Running a race requires training. That much is understood.
But, to truly train for racing, you’ll want to do more than just “run”. Weights come into play, and so does flexibility work.
Here are some ideas to keep in mind as you prep for your next race.
Strength Training
To get faster as a runner, you have to get stronger. And, one good way to get stronger is to add weight training to your regimen.
A runner’s weight training program is different from what a recreational weight lifter might do. Developing core strength is paramount. Bench presses and curls become less important.
A stronger core is associated with more efficient running and fewer running injuries. This, in turn, increases endurance and strength.
As part of your regular routine — either on an off-day or before you hit your run — perform a series of planks and squats; and do lunges and back extensions.
It’s not necessary to use heavy weights. It’s only necessary to be consistent.
Just remember: More strength yields more speed.
Interval Training
Interval training is another way to mix up your runs.
Interval training is carefully planned runs which replicate a “bell curve” in terms of intensity.
Typically, interval training begins with a 10-minute warm up at an easy pace. Then, at regular intervals, the runner runs a certain distance at a certain pace.
Then, when the interval is over, the runner returns to an easy pace of running for a brief period and then the sequence repeats.
For example, one popular interval training session features:
A 10-minute warm-up
Six (1/2 mile runs at 5k pace followed by a 60-second cool-down)
A 10-minute cooldown
Interval training teaches your body to clear out toxins and maintain peak performance. It should be performed no more than once weekly.
Yoga
Yoga is another way to improve your speed. This is because the core tenets of yoga — flexibility, core strength, and breath control — are each essential for active running.
Furthermore, it’s been shown that active yogis land fewer running injuries than the non-yoga crowds.
Yoga relaxes the body and the mind. Adding one hour-long session per week can be an excellent addition to your training plan.
Hills
Hills are my favorite. Nothing compares. This is because running hills is speed training in disguise.
Running hills challenges your muscles, assists with aerobic power, and increases pain tolerance. However, the biggest benefit of hills is the mental boost you get.
When you can run hills well, you don’t care if your race is hilly. This reduces anxiety and helps you coast through a course. Plus, when you pass a fellow runner on a hill, you gain a major mental edge.
Hills are awesome. Run more hills.
Recovery Run
A final piece of training that’s essential (and often overlooked) is the recovery run.
A recovery run is exactly what it sounds like — it’s a run designed to help you recover. It’s a low-intensity, low-mileage run performed at a comfortable pace of up to 1:00/min per mile slower than your typical pace.
Via a recovery run, you still log the mileage necessary to build a strong base, but you do it with very little fatigue to your already-stressed muscles.
After a week of hard training, adding a recovery run can be helpful.
Running through the seasons
When it’s time to train, a runner has two choices: run outdoors or run a treadmill. For many of us it’s a no-brainer.
Outdoors every day of the week, and twice on Sunday.
But, running outdoors presents challenges not present when running a treadmill. Weather and topography affect what you wear; and, sunlight and darkness can play a role, too.
Running In Spring
Of all the seasons, running in spring can be the most enjoyable. It’s rarely too hot, and rarely too cold; and, for runners not living in the desert or the tropics, it’s nice to get outside after the typically tough months of winter.
But spring brings rain so it’s best to be prepared.
NEVER run when there’s thunder or lightning. No matter how far in the distance, when you hear the rumble or see the streak, get yourself indoors.
No training run is worth the risk of getting struck.
However, if rain is in the forecast or it’s raining as you’re leaving the house, consider wearing a hat to keep the rain from your face; and, a lightweight jacket to help keep you dry.
I wear an emerald green Mama jacket that’s ugly as all get out, but it works.
Then, when I get home, I’m quick to get out of my wet clothes — especially my socks — and I leave my clothes to dry out a bit before tossing them in the dryer.
This is a good way to lengthen the life of your technical gear.
Running In Summer
Summer runs can be the most challenging of all the seasons. The heat is high and, for runners in the Ohio Valley like me, humidity can sit thick.
Running in summer requires a different set of precautions.
One of my favorite rules of summer running is to always run with water on-hand. Some people carry bottles, or run in parks with working fountains.
I prefer my Nathan backpack, which I fill with roughly 20 ounces of water for every hour I plan to run.
My second rule is to listen to your body.
This summer, I barfed a few times while running the streets of Cincinnati. One of those times, my wife happened to be driving by.
She thought it was funny, and it was. But that only happened because I pushed myself beyond my limits on a day when the heat index was 108.
