Run4PRs

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231. How To Build Mileage Jan 25, 2024

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www.run4prs.com

How many miles do you run per week? How does one build up to be able to run 50 or even 100 mile weeks? Should everyone try to achieve high mileage? These are all great questions we will be addressing in this episode. Usually, runners will see great gains in fitness in the beginning of their running journey from simply going from running 0 miles to 10 miles per week. In the beginning it almost seems like the more we run, the better we get. However, there becomes a point when it becomes counter productive.

How do you know if it’s time to start increasing mileage

Are you improving

We want to assess if you are training at the appropriate paces for easy days
You are not always injury prone and needing to run low mileage: sometimes there is a different variable at play

What is your history: masters runner, new runner, injury prone
How do you feel?
Do you have time?

Does more mileage equal better results

You can only run as much as you can recover from
Running more only is helpful to a point
Counter productive: injury/burnout

How do you increase?

10% per week max
Cut back weeks every 1-3 weeks of 75% volume

How often should you assess mileage

Every week/every season/every year
Your body and goals change
You should not always be running peak mileage

230. Could walking improve your running? Jan 17, 2024

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www.run4prs.com Today we are going to talk about walking & how it fits in with run training. Some people are run/walkers and other people have to start with walking on their easy days. We are going to talk about how walking can fit in with EVERYONE'S training even if you are elite.

Beginners: every running pace is a hard effort

Walking is their aerobic/easy pace & that will eventually turn into running as fitness improves
⭐️ WALKING IMPROVES ENDURANCE: Walking will add to your aerobic base! Any time you’re increasing your heart rate for an extended period of time, you’re adding to your aerobic endurance which will improve your running overall
⭐️ WALKING CAN HELP KEEP YOUR RUN IN THE AEROBIC ZONE: You may need to walk to keep your easy days easy! Many athletes prefer the run/walk method (run for 5 minutes, walk for 1 minute or some variation of that). It may help some athletes keep their heart rate down in the appropriate aerobic zone

Athletes can use run/walk method

Building in walking recovery like 4:1 so athletes are able to run for longer without fatigue
Maybe walking up hills or through water stops

Ultra/Trail runners

Walking up the hills to keep effort aerobic
⭐️ WALKING WORKS MUSCLES IN A DIFFERENT WAY: Walking utilizes muscles a bit differently than running which can make you into a better all-around athlete & runner

Walking between recovery intervals in a workout
Walking for recovery! WALKING AIDS IN RECOVERY: Walking helps increase blood flow to sore muscles from running. Going on walks before and after runs or on cross training/rest days is beneficial to promote blood flow and jumpstart your recovery from running

229. How to Run Stronger in 2024 Jan 08, 2024

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Many runners take time off after fall marathons and then the holidays. It can be hard to dive back into training when you are out of the swing of things. It can also be risky to ‘dive’ back into training because we have the tendency to do too much too soon. I always think one of the most injury prone runners are the ‘comeback’ runners because they use their old mileage/fitness levels are a reference point for where they want to be currently and sometimes instead of building progressively, they skip steps and try to do too much too soon which might feel fine aerobically but the musculoskeletal system has not had time to adapt yet.

How to build back into training if you have taken 2-3 months off

Time based
Run/walks
Build miles before you add in workouts

How to build back into workouts

Best workouts to start with
20% of weekly mileage

How to build back if you have just been at a reduced mileage

10% increase per week
Cut back weeks every 1-2 weeks

Looking at the big picture.

What are your goals for the next 3-6 months
Start at the end goal 6 months from now and build up to where you are now

228. Does the Treadmill Count? Jan 01, 2024

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We are entering the winter season right now and many athletes are forced to run inside for safety purposes. Sometimes people run inside as a preference during the winter. We are going to do a deep dive into the topic of treadmill running today. The treadmill is a great tool that often gets a bad rap in the running community for a variety of reasons. Winter running is here! The negative temperatures and icy roads can leave runners without a safe place to run. We talk about dressing for various temperatures for easy runs and races. Learn the importance of footwear & when to take your run inside. Running outside in the winter doesn’t make you more hardcore BUT we take a deep dive on the differences between running on the treadmill vs outside. Have you ever had your garmin and treadmill not match pacing? We cover that too!

When was the first time you started to use the treadmill?
We have a bit of a neutral stance on the treadmill

If treadmill is your only option due to weather or young kids: it is great
If you don’t have access to a treadmill, the alternative might be that you don’t run
It is a great tool BUT it is not everything
You shouldn’t use the treadmill as a clutch
You shouldn’t use the treadmill as a way to handicap you from running outside

- Why do you think the treadmill gets a bad rap?

- A lot of people can run faster on the treadmill than they can outside?

- You can hold onto the railings

-It’s flat, there is no weather/wind

- Your Gamin isn’t accurate on it

- No races are taking place on a treadmill

- It might not be calibrated correctly

-Why do some people hate the treadmill?

- I can’t run fast or focus on it

- I would 100% rather run outside

- Run to be in nature

- Some people are better at it than they are and it’s frustrating

-Why do some people LOVE the treadmill?Is

Allows them to run with young kids at home
Allows them to run in dark, in hurricane
Allows them to run when they are tired/need to watch something on TV
It’s just a great tool

-At what point should you to treadmill vs outside?

- Is treadmill running real running?

- Will your garmin be accurate on the treadmill?

-Does your fitness translate?

227. Have you peaked with running potential? Dec 15, 2023

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www.run4prs.com Many people get to a place with their running where they feel like they can no longer improve with their running. Often this is due to the law of diminishing returns. It just becomes harder to get the extra edge. You have to increase the load somehow to give your body something new to adapt to. Sometimes when we don’t have enough rest, this is also a problem because we have the stress load but not the recovery part.

