The Number 1 thing Ever Runner Needs
Let’s take a trip down memory lane, shall we? When I first started running, I had NO clue what I was doing. I didn’t know what I tempo run was, I had no idea about how to properly train (or dress, let’s not even mention what I wore to my first 5k, haha) or how to fuel my body properly. Fast forward seven years, (YIKES!) and I’ve grown a lot since then. I now know what a tempo run is, I have official running gear that I love, and I know how to properly train and how simple, yet intricate at the same time! Something I see often with clients and (let’s be honest right now because my goal is to be as authentic with you all as possible) myself if I get too anxious for the next training cycle is that we RUSH our training WAY too much.
And that’s what I want to talk to you all about today. The number one thing that every runner needs in their training is a solid BASE.
What is a base? I am so glad you asked. Let’s break it down right here. A base and a base building phase is a time spent solely devoted to building a solid foundation of miles and body adaptions. The main purpose of a base building phase is to get your body used to the miles, the impact, and the strain that running has on your body, while also allowing your body time to build capillary networks which deliver oxygen to your muscles and heart. Basically the purpose for this phase is to get you ready for harder training sessions and longer miles. If skipped, you put yourself at risk for injury, burnout, and overall under-performance. This stage is vital if you want to hit your overall best efforts, hard workouts, and long runs. If you cheat this stage, you will most likely cheat yourself out of greater results, and that is never fun.
It is easy to want to do too much too soon, I get that and it’s easy for me to do the same thing. But, if you take a long term vision and approach to your running, this easy, base phase will seem more and more important to you. When I was first starting with running, I actually did do a base phase. I didn’t really know what it was called back then or realize I was training that way, but I took my time and built slowly (mainly because I didn’t even think I would ever be a ‘runner,’.) I took me a little over a year to run over 4 miles and I built really slowly off of feel. I would run 2 miles until it felt comfortable and then I would increase it by a .5 mile or 1 mile and then I would run that same distance for multiple times/weeks until it felt comfortable and increased it from there. I find it funny that even though I didn’t know I what I was doing, I did some things right (a lot of things wrong too.)
So, here’s my encouragement to you. Run often and enjoy each run. Remember to build slowly and make sure that you take time to have a 4-8 week base building phase until you get to the speedy/hard workout stuff. Trust me, your body will thank you for it and you will, in the long run (no pun intended), be faster and stronger for it!