Athlevo Method, version 1.0
The Athlevo Method
Running coaching lessons for working adults who train in the heat.
The Athlevo Method is a way of training runners who have a job, a family, poor sleep some weeks and hot, humid mornings. It does not invent new physiology. It applies established endurance science to that group of runners, and it counts the full cost of training: the runs, the weather, your work, your sleep and the state of your legs.
These lessons explain how it works, and why each decision in an Athlevo plan is made. They are written for runners who want to understand their training, and for coaches who want to see how a system like this fits together.
Start here
- 01Running Training Zones ExplainedThe four zones, what each feels like and what it is for.
- 02How to Plan a Running Training WeekHow a week is planned, how volume is split and what progresses first.
- 03Running Training Phases and TaperThe three phases of a block, what each is for and how the taper works.
Load, heat and recovery
- 04Training Load, Heat and Work StressThe four loads Athlevo counts before it makes any training decision.
- 05Running in the Heat: Adjust Pace, Not EffortHow heat changes training, how Athlevo adjusts for it and the warning signs to know.
- 06When to Swap a Hard Run for an Easy OneThe five capacity levels and the test for converting a hard session.
Where the ideas come from
- 07Lactate Threshold Training for RunnersThe Norwegian threshold idea, what Athlevo keeps and the four Threshold sessions.
- 08Race Pace Training: The Pace LadderThe pace ladder, funnel periodization and what Athlevo takes from it.
- 09Hill Sprints for Distance RunnersWhat ASR means and how hill sprints raise your speed ceiling.
Three bodies of work behind the method
The method is built on three published frameworks. Each solves a different part of the problem.
The Norwegian threshold model
Builds the aerobic engine with a lot of easy running and controlled work just below threshold.
Read the lessonFunnel periodization
Builds the full ladder of paces above and below race pace, then narrows toward race pace.
Read the lessonAnaerobic speed reserve
Raises your speed ceiling so every pace below it costs less.
Read the lesson
What is research and what is our own design
The zone names, session names, weekly structure and decision rules in these lessons are Athlevo's own design. The ideas they draw on come from published work, and each lesson links the sources it relies on. Where a lesson states a research finding, it says so. Nothing here is medical advice.
Questions
What is the Athlevo Method?
It is a total-load endurance training framework. It uses four training zones, a weekly structure built around one main goal, and a set of decision rules that account for heat, work stress and sleep as well as running.
Who is it for?
It is built for working adults who run in hot, humid, real-world conditions, starting with runners in the Philippines and places with similar demands. Beginners, returning runners and experienced racers all start from where they are.
Who wrote it?
Dean Castro, founder and head coach at Athlevo. The lessons come from the Athlevo Method course, version 1.0.
Do I need a lactate meter?
No. Zones are set from effort, pace and heart rate. The lactate numbers in the lessons are reference points for coaches. The training zones lesson explains how they line up.
Where can I get a plan built on this method?
Athlevo coaching programs are built on it. You can see them on the Athlevo programs page.
Want this applied to your own training?
Athlevo coaching programs are built on the method in these lessons.
See Athlevo programs