Volume Training - Where does it fit in?

Over the past few weeks we have been buckling down and learning as much as we can about training and nutrition. Through Uphill Athlete, Skin Track, and numerous other resources, we have learned that the number one contributor towards improving our endurance is to add low intensity volume. But where does the time to add volume come from if you are working full time and studying for school?

In general, we seem to stagnate in the realm of 5-10 hours per week. While this is a great achievement for normal fitness goals of the average person, we are looking for more. But at the same time, it doesn’t feel like there are 15+ hours in a given week that we can dedicate to training. I guess it all comes down to sacrifice.

So what do we need to sacrifice to find 15 or more hours? How about going out to dinner during the week? That’s an easy one because we cook nearly every meal at home anyway. What about TV and Movies? Another easy one because that has already seemed to fall away for the most part. A few more rounds of this in my head and I’m starting to see that we actually do have the time, it’s just getting eaten away by indecision and slow transitions.

So where does 15+ hours come from then? It comes from having a plan and sticking to it. If the weather looks rough, make sure the appropriate clothes, gloves, and hat are set aside to make the transition faster and easier. Plan for the travel time it takes to get to North Table Mountain. Plan for a closer run if the travel doesn’t make sense. And then once the plan is set, don’t tinker and question. Just follow the plan and the volume will come.

I know we aren’t the only ones to have this problem and come to this solution, but in the off chance someone ever reads this, maybe they can think about their own training and find that the hours are there and they just need to take full advantage.