Running Season Review: Examining the Annual Training Cycle

Introduction

For many runners in Taiwan, the annual marathon season peaks between November and March of the following year. After the season ends, many enter a “training vacuum”—without clear goals or systematic reflection. This gap period is actually the most wasted learning opportunity in the entire training cycle.

Season Review is a standard procedure for professional runners and coaches, and it is also a tool that any serious amateur runner should adopt. This article provides an annual review framework suitable for runners in Taiwan.

What is Periodization?

Before planning annual training, it is necessary to understand the basic concept of periodized training. For runners whose core goal is the marathon, a year can typically be divided into:

The annual Season Review is typically conducted at the beginning of the recovery phase, while race memories are still fresh, to complete a systematic review as soon as possible.

A Five-Dimension Annual Review Framework

Dimension 1: Training Volume Review

Export the full year’s weekly mileage data from Garmin Connect or Strava, plot it on a line chart, and answer the following questions:

• What is the total annual mileage? Did it increase or decrease compared to the previous year?
• When was the highest point (peak) of weekly mileage? Did the peak weekly mileage reach the target?
• How many training interruption gaps were there? What were the reasons (injury, business trips, illness)?
• What was the actual execution rate for each training phase (planned mileage vs. actual mileage)?

Goal: The base phase mileage for the next year should be built upon this year’s highest peak, rather than starting from scratch.

Dimension 2: Race Performance Review

• Which races exceeded expectations? What training factors were behind them?
• Which races fell short of goals? Were the main causes pacing strategy, insufficient fitness, or external factors?
• What common characteristics do PB races share? (Weather, pre-race training status, fueling strategy)

Dimension 3: Workout Execution Quality

• Long run execution rate: How many times were the planned long run distances fully completed?
• Speed training quality: What was the achievement rate for target paces in interval training?
• Recovery run discipline: Were easy runs truly “easy” (heart rate controlled in Zone 2)?
• Strength training execution rate: Was the twice-weekly strength training consistently maintained?

Many runners will discover that their “easy run” heart rate has actually been elevated for a long time—this is one of the main reasons aerobic efficiency improves slowly.

Dimension 4: Injury and Health Records

• How many times were you injured this year? What was the location, cause, and recovery time for each injury?
• At which stage of the training cycle did the injury occur (mileage build-up phase? pre-race peak phase)?
• Were there any recurring injuries? If so, this indicates a need for fundamental improvement (running form, strength, shoes).
• How many sick days were there? Were there any immune-system-related issues (e.g., catching colds easily after races)?

Dimension 5: Psychological and Quality of Life Review

Running training does not happen in a vacuum; it interacts with work stress, family circumstances, and sleep quality:

• When were the peaks and valleys of training motivation this year? What were the reasons?
• Was there a period when training felt like a “burden” rather than a joy?
• How was the balance between running and other aspects of life?
• Did you neglect the joy of running in pursuit of performance?

Developing the Next Year’s Training Plan

Based on the results of the five-dimension review, the following should be considered when developing next year’s plan:

1. Retain what works: Which workouts were most effective? Keep them.
2. Fix weaknesses: What is the most frequently skipped training type? Identify the reasons.
3. Set progressive goals: Annual mileage increase should not exceed 20%, and target race times should not exceed 5–8% improvement over the previous year’s PB.
4. Schedule recovery periods: Clearly mark recovery weeks and unstructured training periods in the annual plan, treating them as part of the plan.

Practical Advice

• Complete the review within 2 weeks after the season ends, while memories are still fresh.
• The review does not need to be perfect; a review with 80% of the information is more valuable than a perfect review that was never done.
• Consider doing the Season Review with running friends, sharing observations with each other—you can often see blind spots that others notice but you cannot.
• Archive the review document and pull it out for comparison at the same time each year. This “multi-year growth record” will become your most precious training asset.

Conclusion

Great runners are not those who train the most, but those who learn the most from every training session. The Season Review is a ritual that transforms each year’s effort into the wisdom of the next. Invest one afternoon, and you will save months of detours in the future.

Related Reading

• End-of-Season Data Review: How to Evaluate Progress Using a Full Year of Training Data
• Road Running Special Feature | Fatigue Monitoring in Periodized Training (R020)
• Road Running Special Feature | Fatigue Monitoring in Periodized Training (R062)
• Road Running Special Feature | Fatigue Monitoring in Periodized Training (R041)