Runner Training

Training is an important aspect of being a runner. Whether you are a beginner and you are looking to increase your stamina or you’ve been running for a while and want to run faster or train for an event such as a marathon, training is something that is an essential part of the sport.

There is an art to choosing a good training program. The program you choose will depend on your goals and your needs. Here is some advice that will help you find a runner training program that will work for you.

Decide on Your Goals

The first step to choosing a runner training program is to decide on your goals. If you are a beginner, your training program will look a lot different than someone who is running their third marathon.

Sometimes a goal will be personal such as a desire to run five miles without stopping to rest. Other times a goal will be focused on an event such as running a 10K or a marathon. And often, people will run to help them lose weight or to build up their overall state of health.
Once you decide on your goals, write them down and put them in places where you can see them often. Turn the goal statements into affirmations and recite them a few times each day. For example, if you want to use running to help you lose ten pounds, your affirmation could be: “Running is helping me lose ten pounds.”

Choose a Program

Based on your list of goals, you are ready to choose or develop a runner training program that will work for you. If you need help, consult with someone who has more experience than you.

For example, if your goal is to run a marathon, you will want to choose a training schedule that will help you run a successful race. But, there are so many programs out there that it can be difficult choosing the one that is right for you. A beginning marathon runner will not follow the same program as someone who is racing in their fifth marathon.

In general, look for a runner training program that is a little challenging but not out of your reach. You don’t want to get discouraged and then give up.

Stick With It

You can spend a lot of time setting goals and fining a training program, but if you don’t stick with it, your efforts will not mean anything. Everyone has different ways of finding their motivation. Once you find what motivates you, sticking with your training plan will get much easier.

It takes a while to establish a routine. Before a routine is in place, you may feel disorganized or unmotivated. Give yourself a few weeks to establish a good routine before you start getting discouraged. Often, the routine will make you more motivated.

Note: This post isn’t about me, but I found it to be very inspirational, and therefore was compelled to share it with all of you.

In my late 30s, I was still running decent times and breaking 16 minutes for 5 kilometers, but had not been doing any serious marathon training. As my 40th birthday approached, I decided to give the marathon a shot, just to see how fast I could go.

It turns out that I was fortunate enough to stumble onto a routine that worked extremely well, and I ran the following times after my 40th birthday:

2 hr 38 min Disney World Marathon 94

2 hr 34 min Boston Marathon 94

2 hr 38 min Disney World Marthon 95

2 hr 37 min Fox Cities Marathon 96

2 hr 39 min Disney World Marathon 97

Here is a general outline of what I was doing, as best as I can recall. The focus was always on 3 key workouts per week during the build-up phase, the long runs, the tempo run, and the short interval workout or 5 kilometer race.

Sun long run. I ran up to 17 or 18 miles at 7 minutes per mile pace

Mon easy recovery. Maybe 5 miles at a very relaxed pace.

Tues medium long run. 10 miles at an easy pace.

Wed easy recovery. Same as Monday

Thurs tempo run 45 min to 60 min at a fast pace

Fri easy run up to 1 hour

Sat intervals, between 4 and 6×800 meters very hard, sub 2:30s or 5K race

Here is the twist. Six weeks before my marathon, I upped the medium long run to another long run, so I was doing 2×17 mile runs just 2 days apart. I found that I could handle the workouts and recover faster than running 20-22 mile runs. So I tried to do 8 two hour runs in a 4 week time period.

Here is another twist. As much as possible, I did one or both long runs off the road. I felt my legs could recover quicker after a trail run than running on asphalt, especially after 2 long hours of pounding.

I followed the 2 long runs per week routine for 4 weeks. After that, I did not do anything over 90 minutes, and only once or twice at an easy pace.

Two weeks out from race day I did 2 or 3 tempo runs each week for 5-6 miles, which I felt would prepare me physically and mentally for 6 minute per mile pace without tearing me down.

According to one of those Race Time Predictor formulas, a 16 minute time for 5 kilometers means you are capable of a 2 hour 36 minute marathon, while a 16:20 predicts 2 hours 39 minutes. I believe most runners must have that kind of speed over 5 kilometers in order to break 2 hours and 40 minutes for 26.2 miles.

If you can do that and follow this training program, I know you can do it. I did five times in a row!

So you’re training for a Marathon and find the runs getting longer and longer. You might be experiencing a greater fatigue both during and after the runs. Maybe you ‘re just sore for days after your long weekend run…even though nothing was hurting on the course.

Or do you just feel a low level of energy the next week. Then from this you might be susceptible to colds, flus, or other simple virus that are attacking your immune system.

All of these symptoms could be from not getting enough antioxidants in your system.

Antioxidants are necessary for athletes as intensive exercise creates high levels of free radicals in your body which can go on to attack your cellular health, internal organs, and can cause chronic inflammation.

