WHY DO YOU RUN?

Podcast Episode #170 🎙

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→ What is your intrinsic reason for running?

→ Why did you begin running in the first place?

→ Maybe you run to challenge yourself.

→ Maybe you run for the community.

→ Maybe you run to show your kids that you can reach your goals with hard work.

→ Whatever your reasoning is, you get to decide what pushes you everyday to get out and run.

→ We want to dig deep to find the reasons why we decide to lace up and get the miles in each week.

→ Uncovering your "why" will help you navigate the tough times in training and the days when you just don't feel like getting out.

→ Uncovering your "why" will help

HOW DOES STOPPING ON LONG RUNS AFFECT YOUR TRAINING?🤔

Podcast Episode #169 🎙

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PHYSIOLOGICALLY👇

➡️ The benefits are not as great if your heart rate drops too low on several stops throughout your run. Benefits for building running endurance occur when your heart rate is elevated and muscles are working for extended periods of time. If you are stopping for 10+ minutes on a two hour long run, you likely won’t reap as much benefit

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REASONS FOR STOPPING👇

✅ Feeling fatigued: If you're constantly stopping to take a breather on long runs, you're probably going too fast overall. You should be running your easy pace for the majority of your long runs!

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✅ Group runs: Know the structure of group runs before going! If your group is known to stop for long periods of time during runs, then pick a couple times a month to run with them instead of every single long run

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✅ Stoplights/traffic: Find a new route if you constantly need to stop on your runs due to stoplights/traffic (especially important for long runs)

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✅ Restroom: If you gotta go, you gotta go! This is a perfectly legitimate reason to stop

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✅ Practicing waterstops: Many runners will stop and/or walk at waterstops during races. You should practice this so you don’t get flustered bobbing and weaving while trying to continue running! You can still be very efficient by walking for 10-20 seconds through a waterstop

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OTHER HELPFUL FAQS👇

➡️ Designate one or two long runs a month where you treat it more like a race (at easy pace) and really work to decrease the stoppage time

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➡️ Don’t worry as much about your easy, shorter runs during the week. Having a few minutes of stoppage time during these runs is totally fine. Getting too strict with it could cause unnecessary anxiety!

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We hope this helps! 👍

RUNNERS & THE COMPARISON TRAP 🪤

Podcast Episode #168 🎙

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Have you ever gotten caught into the comparison trap with your running? 🙋🏻‍♀️ This is super common and something many runners go through

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Not only do many runners get caught up in comparing themselves to others, but they may also start exhibiting people-pleasing behaviors and showing signs of extrinsic instead of intrinsic motivation!

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HELPFUL REMINDERS:👇

✅ You are a 100% unique individual with a different background, different goals, and a different physiology than everyone else. When you started running, what sports you played growing up, your genetics, etc... these are all things that factor into your running right now! Runner A that starts cross country at age 12 is going to take a MUCH different path in their running than Runner B who started running at age 25 with no sports background. Take pride in your individualism and enjoy comparing yourself to previous versions of yourself 💪

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✅ Studies show that if you begin offering extrinsic rewards for something that someone was previously intrinsically motivated to do, they're motivation to do that thing DECREASES.

This goes hand-in-hand with the reward system of getting "likes" on social media for your running accomplishments. It can disrupt your original reasons for doing something and inhibit your progress as a runner. Keep your "why" at the forefront and try to remind yourself daily of why you run.

Most of us begin running for intrinsic reasons. Protect that at all costs to have longevity in this sport! 🙌

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✅ Many runners struggle with committing to too many running social events which are often races and runs. If your goal is to improve and get

faster, it may mean skipping out on some of these and keeping the big picture in mind. Enjoy spectating and cheering your friends on! 🤩

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How have you helped stay intrinsically motivated or how have you gotten yourself out of the comparison trap?

Have you ever "peaked too early" for a race?

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How to avoid this👇

PERIODIZE YOUR TRAINING aka don't do the same training all year long and have different seasons for different aspects of training

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1️⃣ BASE BUILDING: This is the foundation of any endurance training plan. The focus here is aerobic development with an emphasis on easy miles. This phase could include shorter speed workouts, like fartleks and strides, more strength training, building on your long runs, etc. You want to be pushed a little bit but not TOO much during this phase so the bigger workouts in the next phase aren't as big of a shock to the body. 4-10 weeks in length depending on what and when your race is (longer for a marathon)

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2️⃣ RACE PREP: This is when longer runs, longer tempo runs, and longer repeats are implemented after getting the aerobic development from the base building phase. This is where you'll have the more "traditional" marathon workouts if you're training for a marathon. 8-14 weeks in length depending on athlete level and race distance

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3️⃣ TAPERING/PEAKING: Overall volume (number of miles/kms) decreases, but intensity stays up! Many people make the mistake of not keeping intensity in during their taper/peaking phase. Keeping intensity in allows for fine-tuning your speed and running econony. 2-3 weeks in length for a marathon

