 0:20 h
Rest DayActive Recovery or Complete Rest
Today it is up to you whether you take a complete rest day or recover actively. Light movement such as walking, easy cycling or swimming can boost circulation without putting strain on your body. Stretching, massage and foam rolling also support regeneration and can help release muscle tension. Listen to your body and give it the recovery it needs.
Run
Recovery Run
0:20 h2.9 km17 rTSS
Optional workout

About this training plan

Twelve weeks without a race and with one clear goal: getting faster over the winter. With three running days a week, you raise your threshold first and then your VO2max, and three 5 km tests show you what it has achieved.

Who the plan is for

You have been running three times a week for at least six months and can run 45 minutes easy without stopping, with 50 minutes within reach. You can schedule Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday as fixed running days, and Sunday is free for a short, optional run. You don’t need any experience with intervals yet. If you’re coming from the Winter Base Block, this plan follows on directly. You’re free of aches and pains and haven’t had an injury in the last six weeks.

If you can run 30 minutes easy but not yet three quarters of an hour, start with the free Winter Base Block. If even half an hour of continuous running is still a hurdle, “Couch to 5K” is the better place to start. If you run four to five times a week and 35 km or more, Level 2 is the right fit.

How the plan works

Week 1 gets you into a rhythm with easy runs and short strides, and on Saturday you run your first 5 km test. It gives you your threshold pace, which every target is based on.

  • Threshold: On Thursdays, blocks just below the pace you could hold for about an hour, from 3 x 6 to 2 x 15 minutes.
  • VO2max: From week 6, alternating with threshold, from 30/30 through 5 x 2 to 4 x 3 minutes, with jog recoveries about as long as the repetition.
  • Easy runs: On Tuesdays with strides, and on Saturdays the long run of 50 to 70 minutes at conversational pace.
  • Strength and stretching: Straight after the Tuesday run you strengthen your calves, shins, hips and hamstrings, and on the run-free Monday you stretch your hip flexors and calves.

Every fourth week is a recovery week. In week 8 you reset your threshold pace with an interim test, and in week 12 you run the final test on the same route as in week 1. For ice, darkness and cold, every fast session has a fallback rule, including moving to a treadmill at a 1% incline.

What you need before you start

  • A GPS running watch that shows your pace per kilometre.
  • A flat, measured route for the three tests, without traffic lights.
  • A head torch and reflectors for runs in the dark, and a treadmill within reach for icy days.

Support within the plan

Each phase begins with a note explaining what’s new. The tips for running in winter cover visibility, ice, clothing, cold and swapping days when it’s too dark on weekdays. A separate note explains what to do if you’re ill or in pain. Mental coaching prompts help you set a goal for the final test, keep going through the dark, embrace the first fast intervals and pace the test correctly. Finally, you’ll find out which Personal Best plan follows on.

Which level is right for you?

  • Level 1: Three running days, at least 45 minutes of easy running without stopping. One quality day a week, alternating threshold and VO2max.
  • Level 2: Five running days, 35 to 55 km a week. Two quality days from week 5, VO2max up to 4 x 4 minutes.
  • Level 3: Six running days, 55 to 75 km a week. Hill repeats, threshold up to 2 x 20 minutes, VO2max up to 4 x 5 minutes.

Intensity guidance

Your training thresholds

Session intensity is based on your personal thresholds. After buying, you enter them in the Aspect App – the plan then converts every target for you.
Here’s how to find your values:

  • Threshold pace (running)Your threshold pace is the pace you can sustain for about 60 minutes, roughly your 10K to half-marathon pace.Test: After a good warm-up, run on your own for 30 minutes as fast as you can hold evenly. Your average pace over the last 20 minutes is your threshold pace.

Device sync via Garmin Connect and Intervals.icu

Your plan on your watch

Send your plan directly to Garmin Connect in just a few clicks: your run sessions reach your Garmin watch or Edge as structured workouts with your target values. For COROS, Suunto and Zwift, you use your free Intervals.icu account. No retyping and no file imports.

