Summer is approaching, the mornings and evenings are getting lighter and you are looking for a new challenge to boost your physical condition and give you motivation.
Entertaining season is upon us, so why not give it a try? Setting yourself a running goal can be a great way to give your fitness a much needed boost. Running is a great cardio activity, and you’ll likely lose a few pounds as your fitness improves.
The following tips will help you achieve your running goals and set you up for a fun run.
Choose a run of the appropriate distance
If you only have 8 weeks to prepare, don’t choose a marathon or half marathon! Be realistic about how much fitness you can get in the time frame you have. Sure, you can struggle in a half marathon, but at what cost? Will you be in so much pain that it will prevent you from exercising for days or even weeks afterward? Worse, it can lead to an injury that limits you from participating in other activities you enjoy. Depending on your initial fitness level, a 5 – 10km race is a reasonable option if you have 8 weeks to prepare. Four to six months of preparation are recommended for a half marathon while a full marathon will likely take six months or more.
Plan your workout
As a guide, only increase your training volume by about 10 – 20% per week. For example, if you start with 2 x 5km runs in the first week, you might increase this to 2 x 6km in the second week (or 3 x 4km). Noticeable increases in volume will reduce the risk of injury.
Specialty vs Variety
To improve your running speed and endurance for the race, you really need to run in training! While training on a cross-trainer, bike or stepper is better than no training at all, you should definitely include regular running in your exercise routine. Additionally, running outdoors on a variety of surfaces will be more beneficial than running indoors on a treadmill. Check the terrain for the event and try to replicate it in your training. If the route is hilly, include some uphill and downhill running in your preparation. If it’s kept on the road, incorporate some training on harder surfaces so your legs get used to the extra pounding effect. Treadmill running only prepares you for running in a straight line on a flat surface. How many fun runs do you know that are like this??
Use technology for extra motivation
With the range of tech devices available to track your exercise, they can really boost your motivation. You may want to consider the following:
- GPS – GPS watches and apps available on smart phones allow you to track your workouts to keep track of distance traveled, average speed, maximum speed and elevation throughout the course. You can record them and compare your workouts to track your improvement. Many of these are linked to software programs that graph results and display maps of your lessons.
- Bluetooth headphones – listen to your favorite music while running. Some people find that they run much better when they have their favorite tracks with them. But a word of caution, be very careful if you run with headphones, especially near roads or on busy paths, because you won’t hear anyone or anything behind you!
- Smart watch – these devices can count your steps and provide an indication of distance traveled, heart rate and other metrics that may be useful for your training. Most runners would be familiar with heart rate training ‘zones’ which provide an indication of how hard they are working. Higher heart rates occur with more intense exercise. Wearing a smartwatch can be useful if you’re willing to go out a lot at the start of your run and get tired early. Through your training you can determine the heart rate zone that correlates with a pace you can maintain for the entire run.
Fashions and Trends
Like most forms of exercise, there are always new trends in running, particularly when it comes to the latest clothing, shoes and hydration. One of the benefits of running is that it is a low-cost form of exercise. A decent pair of runners will cost $100 – $200 and you don’t necessarily need to spend much more. But for comfort, you should check out the range of clothing designed for this purpose, particularly those that prevent bloat and help keep you cool while running.
It is recommended that you purchase your runners from a specialist retailer so they can check your running biomechanics to determine if you need additional support for pronation and supination. Minimalist shoes are a current trend and without going into too much detail about the pros and cons (perhaps a topic for another article), they do take some getting used to! So don’t buy a pair of these 2 weeks before your event and expect them to significantly reduce your time.
While hydration is important, unless you’re training for an ultramarathon, don’t waste your money on energy gels that can be consumed on the run. A reasonable pre- and post-exercise nutrition plan will suffice. The fun routes include refreshment stations every few kilometers and these are sufficient for the needs of the majority of runners. In your training make sure you are well hydrated before your run and drink 1-2 liters afterwards even if you don’t feel particularly thirsty. If you sweat a lot, replace electrolytes with sports drinks like gatorade or powerade, otherwise water is fine.
The last consideration in your preparation (and the most critical if you want to improve) is ‘interval training’. To run faster you have to practice running faster! It doesn’t make sense!
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