Aerobic base running plan: build consistency before speed
8 weeks • 4 easy runs/week • English • Pace-based structured workouts
Build a sustainable running routine before your next performance block. Gopeaks Running Aerobic Base Builder increases easy duration gradually, with a recovery week and a lighter final week. Practical guidance helps you manage hills, humid heat and a busy schedule, whether training in Vietnam or abroad.
Is this the right starting point?
For adults running consistently for at least 6–8 weeks, already comfortable with four runs and about 2–2.5 hours weekly, including a continuous easy 40–45-minute run. It is for recreational runners with an established habit; complete beginners and runners returning from injury need a different starting point.
What you receive
- 32 structured easy runs, each with warm-up, main section and cool-down.
- 12 English guides: eight weekly briefs with start-of-week checklists and end-of-week reviews, plus getting started, setup, adaptation and choosing your next block.
- Weekly duration: 2h25, 2h35, 2h50, 2h00, 3h00, 3h10, 3h20 and 2h35.
- Longest run builds from 45 to 70 minutes; week 4 supports recovery and week 8 consolidates your base.
- No hard intervals, mandatory tests or race entries.
Easy means easy
Run at RPE 2–3/10 with full-sentence conversation. The main-set guide of 70–82% of current threshold speed is not a measured aerobic-threshold boundary. Slow down below the range or walk briefly when needed. Percentages apply to speed, not min/km. Planned IF/TSS depend on your threshold and are estimates, not goals to chase.
Fit training into your week
Run Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday; other days allow rest or gentle activity. The plan ranges from 2h00 to 3h20/week, averaging about 2h44. Follow the progression only when recovered; repeat an easier week or shorten runs instead of making up missed sessions. Do not layer this onto another running plan.
Start simply
- Preview sample weeks 3 and 7 and check your starting point.
- Apply the plan and read START HERE and SETUP.
- Use your current running threshold if available; no maximal test is required just to begin.
- Follow sessions on TrainingPeaks or a compatible device where supported, recording RPE and recovery.
Support and your next goal
Prefer Vietnamese? Choose the Vietnamese Aerobic Base plan.
Coach Dieu Xuan Trung | Gopeaks
Selection, setup and use: hello@gopeaks.coach. Self-guided purchase excludes 1:1 coaching, daily analysis, individual nutrition advice and TrainingPeaks Premium. Postpone if ill, injured or unrecovered. No race-time or fitness gain is guaranteed.
Choose one main running block. For tailored support, explore Gopeaks coaching. Coaching is a separate service; the linked website is primarily in Vietnamese.
Triathlon coach and founder of Gopeaks in Ho Chi Minh City. A USA Triathlon Level II and TrainingPeaks Level 2 Coach, I help beginners and age-group athletes prepare for their first triathlon, improve race performance and build lasting fitness. My coaching combines structured training, performance analysis and practical guidance, with plans tailored to each athlete's goals, experience and available time.