What are some signs someone is at their genetic limit

Test your 1 mile time and put it into the vdot calculator

What are some signs you have more potential

Insane stride paces
Inconsistent
Doing the same workouts/training year after year
Not polarizing training

All the little things become that much more important as you want to reach the next level

226. How Long Until I Get Faster? Dec 08, 2023

Show notes

www.run4prs.com Everyone has goals to see improvement. It is what gets us hooked on running. We love seeing growth and the efforts of our hard work paying off. But it actually takes a bit of time to see improvements on a physiological level with endurance sports.

Law of diminishing returns

You will see bigger gains at the beginning of a new training cycle/process.
The longer you have been working out/running the more you will hard to do to see improvements

Improvement in form/mental training/pacing

There are multiple ways someone can improve. Simply improving your pacing to give you faster times immediately without any additional fitness being gained

How long do you see improved VO2MAX actual physical gains?

6 weeks
You can start losing them at 2 weeks
It’s easier to gain back fitness than it is to get fit in the first place

225. Is your offseason over? Nov 27, 2023

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www.run4prs.com

Many people get antsy this time of year and want to get back into the swing of training. We are at 2-6 weeks after a lot of the big fall races and this might be a question you ask yourself in the upcoming weeks. We want to chat about how to get back into doing some workouts and make sure you set yourself up for a successful 2024 year.

When was the last time you took more than 2-4 months without racing or doing workouts?

We need to take macro rest from training cycles if we want to have longevity in the sport

What is the best type of workout to ease back into

Fartleks
Progression runs
Try to limit the types of workouts you did during the training cycle. Do something different

You still want to keep easy days easy
Focus on building in good habits

Nutrition, sleep, strength

224. Stregnth Training: Why Runners Need It! Nov 10, 2023

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www.run4prs.com

Why do you need to strength Train?

Strength training is key for athletes playing all sports. It can also help make runners faster, more efficient and prevent injuries. Let’s face it, running takes up a lot of time! As runners we know that more running usually means you become faster. When we already are running short on time, it’s hard to think that we would need to make time for strength training too! Isn’t running already enough? The short answer is: probably not! Running is great for cardiovascular health and improving endurance, but that is not the only thing you need to become a great athlete and a healthy person.

How does strength training help with injury prevention?

CONSISTENCY is key for success

The more consistent you are, the faster you will become

Strength training allows your body to handle mileage because it strengthens the connective tissues and muscles

What are imbalances or weaknesses that occur within the body?

Trickle down effect & the whole body is connected

Running is monotonous and sometimes it amplifies imbalances.

Strength training can help you correct these imbalances

Runners need: Postural alignment, stabilization, strength and power

Train for strength 8-12 reps

FRONTAL SAGITTAL TRANSVERSE

Focus on exercises involving the major joints of the body (hip, knee, shoulder, elbow, etc.).
Emphasize movements that include multiple joints, and check for kinetic chain alignment.

How does strength training help with finishing kick and raw speed?

The strength of your body propels you forward

It is anaerobic

We always say a 5k is only 10% anaerobic but in a 20 min race that is 1 min.

That is the difference between you and your goals.

As we age, we lose muscle. We need to strength train just to maintain!

How does it improve your running economy?

What is running economy? Isn’t that the same as running form?

Your glutes and core are firing and it allows you to be able to run stronger and have better form. Athletes who strength train are more likely to be able to engage their core and glutes.

Improves Neuromuscular connections?

What does this mean?

When we run slow and easy, our body takes the easier route possible to get it done. Sometimes the faster twitch muscles start to become dormant. It is one of those ‘use it or it falls asleep’ things. By strength training, you are waking up the entire muscle with explosive strength and that entire muscle will engage again in the future when you are running.

Balance

Start small and you build strength and confidence; multi-joint movements tend to be a bit more complex.
Mix it up. Include new movements and new equipment/modalities in each workout.

Tips for Multi-Planar Training

223. What Does It Really Take To Qualify For Boston? Oct 31, 2023

Show notes

www.run4prs.com Many athletes have the goal to run a BQ or Boston qualifying time. The qualifying times are listed on the Boston website and are progressive based on age. If you are under 35 on race day you need to run a 3:30 or faster if you are a female or a 3:00 or faster if you are a male. These are some quick times especially because you can only qualify in the marathon. Many runners say qualifying for Boston is their long term goal. We are going to do a deep dive on what it takes to get down to those times in the marathon.

What are some of the most common ways people BQ?

Many people have a strong aerobic base & BQ easy
Post-college athlete
Swimming background/super fit people

What if your first marathon time is like 5-6+ hours

What would you recommend working on first?

What are the equivalent 5k times?

How do you break down benchmarks to get there?

How to stay focused on a long term goal when you are 2+ hours away

Break down attainable goals every 6 months
5:00 last year, let’s try to get into a 30:00 5k this year.. 30:00 5k last year? Let’s go for 27 this year?... then for a 4:00 marathon

Is it a good goal to have?

“I don’t like going slow on my easy days”

“I don’t like to do workouts”

“I don’t like long runs”

If you don’t enjoy the process, it’s going to be impossible to get to the outcome you want.

222. Offseason: Do You Need It? How To Improve Long Term Oct 20, 2023

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www.run4prs.com

We are in the swing of offseason training and the last few podcasts we have talked about the importance of time off and recovery during this time of year after a big build up. However, once we get over those first few weeks off.. What should you be doing in the offseason? How should you reverse your taper? When should you start workouts again? All of these questions and more will be addressed in this episode!

How to do a reverse taper
How much mileage should you be running 2-3 months after a marathon?
When should you start doing workouts again?
When should you aim to race again?
Should you focus on speed or endurance?
Should you start lifting or focus on nutrition more during this time?

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