Ready in six steps

  1. Buy the planOnce your payment has been received, you’ll get your access link by email.
  2. Save it to your Aspect accountWith a free Aspect account, you save the plan under “My plans”.
  3. Connect accountTap “Garmin Connect” at the top of your plan. With a Garmin watch or Edge, choose “Connect with Garmin Connect” and agree to the transfer to Garmin. For all other devices, choose “No Garmin? Connect Intervals.icu” and connect your free account on intervals.icu.
  4. Check target valuesFrom your values in the plan (e.g. FTP, threshold HR or threshold pace), the app calculates watts, heart rate and pace for Garmin. With Intervals.icu, it checks whether the same values are set there. You match any differences with one click.
  5. Choose a start date and sendChoose your start Monday and send.
  6. Connect your device (Intervals.icu only)For COROS, Suunto and Zwift, go to Settings → Connections in Intervals.icu, connect your device or platform and enable uploading planned workouts (e.g. “Upload planned workouts”).

See every step with screenshots

What arrives where

PlatformWhat arrives
Garmin Directly via Garmin Connect: Running as structured workouts with your target values, strength as an exercise list
Suunto Via Intervals.icu: Planned workouts (watches with SuuntoPlus Guides)
COROS Via Intervals.icu: Planned workouts – the first time only, drag the “Intervals.icu” training plan into your calendar in the COROS app.
Zwift Via Intervals.icu: Run workouts
Apple Watch No official integration – only via third-party apps (e.g. Watchletic – the Intervals.icu import is a paid feature)
Polar No direct transfer
Transfer details
  • Garmin Connect always receives the next 14 days – more follow automatically. The complete plan is in the Aspect App.
  • The Aspect App calculates the target values (watts, heart rate or pace) from your values in the plan when sending. If you change them, the upcoming workouts in Garmin Connect are updated automatically.
  • If you move a session within its week in the Aspect App, it is moved in Garmin Connect too.
  • Strength sessions arrive in Garmin Connect as an exercise list (e.g. “3×10 squats”). You can see the exercises in detail in the Aspect App.
  • For COROS, Suunto and Zwift, you use your free Intervals.icu account: most services receive roughly the next 7 days at a time from there, and Intervals.icu calculates the target ranges from your values there.
  • Zwift uses the values in your Zwift profile (FTP, 5K time). Enter the same values there as in Intervals.icu.
Prefer not to transfer?
In the Aspect App you can also download run workouts as FIT files (e.g. for Garmin, Wahoo, COROS) or as ZWO files for Zwift.

What you get

  • The complete 12-week plan68 sessions, structured week by week and day by day.
  • All sessions in the Aspect AppEvery session with its full structure. In the browser on your smartphone, tablet or computer.
  • Flexible within your weekIf a day doesn’t suit you, you can use a free Aspect account to move sessions to another day within the plan week or change their order – by drag & drop on a computer, or via “Move to…” on a smartphone. You can restore the original order at any time.
  • Straight to your watchAs structured workouts with your target values, directly via Garmin Connect – for COROS, Suunto and Zwift via your free Intervals.icu account. Or as a FIT/ZWO download. How it works
  • 20 marked key sessionsThe sessions that matter most in each week. They take priority if you need to reschedule.
  • Access with or without an accountPersonal access link by email. With a free Aspect account, saved permanently under “My plans” – and ready to send to your watch.
Alex, coach at Aspect Endurance Coaching

Created by your coach

Hi, I’m Alex – coach and the mind behind aspect®. My training plans grow out of my endurance coaching work in triathlon, cycling and running. If you’d rather have individual coaching than a ready-made plan, take a look at 1:1 coaching.

More about coaching

Frequently asked questions

How do I get the training plan after purchase?

Once we’ve received your payment, you’ll get an email with your personal access link. Use it to open the plan directly in the Aspect App – in the browser on your smartphone, tablet or computer. You’ll also receive your invoice by email.

How does the plan get onto my watch?

Directly via Garmin Connect: open your plan in the Aspect App, tap “Garmin Connect” at the top and follow the steps in the “Plan on your watch” window: “Connect with Garmin Connect”, “Check target values” and “Send to Garmin”. The workouts reach your Garmin watch or Edge with your target values. Strength sessions arrive as an exercise list. Garmin Connect always receives the next 14 days – more follow automatically. For COROS, Suunto and Zwift, you use Intervals.icu: in the same window, choose “No Garmin? Connect Intervals.icu”, connect your free Intervals.icu account, match your target values and send the plan to your Intervals.icu calendar. There, under Settings → Connections, you connect your device or platform and enable uploading planned workouts (e.g. “Upload planned workouts”). Zwift uses the values in your Zwift profile (FTP, 5K time). Most services receive roughly the next 7 days at a time.

