3 Essential Tips for a Successful Fall Race Training Season

By now, you’ve probably got your fall race locked in and you're mentally preparing to increase your weekly mileage.

Did you know that many running injuries can be traced back to training errors? That’s one reason I became a running coach after finishing physical therapy school. Understanding how to safely structure run training progressions has been incredibly helpful for managing my patients’ injuries and helping them build mileage effectively.

So here are my top three training tips for this part of your season. If ignored, these can lead to surprise injuries down the road—and it’s much harder to manage pain three weeks out from race day than it is three months out.

1. Hit Your Base Mileage

At this stage, you should be holding steady or building past your base mileage—the weekly volume you’ve maintained since the spring race season (hint: this means without pain). For many experienced runners, that’s around 15–30 miles per week.

If you’re just getting back into training or had a setback this spring, your base mileage might be lower. That doesn’t mean you can’t run a race this fall, but it might mean aiming for a half marathon or less.

Everyone’s base mileage varies depending on goals, injury history, and training background. Not sure if you’re where you need to be? Just reply and I’m happy to help. This is also exactly why I created my Return to Run Program - to help you train for long distance races while reducing pain and building resilience.

Here are general base mileage guidelines I recommend for runners entering fall race training:

Base Mileage for Marathon Training:

• Long run: 6–8 miles

• Weekly frequency: 4 days per week

• Minimum run: At least 3 miles per day

Base Mileage for Half Marathon Training:

• Long run: 4–5 miles

• Weekly frequency: 3 days per week

• Minimum run: At least 3 miles per day

Hitting these mileage benchmarks helps your muscles, joints, and cardiovascular system adapt to the demands of distance running. It makes your training plan feel like a natural progression, not a shock to the system.

If you have pain during your base weeks, NOW is the time to research and reach out. Seriously! Pleeease don’t ignore it. That NEVER ends well, believe me.

2. Plan Out Your Build and Back-Off Weeks

The best training plans for runners are intentionally structured with build weeks and back-off weeks (also called recovery or deload weeks).

Build weeks gradually increase your mileage, speed, or training intensity. Back-off weeks pull things back to allow your body to absorb the work and recover.

A typical structure looks like this:

• Build Weeks: 2–3 weeks of increasing volume

• Back-Off Week: 1 week of reduced mileage and lower intensity

These lighter weeks are not a setback or a waste of time. They're what help your body recover, adapt, and stay injury-free. Without them, you're more likely to experience overuse injuries and feel mentally burnt out.

If you're creating your own plan, map out these recovery weeks in advance. For example, if you know you’ll be traveling mid-training, that’s a great week to schedule a back-off.

Consistent training with built-in recovery is the only way to stay on track and get the most out of your effort.

3. Dial In Your Strength Routine

The surest way to fall off your strength training for running is having to come up with a workout each time you go to lift.

If you have to invent your workout every time, it’s easy to lose momentum and hard to track progress. Random workouts = random results.

That’s why having a plan or following a strength class is so helpful. It reduces decision fatigue and builds consistency, which is what actually leads to strength gains.

Here’s how to set yourself up for success:

• Make it brainless: Pick 4–6 go-to strength exercises you repeat weekly

• Make it consistent: Strength train on two non-consecutive days each week

  • Avoid lifting the day before your long run or speed session

• Make it repetitive: You don’t need a new routine every week. Consistency builds confidence and results.

Think of strength work like brushing your teeth: simple, automatic, and non-negotiable.

Just 20–30 minutes of strength training twice a week can improve running performance, reduce injury risk, and help you feel stronger with every mile.

Final Thoughts

The most successful marathon and half marathon training plans don’t happen by accident. They’re built on smart, consistent habits and attention to the small things that keep your body resilient.

Before you pile on speed or long runs, make sure your foundation is solid:
✅ Weekly base mileage
✅ Structured build and recovery weeks
✅ Simple, repeatable strength routine

Set yourself up for a strong, pain-free training season—so you can enjoy every step from the first run to the finish line.

I hope you found this article helpful!

✉️ Reply to me directly at [email protected] to ask questions about how to have a successful race season.

❤️‍🩹 Having pain while running? Download my free 4 Essential Rehab Exercises for Runners! It's a list of exercises I've found most valuable for runners coming back from injury. 

 👟 Ready to get back to running with confidence? Check out my Return to Run Program - a personalized strategy for you written by a Doctor of Physical Therapy and Run Coach.