I should have been smarter.
Running In Fall
Running in fall is akin to running in spring. The weather’s typically cooler and breathing is less labored. Plus, with the training from summer complete, it’s easier to PR in your favorite marathon or 5k.
However, as winter gets set to settle in, winds in fall can be strong and knock you off your balance. Plus, with the days getting shorter, there’s less sunlight which means that you’re running in the dark more frequently.
In fall, be sure to dress in layers and wear lighting and reflective gear, when appropriate.
Running In Winter
Winter running is my personal favorite. The air is crisp, the trails are empty, and the sweat is sparse. Waking up early for a Sunday morning 20-miler is one of my favorite things to do.
However, running in winter presents challenges.
First, it’s dark. Really dark. Wearing lighting and reflective gear is a must.
Second, you need to watch for ice. Running in snow is fine, because you can see the white beneath your feet. Ice, however, goes unnoticed until you wipe out and get hurt.
This is why I won’t run when there’s ice on the roads.
Also, I won’t run when it’s below 12 degrees. This is because the water in my Nathan backpack tends to freeze at this temperature, which leaves me stranded on the road with no aqua.
Anything But The Treadmill
No matter the season, running outside requires some prep. You pick your clothes, you pick your route, and hit the road.
Running in winter is my favorite, but you’ll see me out there in all 12 months.
Runners Hear These Things All. The. Time.
Things People Say To Runners
Members of the running community have a lot in common.
We’ve all been sweat-drenched from a tough run. We’ve all contemplated sleeping in to skip a scheduled run. And, we’ve all heard some pretty ridiculous stuff from our friends about our love of running.
If you’ve run for years — or even for months — a well-intentioned friend has likely said one of the following to you.
Maybe you’re tired of hearing it, or maybe you find it funny. For sure, though, you’ve heard it before.
“Running is Boring”
I hear this one a lot, actually. People love to tell me how boring running is. Funny — I don’t see it that way.
Running is so enjoyable to me that I want to do it every day, and I never wear headphones to help the time pass more quickly.
Maybe other people find running to be boring because they’ve never seen the sun rise over the horizon right at the finish of a grueling run; or, because they’ve never heard nothing but the sound of their feet against the pavement on a cold, winter morning.
Don’t tell me running is boring. Especially as you’re celebrating the latest episode of The Bachelor.
“Run Forrest! Run”
I get it. Really, I do. I’ve seen the movie over two dozen times and the soundtrack is Alan Silvestri’s second-best behind Back to the Future. But, that doesn’t mean I think you’re funny for yelling like Jenny does.
Especially when you’re passing me at 45 MPH on Montgomery Rd.
It was funny in 1994. Today, not so much.
True story: I ran the Los Angeles Marathon in 2012 and had my race bib printed with “FORREST”. For 26.2 miles, spectators screamed at me, “RUN FORREST RUN”. I kind of liked it in that situation. I’ll probably do it again.
“Running is bad for your knees/back/ankles/feet”
Look, running can be harsh on your body. No arguments there. The constant pounding of pavement can batter not just your lower body, but your upper body, too.
Luckily for us, we’re humans and our bodies were meant to run. Plus, we’re smart enough to take steps to protect ourselves from injury.
We can stretch appropriately. We can strength train and work on good form. We can rest when we’re tired, and we can purchase new shoes if we need to.
Like any athlete, a runner who takes care of its body will have better results than a runner who does not.
“Did you win your race?”
No, I didn’t win the race. But, here’s the thing. Running a race is almost never about finishing in first place. Not for recreational runners, anyway.
For most runners, running a race is about being the best runner you can be on that given day. If your effort puts you in first place, so much the better. Most of us are thrilled just to set a PR (“personal record”), however.
Don’t ask whether I won my race. I’m going to tell you no. Instead, ask how I ran. That’s a question I can honestly answer.
“You don’t look like a runner!”
That’s funny, because you don’t look like an insensitive clown who thinks all runners look alike!
Runners, like people, come in all shapes and sizes. If a person likes to get out there and go for runs — from several blocks to hundreds of miles — that person, to me, is a runner.
“You’re spending HOW MUCH to run that race? You could run at home for free.”
Yes, races can be expensive. And, during the fall and spring race seasons, costs can add up. But, that’s okay. Running a race is as much about the experience as anything else.
Plus, many races are run to benefit a local charity.
