Whether you're preparing to run your first 5K
or you're training hard for your next marathon,
it’s impossible not to be inspired by just how easy professional runners
make running look. While running unimaginably fast,
they seem to make it look almost effortless.
If you break down the training regimes of most elite runners,
there are a few important things that they all do
to get the most out of their training,
that normal runners like you and I would also benefit from.
Focus on these five simple things in your own training
and you will definitely become a stronger, faster runner as a result.
Number 1.
Vary your training paces.
So many of the runners I've coached in the past
have come to me saying that
they only have one pace that they tend to stick out for all of their runs.
Perhaps they go a little bit faster when doing tempo workouts
and a little bit slower when doing their long runs.
But there's not really much difference.
Honestly, this is so common and such a big problem for your running.
If this sounds like you, it's definitely something to work on.
Elite runners know that to get the most from your training
and to look after your body and ultimately get faster,
you need to polarize your training, essentially making your easy runs
very easy and your hard sessions very hard.
There should be little to no middle ground.
Let's say you're running three, four, or maybe five times per week.
For most runners,
they'd be best off running all but one of those runs at a very easy pace.
To the extent that you could hold a conversation while you run.
If you're running at a low enough intensity
that you have enough control of your breathing to be able to talk
easily, you’re most likely running in your aerobic training zone,
which is right where we need to be to build endurance.
Not only is your aerobic endurance,
the aspect of fitness that allow you to run faster for longer,
but the more gentle pace
you're running at will allow your body to recover more quickly between sessions,
meaning that you'll be ready to push yourself harder when it comes
to your weekly higher intensity speed session.
Turning up to these speed sessions with less fatigue in your legs
will allow you to get more quality work done during the workouts
and take more benefits from each weekly speed session.
So just remember the old coaching saying: “Make your easy runs easy,
and your hard runs hard”.
Number 2: Train Consistently
The next thing that elite runners tend to do far better than most normal runners
is that they train consistently from week to week and month to month.
Lots of us can look back through Strava
and see that
our weekly mileage goes up and down significantly from one week to the next,
with periods of frequent focused training, followed by weeks where life just gets
in the way somehow and we compromise by letting training slip slightly.
Of course, we all run for different reasons, and have different
goals, not to mention different challenges to negotiate in daily life,
that sometimes stand between us and the day's run.
But professional runners know the consistency is the key
to improving your running.
There's no single magic running workout that will improve your fitness overnight.
Your fitness will develop fastest as a result of consistent training.
Number 3: Prioritize Recovery.
You might think the professional runners get to train all the time
as they don't have the same work pressures that normal runners have to deal with.
But that's not really the case, unless your class recovery as training.
And trust me, many elite runners do take their recovery regime
as seriously as the workouts themselves.
The difference between a pro runner and a keen amateur
is that the pro runner
doesn't have to finish a run, then immediately rush off to work.
They can do all the stretching, refueling, massage, and even sleeping
that they need to do to be fully recovered and ready for the next session
when the time comes
Although you and I aren't pro runners,
if we remember that the physical and physiological adaptations
that occur in response to our training, and make us fitter, happen
while we recover between workouts, it should be very clear
why we need to prioritize recovery as best we can during our busy schedules.
Oh, and the last note on recovery before we move on.
Two of the biggest potential wins for most of us, where we can improve
our recovery is by improving our hydration and quality of sleep.
That's where I start optimizing recovery with most of my runners.
Number 4: Keep on Top of Strength & Conditioning.
Ever wondered how professional runners managed to run such high weekly mileage,
sometimes over 100 miles per week whilst staying injury free?
Well, it's got a lot to do with all the factors I've already mentioned,
but the missing piece of the puzzle is that they are all disciplined
about doing their regular strength and conditioning workouts.
Elite runners know that not only do exercises like single leg
squats, lunges and side planks make them stronger, more powerful runners,
but they also help to prevent running injuries
by making their bodies more resilient to the harsh demands of running.
As well as building strength in all the major muscle groups of the legs,
like the quads, the hamstrings, the glutes, and the calves,
it's also important to work on single leg balance and control exercises to improve
stability around the hips, ankle and of course, the core.
This will help to protect more vulnerable areas like your knees.
I'll leave a link in the description to a video
which will give you some fresh ideas
for strength and conditioning exercises to help you with your running.
Number 5: Focus on Your Running Technique.
Watching elite runners
can sometimes give you the impression that running is natural and effortless
for them.
And don't get me wrong,
natural ability is always a factor.
But don't be fooled into thinking that they don't have to
also think about their running form or work on improving their technique.
In fact, if you watch a training session, many pro runners spend a lot of time
doing various drills
to reinforce the aspects of proper running form that they want to work on.
Not only that, but when fatigue kicks in, that's
when they really have to focus on maintaining good running form.
Just to give them that extra edge.
We see it in every single elite marathon race, for example.
It's not the runner who runs the absolute fastest who wins.
It's the runner who slows down the least in the final six miles! Maintaining
good form and not letting your technique fall apart so you get tired,
is an important thing to work on so you can continue
running efficiently as fatigue kicks in.
Click the video on screen right now and I'll show you a bunch
of powerful techniques that elite runners use to run faster that you can use too.