A Simple Way to Increase Your Running Potential/Fitness
We made it to Friday! Three cheers all around! I hope you all have an awesome weekend ahead of you and a lot of fun planned! We have a low-key weekend up ahead (I am hoping for a nice and relaxing Mother’s Day with my favorites), with a little activity here and there.
Today, I wanted to share with you a few tips on becoming a better, stronger runner this spring! Let’s dig in, shall we?
Did you know, as a runner, in order to hit your goals (whether that is going faster, longer, etc.?) you need to include some type of quality (fondly referred to as Q) workouts in your routine?
I didn’t know this until I started researching and learning more the past couple of years in the running world. The best runners, elite runners, Olympians, all do purposeful workouts. That means for each run you do,each run should serve a purpose. You should understand why you are doing something and how it will serve you. Will this run help you recover, teach your body speed, help your body learn how to endure, etc.? What will that specific run teach your body?
By answering these questions, it will help you be able to enjoy each run more! I always find that I enjoy workouts more when I know WHY I am doing it and what gain I will/should get from it.
I recommend adding in 1-2 hard, quality (Q) sessions into your week ONLY AFTER you’ve built a good base in your running routine.
What’s a base?
In short, a base is a solid foundation in your running. It means you’ve been running about 6-10 weeks (preferably) and have a good foundation of easy miles. A solid foundation means that your body should be able to handle a couple Q sessions per week.
What dose a Q workout look like?
This could look different for different people and different goals, but for me, right now, I have a 1 week speed workout (usually a kind of tempo run) and either a marathon paced run or threshold run. These workouts are building my endurance and my speed, while also not burning me out. It is important to keep your easy days easy and your hard days hard.
Molly Huddle, professional runner, talks about this and says that the BEST runners (herself included) takes her easy days really easy (like 2 minutes or so slower per mile than her marathon pace on her easy runs) and her hard days hard!
You need both easy days and hard days to truly grow as a runner!
I hope you all have the BEST weekend ever. And if you are a mother, Happy Mother’s Day to you. You truly are extraordinary!
Questions of the Day
- What does your Mother’s Day look like?
- Weekend plans?
- How often do you implement quality workouts into your routines?