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4️⃣ RECOVERY/OFF-SEASON: You should plan to take at least a full week off of training after a marathon. Take the recovery before you think you need it! It’s important mentally to draw the line in the sand and “end” the training cycle. The next few weeks of recovery can include easy runs, running every other day, etc. 👍

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HOW DOES EASY RUNNING MAKE YOU FASTER? 🤔

Podcast Episode #166 🎙

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As runners, we can have a distorted view on what “easy” means. Distance runners are taught to “push through the pain”. We know how to push ourselves to the limits. Sometimes we aren't slowing down enough on our easy days

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As coaches, we are firm believers in the 80/20 rule from Matt Fitzgerald. 80% of your weekly mileage should be run at a slow and easy pace; the remaining 20% is reserved for faster/moderate running (tempos, speedwork, etc). Easy running is generally 65-77% of your max HR 💪

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✅ STRESS + REST = GROWTH: The 5k distance and up are AEROBIC events. You want to STRESS the aerobic system for GROWTH in the aerobic system. The aerobic system is stressed at EASY PACE! Easy pace also allows for REST/RECOVERY so you can push hard on your workout days 🏃‍♀️

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✅INCREASED CAPILLARY DENSITY: With increased capillary density, there are ways for the blood to make it to your muscles to aid when muscles get fatigued. Your body makes more capillaries as an adaptation to running more easy miles

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✅MITOCHONDRIAL GROWTH: Low-intensity training helps the growth of mitochondria (your cells’ powerhouse), which helps the body burn fat efficiently which is needed in long distance events

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✅RECOVERY: Running at easy pace helps facilitate blood flow to muscles that need repair after a hard workout (fast running). It helps speed up the recovery process if done correctly. When your heart is working too hard, it actually puts more stress on your body and hinders the healing process. When your body is not able to recover between “fast” running days, it can lead to burn out or injury!

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WHAT SHOULD EASY PACE FEEL LIKE? It might feel a little weird, almost like a walk. You should end the run feeling like you could go a lot longer 😃

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Need help embracing easy running? Sign up for a seven day FREE trial with a coach today! Link in bio. www.run4prs.com ⭐️

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TOP 6 TRAINING MISTAKES WE SEE

Podcast Episode #165 🎙

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❌ NOT ENOUGH RECOVERY: You can't maximize yourself as a runner if you're doing a lot of other activities (Orange Theory, CrossFit, etc.) Many athletes try to train for races while also doing activities like this. When training specifically for a race, try to focus on the specificity of training and taking classes like this after your race is done

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❌ TOO FAST ON EASY DAYS: Plug in a recent race result into a VDOT calculator to find out what your easy pace is. This is the pace you'll run for 80% of your training. Many athletes need to go even slower than this. Easy pace = more recovery, more aerobic development & increased ability to go hard during your hard workouts!

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❌ WRONG TYPE OF WORKOUTS: 10 x 200m shouldn't be a staple workout in marathon training. 16 miles at marathon pace shouldn't be part of 5k training. You want to do the RIGHT workouts for the race you're training for. Additionally, you want to avoid running your workouts too hard. We want to aim for 80-90% effort on workouts and save 100% all-out efforts for race day! Hold back a little so you have something left in the tank for race day!

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❌ NOT ACCUMULATING ENOUGH OVERALL VOLUME: Similar to the above training mistake, many athletes don't do enough volume during the week. They may only do a couple 3-4 mile runs and then a big 16 mile long run on the weekend. Marathons reward consistent volume and having more runs in the 60-90 minute range will give you a HUGE advantage on race day.

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❌ TOO MUCH FOCUS ON THE LONG RUN: Long runs are super important, but they aren’t the end all-be all. Just like one run isn’t going to ruin your training, one run isn’t going to make your training. Overall volume is more important than just the long run each week/ Your weekly volume needs to support the long run (no more than 30% of your weekly volume should be in your long run)

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❌ NOT ENOUGH OF THE “little” BIG THINGS: Sleep, good nutrition, less or no alcohol, yoga, meditation. These are the things you do the other 23 hours of the day when you're not training. They might seem like the little things, but they add up over time to the big things!

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Do you need helping fixing some of these issues in your training? We’re always here to help! Send us a DM 💌

PRACTICING HYDRATION FOR RACE DAY

Podcast Episode #164 🎙

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STEP 1: Research your marathon course offerings

✅ Larger races will have all of this info online

✅ May need to email race director for smaller races

✅ Most races are pretty consistent from year to year

❌ Some races don't allow hydration packs or have unmanned water stops. This is why research is so important!

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STEP 2: Practice, practice, practice during long runs!

✅ During some long runs, set up a table with water outside of your house, run past it grabbing water every 40 min

✅ Limit water stop times to 30-90 seconds max

✅ Practice drinking while running

✅ Practice drinking out of a plastic cup or Dixie cup

✅ Practice running race pace while drinking out of cup

✅ Larger races = water/electrolytes stops every mile. Smaller races = may be every 2-5 miles. Practice and plan accordingly! Can take less/do sips with water stops every mile. You may need to take in more with less frequent water stops

✅ Ideally, pair your gels with water stops. Take gel, wash down with water

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STEP 3: Do a race in training to practice more

✅ We don't recommend relying on a loved one to bring you your hydration on the course unless it's a very small race

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STEP 4: No more anxiety about hydrating. Perfected strategy! 😃👍

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Have more questions? Let us know! Our DMs are always open! 💌

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HAVE YOU EVER DONE BACK TO BACK LONG RUNS? 🏃‍♀️🏃 PODCAST EP. 163 for more!

