Do you want to improve your running and build a stronger mindset for those longer distances? Marathon runner Christina Neal has some advice.
In issue one of Stellar Woman Magazine, I wrote about how to start running. If you followed my beginner’s plan, you’ll hopefully be feeling fitter already and reaping the mental and physical benefits of running. It’s surprising how quickly your fitness can improve when you stick to a structured plan regularly.
If you’re feeling the benefits, you may be ready to take your running to the next level. You may have your sights set on your first 5K or 10K race, or even a half marathon. How can you improve as a runner and get even fitter? Follow my top tips…
Change one thing at a time
To avoid getting injured, focus on making one change at a time. If you want to get faster, focus on speed. If you want to run further, focus on gradually increasing your distance. Never try to run further and faster at the same time as this can place too much stress on the body and increase injury risk. If it’s distance you want to improve, follow the ten per cent rule and don’t increase your total weekly volume by more than ten per each week. Or try adding an extra five minutes to each run. Don’t double your distance overnight. Make small changes and you’ll be less likely to get injured, and more likely to reap the benefits.
Mix up your sessions
If you want to be a faster runner, you need to change your pace from time to time and vary the type of sessions you do. Don’t always run at the same steady pace or you’ll never get faster. Have one or two sessions per week (but not on consecutive days) where you do an interval session (see below), or try a threshold run. A threshold run is described by running coaches as making you feel ‘comfortably uncomfortable’ during your run, where you are running at an intensity of 8.5 out of 10 for set blocks of time. However, it’s not a sprint.
A threshold run means you’ll be on the edge of discomfort and if someone asked you a question, you’d only be able to utter one or two words. Say you’re going out to run for 40 minutes. In that time, you could do three blocks of eight minutes of threshold running with two-minutes recovery in between. Make sure you warm-up first for at least five minutes and cool down at the end (i.e., gradually bring your pace down for three to five minutes).
Here are some suggested running sessions to get you fitter:
Interval session – After a good warm up of at least 10 minutes, plus some dynamic stretching (stretches with movement such as leg swings), try 5-10 x 2 minutes hard (85% effort level) with 90 seconds’ rest.
Hill session – Find a hill of approximately 100 metres. After a good warm up of at least 10 minutes, plus some dynamic stretches, try 1-3 sets of 4 x 100m hill sprints. Recover with an easy jog down the hill.
Another threshold run – A shorter continuous run, such as 5 mins easy, 15 mins at 75% of your maximum heart rate (or comfortably quick), 5 mins easy – total of 25 mins.
Add strength training into your weekly fitness routine
This doesn’t have to mean joining a gym. It could mean doing squats, lunges, core work like planks and side planks at home – even five or ten minutes three times a week doing a strength circuit would be beneficial. Strength training can help you avoid injury. When getting towards the end of your faster runs, you won’t fatigue as quickly. The strength and conditioning work will also help you hold good posture when you run (rather than slouching).
Look after yourself when you’re not running
Sleep will help your body repair and recover. If you’ve done a tough session, you need to be getting those all-important eight hours of sleep, which may mean going to bed earlier, even if you don’t feel tired.
Don’t do strenuous sessions back-to-back
Don’t follow a hard session with another one the next day. Have a recovery day of gentle exercise, like cross-training, yoga, or a gentle recovery jog. Never do two tough running sessions on two consecutive days or you’ll be risking injury, or your body won’t have time to recover in between sessions.
Improve your diet
Eat a diet rich in omega 3 foods for a healthy nervous system so that your body can recover from your running sessions. Healthy fats – notably omega 3 foods such as canola oil, flaxseeds, wild rice, eggs, and oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, sardines, and herring – all help the nervous system repair.
Sort your head out
Every runner needs the right mindset to keep running. You may be out having a run, feeling a bit tired and want to stop. Unless you feel unwell or unusually tired, it’s most likely to be your mindset rather than your body that wants to quit. What can you do?
Firstly, you could try distraction techniques. Paula Radcliffe counts to 100 when she runs to distract herself. Some distance runners listen to podcasts while others can’t run without music. Break your run down into chunks. Some runners dedicate each chunk of a run to a loved one or someone who has passed away. Think about how good you will feel at the end of a run or use the time away from your work to solve a problem or issue that has been playing on your mind.
Remind yourself why you are running and how it has improved your life. It may have given you more energy, made you feel younger and stronger and given you a more positive mindset. Think of all the positive things running has given you while you’re doing it. Finally, if all else fails, remember this: All you have to do is put one foot in front of the other, and keep doing it. Simple right?
More information
Christina Neal has completed two marathons and 12 half marathons and is the author of The World Marathon Book and Run Yourself Fit. Both are available on Amazon.