5 TIPS FOR RUNNERS
Your gym closed so you picked up running to stay healthy? Congrats motherfucker!
Running is by far the easiest and cheapest way to stay fit as you simply need a pair of sneakers, workout cloths and off you go from your front door into adventure or as I call it me-time!
The only issue as you may have recently found out since your gym closed 3 or more weeks ago due to COVID-19 pandemic, that running is a high impact sport and if not done properly you could injure yourself. Take it from me a 3x marathon finisher, 2x IRONMAN finisher, 11x half IRONMAN finisher and way to many half marathons to even count but I can count the times that I have been injured (4x) due to running. That’s right, it fucking sucks.
Currently I am training for my 3rd IRONMAN, that is when you run a marathon after you have already swam 2.4 miles and biked 112 miles, and I want to share my tricks on how to push the limits of your body while remaining injury free. Some of the tips, I’ve learned them the hard way, through sweat, grit and tons of tears and others I‘ve learned through my IRONMAN Certified Coaching and ongoing education.
Here are my 5 tips for new and experienced runners:
1) Adding strength & conditioning workouts to your routine.
Running uses many major muscles such as your core, glutes, quads, hamstrings, calf muscles, etc. Concentrate to strengthen these areas to promote good running form, powerful propulsions and muscular balance. This can be done using your own body weight at home. My go to are squats, lunges, planks, side planks, pushups, burpees, superman, flutter kicks, calf raises, glute bridges, etc.
2) Improve on your flexibility.
Flexibility is vital for runners since running is a weight baring sport. Incorporating stretching into your weekly routine will allow your joints to align correctly and keep you running efficiently. After each run make it into a habit to stretch. Concentrate on stretching your hips as your hips are the engine of running and target stretching all the major muscles listed in bullet #1. My go to stretches are pigeon pose, forward fold, child pose with thread the needle to release my back, happy baby pose, runners lung, quad stretch, supine figure 4, bound angle, legs straight up a wall, and supine abductor & adductor stretches.
3) 10% load rule.
Progressive overload is key as you slowly increase intensity and duration avoiding over training which leads to injury, illness, and apathy. Do not increase total load by more than 10%. Fail this rule and your fucked.
4) Yes, you have to RECOVER!
Smart training includes recovery each week. This allows the body to recovery after stressing it. I call this category self-care were I include good quality habits such as nutrition, hydration, and sleep. Don’t over estimate the power of consistent quality of rest and nutrition. I designate one day a week for complete REST DAY which means no sweating allowed. Pre-COVID-19 I would schedule every other week a 60-min deep tissue sports massage on my REST DAYS and now during my stay at home quarantine I am taking more frequent relaxing epson salt baths with a glass of champagne of course! Life balance.
5) Know your engine.
Ultimately, my last tip is developing a general sense of awareness on how your engine works. This will allow you to know when to push harder and when to back off. Start learning your heart rate zones, your threshold zones, your 5k pace (10k pace, etc) in order to create tools that you can use to be a more effective runner. Knowing your engine also means controlling your mind. Knowing how to clear the mind is imperative as your inner negative dialogue, that voice that tells you “I suck”, “I am a slow runner” “everybody is passing me”, “I am an imposter, I am not a runner”, “my legs are fat”, and my fav “I am not enough”….. will only sabotage your fitness goals. Learn to control your inner dialogue and focus on your run will help you build mental toughness.
In our current quarantine and physical distancing, you have this opportunity to build your aerobic system, strengthen your weaknesses, and come back stronger. This is exactly what I am doing at this moment since both my March half IRONMAN and my May full IRONMAN races have been canceled and postponed. I am focusing on my yoga, running 3x a week, increasing the volume on my strength and conditioning, and waiting for the water temps to warm up so I can go swimming open water, no gym membership needed here. My goal is to arrive to the start line of my postponed IRONMAN stronger than ever before.
What do you want to accomplish?