It is nearly guaranteed that your training program will get disrupted – whether by weather, illness, travel, minor injury, or other commitments. Here are six adjustments you can make that help you turn such a challenge into an opportunity for significant gains.
While running is by nature an individual sport, there’s no need to do it alone. In fact, with the plethora of social networks to choose from, it’s easy to find runners with similar capabilities and backgrounds. And that can be a powerful force for driving improved performance and enjoyment.
In a recent podcast, Jay Johnson interviewed Scott Douglas of Running Times and Advanced Marathoning fame, and had some interesting discussions regarding ancillary work for runners. Scott shares some good lessons from over 35 years of running.
A season-ending “short” 4-mile race shows the value of high mileage training across the spectrum of distances, even when lacking race-specific preparation.
Hal Higdon and Pete Pfitzinger offer some of the most widely followed marathon training plans around. However, for the advanced marathoner, the choice is clear as to which helps develop your key physiological capabilities for your big event.
The sub-3:00 marathon can be an elusive goal. Here is one training program, employing 55-70 miles per week over an 18 week period based off of a Pete Pfitzinger approach, that can help you get there.
When it comes to “the taper”, instead of focusing on negatives such as “reduced mileage,” focus on the positives such as the time you will gain to invest in other activities beneficial to your running. If you are an early morning runner, this should include some more sleep.
This year’s edition of the Towpath Ten-Miler served as a litmus test on the mile-heavy, speedwork-light training approach, and provided for a pretty thrilling race for fourth place in the process.
I always find it inspiring to find a runner who comes to the sport a bit later in life but quickly discovers that unique combination of passion and talent that can ignite some pretty impressive performances within a year or two. Even better when they can balance it with a stimulating career and busy family life. Steve Poling epitomizes that model.
One hundred posts into Predawn Runner, and it is time to unveil a new model and manifesto, with a plan to be better, faster, stronger, and, most importantly, a smarter runner than before.