Template · Running
From 5 km to a half marathon in twelve weeks
Twelve weeks is enough — if the weeks are in the right order. Give DreamDo your race date and the days you can run, and it lays out the build, the peak and the taper with dates on them.
The clearest case for sequence
A running plan makes the argument better than any other example, because getting the order wrong is unmistakable. Do the long runs too late and you arrive undertrained. Skip the taper and you arrive exhausted. The same set of runs, in a different order, produces a different race.
That is what phases are: not folders for your tasks, but a statement about what has to come before what.
How the twelve weeks are shaped
Base
Consistent easy distance first, so the harder weeks have something to sit on. This is the part people skip and then wonder why week eight hurts.
Build
The long run grows while the easy days stay easy. Sized to the days you told it you can actually run.
Peak
The longest efforts land here, far enough from race day to recover from.
Taper
Volume comes down on purpose. The work is already done; this phase exists so you can use it.
Questions before you start
Do I need to already run?
This shape assumes you can cover about 5 km. If you are starting from nothing, describe that instead and the plan will begin further back — the horizon just needs to be longer.
Why does the order matter so much?
Because the taper only works if the build came first. Shuffle the phases of a running plan and you arrive at race day either undertrained or too tired — which is exactly what sequencing is for.
What if I miss a week?
Ask the coach to recover the plan and it re-dates the remaining work around the gap. With a fixed race date that matters more than usual, and you see the new shape before it applies.
Is this medical or coaching advice?
No. It is a scheduling tool that puts a sensible progression in order. If something hurts, talk to a physio or a coach — the plan will still be there, and it will re-date around the time you take off.