Winter Base Block Running training plan
- 4 weeks
- Running
Level: Beginner
- Duration
- 4 weeks
- Sessions
- 23 in total
- avg. 5.8 per week
- Training time
- avg. 3.5 h/week
- Peak week 3.9 h
- Key sessions
- 7 key sessions
How the training load develops
Training time per week over 4 weeks. The toughest week is week 3 with 3.9 h.
Plan structure
23 sessions spread over 4 weeks, around 14 hours of training and a total load of 666 TSS.
- Running 15 sessions 94 km in total
- Strength training 8 sessions
| Week | Sessions | Sports | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 2 Key |
|
3.5 h |
| 2 | 6 2 Key |
|
3.7 h |
| 3 | 6 2 Key |
|
3.9 h |
| 4 | 5 1 Key |
|
2.8 h |
A look inside the plan
Sample week: week 2 of 4
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.
You can also download run workouts as FIT files for Garmin, Wahoo, COROS and others, or as ZWO files for Zwift.
Week 2 Base Phase – Load Week 2 6 sessions 3:43 h 25.4 km 2
About this training plan
Four weeks that make the winter work for you. Easy runs build a broader base, while short strides and measured threshold sections in every load week keep your running form from going stale. At the end there is a 5 km test that takes you straight into your next plan. Your runs are guided by heart rate, so the easy runs stay genuinely easy, even on snow and into a headwind.
Who the plan is for
You have been running two to three times a week for a few months and can manage 30 to 45 minutes of easy running without stopping. Now you want to use the winter in a structured way for the first time, or get back into running after the off-season. You can schedule Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday as fixed running days, and Sunday is free for a short, optional run.
If even half an hour of continuous running is still a hurdle for you, “Couch to 5K” is the better place to start.
How the plan works
Three weeks of increasing volume, then a shorter week to absorb the work. The Saturday long run grows from 50 to 60 minutes, Thursday grows with it in small steps, and Tuesday stays about the same length.
- Easy runs: You run at 82 to 89% of your threshold HR, easy enough to speak in full sentences. This is where your endurance grows, along with the resilience of your tendons and bones.
- Strides: On Tuesdays you add four to six short, brisk 20-second efforts to an easy run. Fast and relaxed but never all-out, they keep your stride light. They are too short for heart rate to be useful, so you run them by feel.
- Threshold: On Thursdays, after your warm-up and running drills, you run 6-minute sections at 93 to 97% of your threshold HR, brisk and controlled, from two in week 1 to four in week 3.
- Strength and stretching: Straight after the Saturday run you strengthen your calves, shins, hips and hamstrings – in week 4 after the Tuesday run. On the run-free Monday you stretch your hip flexors and calves.
For the winter, every fast session has a fallback rule: if it’s icy, run the strides and threshold on a treadmill with the same HR target, or do an easy run instead. In week 4 you repeat the 5 km test from the start and see what the three weeks have done for you.
What you need before you start
- A current test result: at the weekend before you start, after a thorough warm-up, run 5 km on a flat, dry route as fast as you can sustain at an even pace, recorded with a chest strap. The first note in the plan explains how to derive your threshold HR from it.
- A running watch with an HR display and a chest strap, because wrist-based readings are often inaccurate in the cold and during changes of pace, and you need an accurate average to evaluate the test.
- A head torch and reflectors for runs in the dark, and a treadmill within reach for icy days.
Support within the plan
At the start and for the test week, a short briefing explains what matters. A note on winter running covers visibility, ice, clothing and breathing. Mental coaching prompts help you set your winter goal, keep going through darkness and cold, and keep your runs in test week genuinely short until the test itself. Finally, you’ll find out which plan is the logical next step.
What comes after the 4 weeks
Your test from week 4 is the starting test for Level 1 of the heart-rate-guided 5K, 10K, Half Marathon and Marathon Personal Best plans, so you can start week 1 on the following Monday. These plans run for 10 to 20 weeks, come in Levels 1 to 3, and take you to your race with threshold work, race pace and mental coaching. Which one fits depends on your goal and your weekly kilometres.
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. If they’re already stored in Intervals.icu, you can import them with one click during setup. Here’s how to find your values:
- Threshold HR (running)Your threshold heart rate is the highest heart rate you can sustain for about 60 minutes. How to find it: after a good warm-up, run on your own for 30 minutes as fast as you can hold evenly – your average heart rate over the last 20 minutes is your threshold HR. Alternatively, from an all-out 10K run: 98% of your average HR over the full 10 km (average 176 bpm → threshold HR 172 bpm). A chest strap gives the most accurate reading.
Device sync via Intervals.icu
Your plan on your watch
Send your plan to your free Intervals.icu calendar in just a few clicks. From there, your run sessions go to your watch as structured workouts with intervals and target ranges – or into Zwift. No retyping and no file imports.
Ready in six steps
- Buy the planOnce your payment has been received, you’ll get your access link by email.
