When you first venture into the world of trail running, it’s easy to bring your old road running habits along with you. You map out your training for the week looking for specific mileage, from aiming for 50 miles per week, a 20 mile long run, or even something like a 10k tempo run.
But out on the trails, distance can be an unreliable metric.
If you want to train smarter, avoid burnout, and actually enjoy the training, it might be time to change your mindset. Stop counting miles and start counting minutes. Here is why measuring your training in time could be a game changer for you.
1. Not All Miles Are Created Equal
On the road a 10 mile run takes roughly the same amount of time and effort every week. On the trails terrain changes everything.
Imagine two different 10 mile runs:
- Run A: A flat easy trail. Duration 90 minutes.
- Run B: A technical single track with 2,500 feet of climbing, and scrambling. Duration 3 hours.
If your training plan dictates a ’10 mile run’ you might finish Run A feeling fresh, but Run B will leave you utterly wrecked. By planning a 2 hour run instead, you accommodate the terrain. You can pick a flat route or a brutal hilly route, and your body still receives the exact physiological stress you intended.
2. It Teaches You To Value Time On Feet
Your body doesn’t know how far you’ve travelled, only how long it’s been working. A 4 hour slow, technical long run mimics the fatigue of a 50k or 50 miler much better than a fast, flat 20 miler that you finish in 2.5 hours.
3. It Neutralises The Ego
We’ve all been there, you look down at your GPS watch, see your pace dropping on a steep incline, and suddenly you’re pushing into the red zone just to keep your average pace looking pretty for Strava.
Training by time removes that trap. When your goal is simply to move at an easy effort for 2 hours, it doesn’t matter if your pace is 9 minutes per mile or 12 minutes per mile you naturally learn to run by Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE).
4. It Makes Logistics Easier
Trying to squeeze a 16 mile run into a hectic Saturday morning is stressful because terrain, elevation, or fatigue can turn a 2.5 hour run into a 4 hour run.
When you train by time, your schedule is entirely predictable. If you have 2.5 hours on the plan, you know exactly when you’ll be back home, regardless of how slow or technical the trail is. This helps keep your stress levels low and the family happy.
The Takeaway
The body responds to effort and duration, not the distance displayed on your watch. By training by time, you align your preparation with your body’s true adaptation, and you could arrive at the starting line better trained, less likely to be over trained, more confident, and better prepared for the long miles ahead.
