Running Advice with Matt
Photo credit: Tikkho Maciel(@tikkho)
With summer weather finally rolling around, many of us runners are excited to get back outside and hit the trails. While this enthusiasm serves as great motivation, jumping back in head first has the potential to cause injuries that may put your training plans on hold for a while.
Creating a general training plan and understanding the principles of proper training progression is one the easiest ways to increase performance while also minimizing the risk of injury. Even if you are a recreational runner without a specific running goal or race, simply understanding the basics of training periodization and programming can be very useful.
If you have not been running all winter, do not expect to return to the same distances and pace as you were running at the end of last season right away. Your body needs time to re-adapt to the significant stresses and physical demands of running. Therefore, your pace and mileage over the first 2-4 weeks should be significantly decreased to allow for such adaptions to take place. Consider these first couple weeks as an opportunity for your body to get used to the movement so that you can set yourself up properly for a safe and efficient training season. Nothing is more frustrating than getting excited to begin running again only to get sidelined immediately by injury!
The 10% Rule
One of the most common rules of thumb in running is something called the 10% rule, and what this principle means is that you should not increase your weekly mileage by more than 10%. For example: if you ran a total of 20km last week, you shouldn’t run more than 22km this week. The rationale for using this rule is that it prevents you from making big leaps in your training mileage so that your body is able to properly and gradually adapt to the workload over time. A large majority of running injuries can be attributed to overuse and improper progression, and applying this principle to your training helps keep your eagerness to increase distance in check.
Periodization
A proper training program should not only increase gradually over time, but incorporate some elements of periodization as well. Broadly, periodization refers to how a training program is planned and organized in reference to many factors like duration, time, intensity, rest, etc. This can get very complicated and individualized for elite level athletes, but we will focus more on some simpler concepts that are more applicable to the everyday runner. Here a couple quick tips to help plan your running schedule!
Make sure to plan regular recovery weeks. This allows your body time to recover and prevents overtraining, while also providing relief from the mental fatigue that most runners unexpectedly have to cope with. A common training plan will include 3 weeks where you are building volume week by week, followed by 1 week of active recovery in which you are significantly reducing mileage and intensity.
Don’t treat every workout like a high intensity workout. While some sessions should be challenging and test your limits, it is unfeasible to maintain this intensity day in and day out. Don’t be afraid to take your pedal off the gas regularly to prevent physical and mental burnout!
Mix in some variety to your runs. If you are training for a half marathon or something even more ambitious, you may think that you need to run long distances all the time. Again, this is usually too much stress for your body to handle. Try mixing in some interval runs, hill reps, short jogs, or track work to complement your long runs.
If you have a specific race that you are training for, try to plan to peak your training about 2-4 weeks out from race day. This will try to match your optimal physical abilities with your race while still allowing for a couple weeks of recovery prior to the big day!
Trying to apply some of these principles and ideas to your own individualized training program might have the potential to save your body from overuse injuries while also maximizing performance. And if you were unlucky enough to already sustain an injury this early in the season, come on in so we can hopefully get you back out there as quickly as possible!