- Save it to your Aspect accountWith a free Aspect account, you save the plan under “My plans”.
- Connect Intervals.icuTap “Intervals.icu” at the top of your plan and connect your free account on intervals.icu (opens an external site). No account yet? You can create one there in a minute.
- Match your target valuesThe app checks whether Intervals.icu holds the same values as your plan (e.g. FTP, threshold heart rate or threshold pace). Any differences can be matched with one click.
- Choose a start date and sendChoose your start Monday, check the preview, send.
- Connect your deviceIn Intervals.icu, go to Settings → Connections, connect your device or platform and enable uploading of planned workouts (e.g. “Upload planned workouts”).
What arrives where
| Platform | What arrives |
|---|---|
| Garmin | Running as structured workouts; strength: title only, no exercises (supported) |
| Zwift | Run workouts (supported) |
| Suunto | Planned workouts (watches with SuuntoPlus Guides) (supported) |
| COROS | Planned workouts – the first time only, drag the “Intervals.icu” training plan into your calendar in the COROS app. (supported) |
| Huawei | Only the next run session at a time (sent to the watch in the Huawei app) (limited) |
| Apple Watch | No official integration – only via third-party apps (e.g. Watchletic – the Intervals.icu import is a paid feature) (limited) |
| Polar | No direct transfer (not supported) |
- Most services receive roughly the next 7 days at a time. The complete plan is in your Intervals.icu calendar.
- Intervals.icu calculates the target ranges from your values there (e.g. FTP, threshold HR, threshold pace). If you change them, upcoming workouts are adjusted with the next sync.
- During setup, the Aspect App checks whether your values in Intervals.icu match your plan. You resolve any differences with one click – in either direction, with a side-by-side comparison first.
- If you move a session within its week in the Aspect App, Intervals.icu updates automatically – and so does your device at the next sync.
- Zwift uses the values in your Zwift profile (FTP, 5K time). Enter the same values there as in Intervals.icu.
- Strength sessions appear in the Intervals.icu calendar with a description and planned duration. On your watch they only show their title. You’ll find the exercises in the Aspect App.
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 4-week plan23 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. If you’ve sent the plan to Intervals.icu, it is updated there automatically.
- Straight to your watchAs structured workouts via your free Intervals.icu account – to Garmin, COROS, Suunto & more. Or as a FIT/ZWO download. How it works
- 7 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.
How it works
- OrderAdd the plan to your basket and pay with PayPal, card and more (via Stripe) or by bank transfer.
- Check your inboxOnce your payment has been received, you’ll get your personal access link.
- Open your planThe link opens your plan straight in the Aspect App – nothing to install.
- Save it to your accountOptional and free: save the plan to your Aspect account and open it again at any time.
- Get it onto your watchOptional: send it to your calendar via Intervals.icu with your start date – and from there to your watch. Here’s how
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.
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?
Via Intervals.icu. Open your plan in the Aspect App, tap “Intervals.icu” at the top and follow the steps: connect your free Intervals.icu account, match your target values, choose your start Monday, check the preview and send the plan to your Intervals.icu calendar as structured workouts. From there, Intervals.icu sends the upcoming sessions to Garmin, Zwift, Suunto and COROS – to set this up, go to Settings → Connections in Intervals.icu, connect your device or platform and switch on the upload of 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.
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.
Do I have to keep my values up to date in two places?
No. In the plan view, the “Match target values” step (“Intervals.icu” button) checks whether Intervals.icu holds the same values as your plan – FTP, threshold HR, threshold pace or swim threshold pace (CSS), depending on what your plan uses. If anything differs, you see both values side by side, choose which one applies for each, and match them with one click. Nothing is overwritten without asking. To do this, you confirm access to your Intervals.icu sport settings once when connecting. Your indoor FTP stays unchanged, and HR zones are only recalculated if you explicitly ask for it. 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 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 4), and each week starts on a Monday. If you have a race in mind, simply count back 4 weeks from race day. For the transfer to Intervals.icu, you choose your start Monday yourself – the Monday of the current week at the earliest.
What happens if I start later or need to reschedule?
No problem. If you want to start the whole plan later, simply choose a new start date in the plan view under “Intervals.icu” → “Reschedule” – the sessions are moved in your Intervals.icu calendar without any duplicate entries. If you no longer need the plan there, you can remove it again. Your own entries in Intervals.icu remain untouched. If just a single day doesn’t work, move the session within its week (see the next question).
Can I move sessions to other days?
Yes, within the plan week in question. With a free Aspect account, you can move a session to another day of the same week in the plan view or change the order within a day – by drag and drop on a computer, or via the “Move to…” menu on each session on a smartphone. 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 Intervals.icu, moves and resets are applied there automatically – and to your watch at the next sync. If you move a transferred session within its week directly in the Intervals.icu calendar, the Aspect App picks this up (it can take about a minute). If a session ends up outside its plan week there, the app moves it back to its week and lets you know. 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.
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.
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