Human Performance Outliers Podcast with Zach Bitter Episode 466: Running Starter Pack
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Dec 3, 2025 Discover essential tips for structuring a sustainable running program that benefits both beginners and seasoned athletes. Learn the importance of consistency and how to budget your training time effectively. Zach emphasizes building a low-intensity foundation and discusses safe volume increases to minimize injury risks. Compare RPE, heart rate, and pace as training tools, and understand the optimal use of intervals. Plus, gain insights on race specificity and how to keep your training enjoyable over the long haul!
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Increase Volume Conservatively
- Increase weekly volume conservatively; 10% per week is a safe general guideline.
- Avoid jumps toward 20–30% week-to-week to reduce injury and burnout risk.
Use RPE As Your Primary In-Run Guide
- Use RPE (rate of perceived exertion) as your primary intra-workout guide to learn effort.
- Calibrate feel for easy, moderate, and hard before relying on pace or heart rate.
Pace Moves; Feel Stays Stable
- Pace is a moving target as fitness changes, while perceived effort remains relatively constant.
- Use feel to execute workouts and pace to track progress, not to set fixed targets forever.