When I spotted an 800-meter repeat workout and progression run scheduled for the first week of my Runna training plan, I immediately tried to figure out a way to get out of it. I wanted to get faster, but gradually, and seeing those two sessions on my plan sent off alarm bells inside my head. I signed up for Runna—a personalized training app—with a long list of to-dos.
Nailing down a solid routine with a mix of speedwork, strength training, and mobility was top priority. As a newly RRCA-certified run coach, I had an idea of how my next training plan would look: A steady progression of mileage and intensity—one that kicks off with easy runs in the first week, followed by short intervals or strides the next, and then getting into more structured workouts. The Runna plan didn’t mimic anything I was currently doing at the time, so I was skeptical it was aligned with my fitness level.
But I didn’t want to give up on following a plan in the app, so I went through the setup process several more times, until I finally got a program I felt comfortable with following. Finding the right training plan that aligns with your fitness level and goals isn’t always easy. If you’re a runner who’s looking for a more tailored approach, apps like Runna can fill the gap, especially if training with a coach is out of your reach.
Knowing how to navigate the app for smarter training, so you avoid taking on too much too soon, while also building consistency and progress that allows you to perform your best on race day. I successfully used Runna to train for the Copenhagen Half Marathon, cutting more than 10 minutes off my finish time. Here’s exactly what I did to make the plan work for me and my fitness level.
Before you start training with Runna, you’re asked a series of questions about your current fitness and mileage, injury history, and race history. This helps the app generate the best training plan for you based on your answers. It’s important you respond to these questions honestly, and not based on what you think you can do, says Stephanie Kessell, elite marathoner and head coach at Runna.
You can always tweak your training plan, dialing things up or down based on how your training is going afterward. I told the app I would like to run three days a week, and I used my second half marathon time of 2:48:54 to estimate my finish time. (I completed that race about a month before I started training with Runna.) Based on that information and a few other answers, the app outlined my 14-week training plan and predicted I could finish my next race anywhere between 2:25 and 2:35. But I took the questionnaire several more times, each time filling in slightly different answers, hoping I could push off the speedwork.
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