This is the first in a series of posts leading up to the spring race season, as well as my 12-week Crosstraining For Runners program at the Old Town Hot Springs. You can find more information about the program by clicking on this link.
If you are like most people, you may have started the year with big plans to improve your fitness. Perhaps you joined a gym or fitness studio, or you have simply committed to healthier eating habits.
Or maybe you decided that this would be the year that you would finally run that big race that you’ve been talking about since the Bush administration.
Congratulations, as this will be one of the most challenging and rewarding things that you are likely to do in your lifetime, and training for it will not be easy.
At first glance, training for a marathon (or any race) seems like a pretty straightforward proposition, as in “I’m going to run 26.2 miles, so I should just run a little further every day at the same pace!”
This is a popular, albeit slightly misguided belief.
In reality, endurance training involves way more than just pushing yourself a little farther and running constantly.
While it may seem intuitive to just go out and run every day until you’ve ‘gone the distance’, you should first take into consideration how your body adapts to exercise stimulus, how often you train, the quality of that training and most importantly, how you recover and nourish your body
Let’s take a look at some ways you can modify your training to ensure that you make it to finish line in one piece.
Running Tends To Provide Little Variety– So Change It Up
First, there is something to be said for continually training your body to do one thing to gain strength and stamina. After all, this is the principle that drives gains in a weightlifting routine, right?
However, weight training and cardiovascular exercise are different in some very important ways, which makes this apples-to-apples comparison a little more like apples-to-avocados.
Consider this: an example of a typical routine for bench press might look something like this: three sets of eight repetitions with one to two minutes of rest between.
If you were to break running down into the same format, it might look a bit like this: One set of fast steps forward, 10,000 times with no rest.
It goes without saying that these two exercises are very different, and they use different energy systems to get you to the end goal.
Regardless, running is a high volume, unilateral exercise (one direction with very little variation) and involves a very high number of repetitive movements.
For this reason, it is important to consider the occurrence of overuse injuries like plantar fasciitis, patellar tendinitis, and many other -itises that might hinder your training.
Often these injuries occur when an athlete doesn’t get enough rest, pushes too hard too fast, or has some sort of misalignment in their running pattern.
Or, maybe you’re just doing
Your body is highly adaptable and it will adjust to many stressors. Running is no different. However, if you constantly train with the exact same variables (speed, incline, terrain) you may be putting yourself at risk for injury.
Ways To Change Up Your Routine For Safe Run Training
Rather than constantly training at the same pace, on the same road or treadmill day in and day out, it is important to incorporate a little variety.
- If you always run on a flat treadmill, try adding an incline of 3-5% to offer a variation for your cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems
- If you regularly train on paved roads, (carefully) try a trail run from time to time to challenge your dexterity and balance
- If you always run at the same pace, try some interval training to access different energy systems and to trigger a positive hormone response
- Incorporate weight training, yoga and other non-running based activities into your routine once or twice a week on recovery days
These little variations can result in greater overall improvements in what your body is capable of. It will also keep your routine from getting stale.
Keep in mind the Pareto Principle: 20% of the work you do will result in 80% of the improvements that result. A little bit of variation can go a long way.
Take Recovery & Nutrition Seriously
It cannot be overstated how important these two elements of your training are. Here is a quick breakdown of both:
Recovery
Recovery involves everything from stretching pre- or post-run, to sleeping enough to taking days off. If any of these things are being neglected, there is a high likelihood that you’re tempting injury.
Here a couple of highlights that should be incorporated into your recovery program:
- Foam rolling daily, especially for your thighs and calves
- Dynamic (moving) stretches before your run; Static (long hold) stretches after
- Sleeping a minimum of 7 hours per night– sleep is your body’s chance to fix itself
- Taking full days off between intense training sessions
- Ensuring that your run training doesn’t dominate your life over important relationships or other parts of your life
Nutrition
Running, as is implied in the word aerobic, relies heavily on oxygen to produce energy.
But your body cannot thrive on air alone. If you are not providing your body with the nutrients and hydration necessary to promote optimal function, you will eventually have problems– if you haven’t already.
Here are a few simple ways you can make small improvements to your nutrition right now:
- Drink a 16 oz glass of water first thing in the morning, 1-2 glasses with meals, and hydrate throughout training sessions
- If you drink soda, try replacing it with unsweetened tea or flavored sparkling water
- Eat 1-2
palm sized portions of protein at each meal, and five fist-sized servings of vegetables throughout the day - Replace your morning scone with an apple
- Consume a low-sugar electrolyte supplement while hydrating during training
- Take an omega-3 fish oil supplement daily to promote optimal cellular function.
Be Honest With Yourself & Talk To Your Doctor
It’s easy to assume that you are ready to run straight out of the gate. Realistically though, running can be dangerous, especially if you are underprepared.
If you are new to
running, or haven’t been doing much exercise for the last couple of months (or years), you should definitely discuss your plans with your doctor.
Be honest with yourself; if you are little out of shape, that’s okay. Jumping into an intense running program without appropriate preparation is like trying to learn how to drive in a Formula 1 car.
Also, do not ever train through
A race, no matter the length, is a big commitment. Taking the time to prepare will not only result in a better finish time, but it will keep you running for years to come.
Seeking out a trainer or running coach can also help you to identify the problems that you didn’t even know were there before they become something serious.
If you’re interested in diving a little bit deeper into some of these topics, the Crosstraining For Runners Clinic will take place from
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