From Dr. Keith Scott, medical doctor and keen cyclist, ” The body requires higher than normal levels of antioxidants to cope with the vastly increased quantities of free radicals produced during prolonged, strenuous exercise.”

He further points out the benefits of more fruits and vegetables, “As a result of exercise-induced free radical overload endurance athletes also need to boost their intake of plant-derived antioxidants. A number of clinical studies have shown that taking a wide range of plant-based antioxidants can help to counter free radical damage in endurance athletes. In addition they improve post event recovery and accelerate muscle repair – especially in older athletes.”

Here’s five high antioxidant sources that can help your recovery from long runs:

1. Berries. The darker the berry the more antioxidants it will have. Good berries to digest are acai, blueberries, billberries, blackberries, cranberries, raspberries, and strawberries. Our ancient ancestors ate a rich diet of berries. You can put berries in your morning smoothy, have some for desert, or just snack on them all day. Frozen are very good to buy also. Blueberries are the king of the crop for antioxidant value. I had only one cold last year and think daily blueberry consumption was a big reason for this.

2. Kale and Spinach. These two dark green vegetables have the highest antioxidant values in the vegetable kingdom. Both are great juiced, stirfried, or steamed and a favorite of SoCalRunning.com.

3. Green Teas and other Teas. Green tea has been keeping Asian people living long lives for centuries. Start dropping off the coffee consumption which is high in caffeine and acid and begin replacing with teas. White tea, Roobios, and oolong are all high in antioxidants.

4. Dark Grapes. Lots of new research has been coming out on the health benefits of grapes. But this is nothing that the Mediterranean people have not known for thousands of years. Have a whole bunch of grapes one morning for breakfast and notice how you feel all day.

5. Daily MultiVitamins. After my first ultramarathon, a guy in his sixties who had run four! one hundred mile races that year brought me over to his car to make sure I was taking Vitamin C after the race…of course, I had my own supply but you get the point. Really you should taking a multivitamin rich in antioxidants which is easy to find at any health food store.

Injury prevention is a very serious issue for those who run regularly, especially those who are in training for a particular race or event. In these cases injury prevention is not only important because it helps the runner to avoid a painful injury and potentially long recovery period but it is also critical because an injury can disrupt the training schedule and result in the runner not being properly prepared for the race or event. This article will provide some basic tips for runners which will help them to prevent injuries.

Well designed equipment which also fits properly can go a long way towards injury prevention for runners. One of the most important pieces of equipment for runners is their running shoes. Running shoes should fit properly, not be overly worn and should also ideally be designed to accommodate the runner’s style of running. Additionally, running shoes should be replaced regularly to prevent injuries which may result from the running shoe being overly worn out. A good recommendation for how often to replace a pair of running shoes is every 300-500 miles. Runners should keep a detailed training log with a section for accumulated miles since the runner started wearing a new pair of running shoes. This will allow the runner to easily determine when they have reached the 300-500 mile range on a particular pair of running shoes and are likely to be in need of a new pair in the near future.

Stretching regularly can also help runners to avoid injuries. One worthwhile recommendation for stretching is to stretch during and after a run. Many novice runners make the common mistake of thinking they should stretch before their run but this is not necessarily true. Runners who stretch before they run are stretching cold muscles which are not as pliable as muscles which have been warmed up with a short jog. For example if you are planning to go for a five mile run, you might want to consider jogging an easy one half mile or a mile before you stretch to give your muscles ample time to warm up and be more receptive to stretching. It is also a good idea to stretch after you have completed your run. This will help your muscles to cool down properly and will aid in the recovery process of the muscles. This is important because the muscles can tighten considerably during the course of the run. Stretching them afterwards will help to prevent a long term shortening of the muscles.

Nutrition is another aspect that a lot people forget. Eating a diet of 60% carbohydrates 40% protein and 10% fats will help the body recover properly. Eating a lot fruits and vegetables will feed the body nutrients it needs to take the pounding day in and day out. Chocolate milk is a great recovery drink right after a run. It has the perfect 4 to 1 ratio of carbohydrates and protein that have been proven to increase the recovery rate. Soon after your run it is also important to get in a meal with a lot carbos like pasta and breads will also help with recovery and in turn prevent injuries.

The last component to help prevent injuries is to take in a lot of water throughout the day. Normally you should way yourself before you run to get your starting weight. When you are done running weigh yourself again. The weight that you lost is how much water you lost. obviously during the summer you will lose more water, but its important year round. Try to take liquids with you on a run so you do not have to bloat yourself after the run. Normally bring a water bottle or a device called a camelbak that you can put around your waist to carry your fluid. If you do not keep on top of the water issue your muscles will be more tired and more apt to be pulled or strain.