A blog about fitness, movement, mobility, stretching, nutrition, and happiness!

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Improving your running time

Last month we talked about some aches and pains that come with running and how usually it can be an easy fix by just asking your muscles to do some different movements.  Running is very repetitive and that can bring on some aches, which may lead to injuries if not taken care of.  You can read that article HERE.  This month, we're talking about improving your running times.

This write up is based on the workout Run Faster. Be Better! you can download for free by clicking HERE or the link at the bottom of the page.  The workout is based on improving your time in just 4 weeks.  It starts in week one with a timed mile and three mile pace.  Even if you are just starting out and those are recorded walking paces, that's just fine, you have to start somewhere!  If you're an experienced runner, then you will know exactly what you're trying to get as your goal times.  If you are a beginner, then be sure to set reasonable goals.  If you start out walking three miles, don't expect to be running three miles in under 30 minutes in just four weeks.  You can absolutely get there, but keep in mind, running improvements take time, so any improvement is a success and you keep building on that.

To improve time, we are going to use the small magic of rest.  Yes, resting.  The body makes the most improvements while you rest, so this routine is meant to push you hard and fully recover before the next phase.  Also known as interval training.  It's also only designed to be used once per week, so again, using the rest time to let the body adapt.  The workout is free to download and comes with instructions and videos.  The video page will always remain up so there's no need to stress, you can always come back to it for a reference.  Have fun and here's to your success!!