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They might be best for you! Here's why:👇

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✅ THE 3 HOUR LONG RUN: As proven in research by Jack Daniels and other exercise physiologists, there is more risk than reward when running longer than three hours in marathon training. For many athletes, you aren't able to get 20 miles in within a 3 hour training run. So we split it up into two runs on a Friday night and Saturday morning, for example

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✅ NO MORE THAN 30% OF MILEAGE IN ONE SINGLE LONG RUN: Running more than 30% of your total weekly mileage in one long run is a big risk for injury. So in order to run the infamous 20 mile long run in marathon training, you would need to be running 60+ miles per week. Many runners don't run that much so we want to adjust the training with back to back long runs instead (see example below)

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✅ TIME ON YOUR FEET: Remember that our bodies do NOT know what “miles” are. It knows stress. It knows time on your feet. One runner may average 9:00 min/mile pace throughout a given week while another may average 11:00 min/mile pace. Running 40 miles/week will come out to vastly different amounts of total time on feet (6 hours of time for the 9:00 min/mile pace runner and 7.3 hours for the 11:00 min/mile pace runner). That’s a big difference over the course of a week that needs to be considered!

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EXAMPLES:

👉 13 MILES @ 13:50 pace/mile [8:35 pace/km] = 3 HOURS

👉 14 MILES @ 12:50 pace/mile [8:00 pace/km] = 3 HOURS

👉 15 MILES @ 12:00 pace/mile [7:30 pace/km] = 3 HOURS

👉 16 MILES @ 11:15 pace/mile [7:00 pace/km] = 3 HOURS

👉 17 MILES @ 10:35 pace/mile [6:35 pace/km] = 3 HOURS

👉 18 MILES @ 10:00 pace/mile [6:10 pace/km] = 3 HOURS

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We hope this helps! Comment below if you've done back to back long runs or if you're wanting to try it! 💪

ADJUSTING YOUR PACES IN THE HEAT 🔥

PODCAST #162 🎙

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If you run your usual paces that you would in perfect temperatures while running in higher temps, you end up racing your workouts and running too hard. This can lead to injury, burn out and performance stagnation. We want to avoid this by adjusting our paces!

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OUR TOP TIPS TO HELP WITH THIS TRANSITION:

✅ Some athletes don’t struggle as much in the heat compared to others. Try not to compare yourself to others!

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✅ Along those same lines, keep a journal for yourself to see how the different factors of heat, humidity, dew point and direct sun affect YOUR performance. You may find you’re more affected by the humidity than heat. Journal after each run about how much slower you had to go based on the weather. This will help you from year to year

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✅ You’ll likely find you don’t need to adjust as much for shorter reps like 400m repeats as you would for longer reps, like 1k repeats. So always keep in mind that longer reps = more pace adjustments in the heat

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✅ Effort is best to go off of (0 being rest and 10 being the hardest you can run) in the heat and just knowing you will be slightly slower. This can carry over into other seasons and will help you get in tune with your body

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✅ Keep in mind that running in the heat is a great mental challenge for you if it’s safe to do so. Remember that you’ll only be faster in the fall for having run through the summer! Trust the process

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✅ Check your ego at the start of your workout! You’ll have a much more positive experience if you expect you’ll need to adjust and be a bit slower from the start

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✅ If you’re analytical, use the online pace adjusters for the heat (Runner’s Connect calculator is one we like to use)! This can give you a good idea of how much you should be adjusting, but don’t worry if you need to adjust even more! Everyone is different and the calculator is just using an algorithm

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We hope this helps! Send us a DM if you have any other questions 💌

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HOW MANY MILES PER WEEK SHOULD YOU RUN? 🤔

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PODCAST EPISODE #161 🎙

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Factors to consider:👇

✅ YOUR RUNNING HISTORY: Take into account previous training cycles and your consistency over your years as a runner. Think about how you felt on 10, 20, 30, 40 miles per week. Where have you historically thrived in terms of mileage?

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✅ YOUR CURRENT LIFE SITUATION: Starting a new job, taking care of sick parents, raising young children, etc. These are all situations that may require you to run less mileage in order to stay healthy and stay consistent

✅ YOUR CURRENT FITNESS: Average how many miles you've run per week in the last 4-6 weeks. That should be your starting point when you begin a training cycle

✅ YOUR PHYSIOLOGY: Some runners do just fine increasing their mileage while others need to be a bit more careful with injuries and burn out. With time, you'll discover what kind of runner you are and what amount of weekly mileage you need!

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Do you need help finding your mileage sweet spot? Send us a DM and we'll help you! 💌

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