See the step-by-step guide

Does it work with the Apple Watch?

Not directly: there’s no official Intervals.icu integration for the Apple Watch. It’s only possible via third-party apps (e.g. Watchletic – the Intervals.icu import is a paid feature). Polar isn’t supported directly either. You can still see all your sessions in the Aspect App at any time – including in your smartphone’s browser.

Does Intervals.icu cost anything?

No. A free Intervals.icu account is all you need for the transfer. Intervals.icu also offers an optional supporter subscription – you don’t need it for this. Transferring from the Aspect App doesn’t cost anything extra either.

Go to Intervals.icu

Do I have to keep my values up to date in two places?

No. For Garmin Connect, the Aspect App calculates the target values from the values in your plan when sending – if you change them, the upcoming workouts in Garmin Connect are updated automatically. If you use Intervals.icu, the “Match target values” step checks whether the same values are stored there as in your plan. If something differs, you choose which value applies and match them with one click. Nothing is overwritten without asking. Zwift still uses the values in your Zwift profile.

Do I need an account in the Aspect App?

Not to view it: the access link also works without an account. With a free Aspect account, you save the plan permanently under “My plans” – and only then can you transfer it to your watch directly via Garmin Connect or via Intervals.icu.

When can I start the plan?

Whenever you like. The plan isn’t tied to a date but built in weeks (week 1 to 12), and each week starts on a Monday. If you have a race in mind, simply count back 12 weeks from race day. For the transfer to Garmin Connect or Intervals.icu, you choose your start Monday yourself.

What happens if I start later or need to reschedule?

No problem. If you want to start the whole plan later, choose “Reschedule” in the “Plan on your watch” window and pick a new start Monday – sessions already sent are moved to the new days in Garmin Connect. With Intervals.icu, choose a new start date under “Intervals.icu” → “Reschedule” – the sessions are moved without any duplicate entries. Your own entries in Garmin Connect and Intervals.icu stay untouched. If just a single day doesn’t work, move the session within its week (see next question).

Can I move sessions to other days?

Yes, within the respective plan week. With a free Aspect account, you move a session in the plan view to another day of the same week or change the order on a day – on a computer by drag and drop, on a smartphone via the “Move to …” menu on each session. The plan itself stays unchanged: moved sessions are marked with a small icon (e.g. “originally Tuesday”), and “Reset week” or “Reset whole plan” restores the original order. If the plan has been transferred to Garmin Connect or Intervals.icu, moves and resets are applied there automatically. If you move a transferred session directly in Garmin Connect or in the Intervals.icu calendar within its week, the Aspect App picks this up (for Garmin Connect at the daily sync). If a session ends up outside its plan week, the app moves it back to its week and shows you a notice. Without an account, you can view the plan but not move sessions.

Is the plan tailored to me personally?

No – it’s a ready-made training plan that works for many athletes with a similar goal. If you’d like individual support, you’ll find 1:1 coaching at aspect-sports.com.

Explore 1:1 coaching

Do I have a right of withdrawal?

The training plan is digital content. With your express consent, it is made available before the withdrawal period has expired – your right of withdrawal then expires when provision begins (Section 356(5) of the German Civil Code, BGB). You’ll find the details in our withdrawal policy.

View the withdrawal policy

Off-Season Threshold & VO2max Running (Pace)

12 weeks · 68 sessions · €11.20 instead of €14.00 (final price*, lowest price in the 30 days before the offer began: €14.00)

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Per week
Avg. 14.4 h · 11–13 sessions
Guided by
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Goal: Long distance

Duration
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Per week
Avg. 12 h · 10–12 sessions
Guided by
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Goal: Long distance

Duration
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Per week
Avg. 9.8 h · 9–11 sessions
Guided by
Power or heart rate (your choice)
Guided by
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Garmin Connect direct, Wahoo, COROS & more via Intervals.icu
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