I don’t mind spending $$$ to run the right race — or even the wrong one. Running races is fun for me.
“You ran how many miles!? You’re crazy.”
Okay, well this one I actually like to hear. When a person tells me I’m crazy for running 20 miles on a Sunday morning before the sun’s even come up, I feel a sense of pride for doing something that’s a challenge.
Runners pride themselves on weekly mileage counts, so just don’t scoff at us,
This one we may brag about a little bit, but we aren’t crazy. It feels great even running one more mile than we have before. We do pride ourselves on the number of miles we rack up in any given week, but please don’t scoff at us.
“I only run when chased” / “I get tired just driving that far”
There are a million one-liners for the never-running crowd and these two lines are the most common. Like the Forrest Gump line, they’re funny the first time and much more funny to the non-running crowd.
I don’t mind that you don’t run, and I’m not passing judgment on you. I also know you’re not passing judgment on me. However, if you keep recycling these jokes, I might start to.
Did I miss any of your (least) favorite sayings? Shoot me a tweet @dangreenoh.
5 Ways To Do “The Runner’s Wave”
Runner’s Wave: The Non-Official Runner Greeting
The “Runner’s Wave”. It’s more than just an acknowledgement between two like-minded runners on the road.
The Runner’s Wave is also a sign of respect, of camaraderie, and of kinship; that you’re both members of an exclusive club. A exclusive, sweaty club — but a club nonetheless.
At its heart, though, the Runner’s Wave is a greeting to your compatriots. And, there are a hundred ways to give it.
When I’m out running, though, I find myself using one of five variations on the Runner’s Wave. Each works, and I rotate freely among them, depending on the run and how I’m feeling.
I’ll also consider the person to whom I’m waving and the circumstance.
Here are the five Runner’s Waves in my arsenal.
The Basic Wave
The Basic Wave is the standard runner greeting. It’s a little bit boisterous but, then again, so are most runners.
The Basic Wave is the equivalent of a very loud “Hello!” Lift your arm to a right angle, even with your shoulder.
Spread your fingers slightly and make eye contact with your fellow running cohort.
Beginning runners often gravitate to the Basic Wave because it’s easily recognizable. It’s also exceedingly friendly.
However, executing on the Basic Wave requires a lot of physical energy. Therefore, it may not be suitable for hard training run and race days.
The Hip Wave
The Hip Wave is more subtle than the Basic Wave, and is the wave-type you’ll see most often between runners of a certain caliber. It’s quick, it’s subtle, and it sends a slightly different message than other runner’s wave.
With the Hip Wave, you’re saying, “I see you, and I’m saying ‘hello’, but this workout is a tough one and I’m in my own zone.”
To execute on the Hip Wave, keep your arms low and near to your body, as you would while you run. Then, as a runner approaches, using your inside hand, quickly flick your wrist upward.
You can hold your hand up for a few seconds or not — it’s up to you.
However, because the Hip Wave is a subtle one, be sure you don’t execute too early or too late, or your running peer might miss it entirely.
The Thumbs-Up Wave
The Thumbs-Up Wave is probably the most special of all the Runner’s Waves. It’s often seen between runners of vastly different abilities, as one runner shows respect to the other.
When a runner gives the Thumbs-Up Wave, it’s a way of saying, “I see what you’re doing, and I think you’re awesome.”
For example, when I see a runner really tearing up the pavement, I give a thumbs-up to acknowledge the skill, the speed, and the form. I also give the thumbs-up when I see an obviously-beginner runner pushing their physical limits and working super-hard.
I have respect for that.
To execute on the Thumbs-Up Wave, keep your arms low and near to your body, as you would while your run.
Then, as a runner approaches, using your inside hand, give the “thumbs up”. You can raise your arm slightly to make sure your signal is spotted.
The Thumbs-Up Wave is worth the hundred words you don’t have time to speak while on the trail.
The Head Nod Wave
The Head Nod Wave is probably my favorite — maybe because I’m a dude.
The Head Nod Wave is laid-back and allows me to say hello without getting my arms out of sync, or worrying about messing with my form.
If you’ve never seen a Head Nod Wave on the road, think of two guys saying hello to each other from across a room with their heads.
It’s a slight lift of the chin and just a hint of direct eye-to-eye contact. Now, imagine that between two runners and you’ve got it.
The Head Nod Wave is the runner’s equivalent of “What’s up?”
The Head Nod Wave can also be appropriate after you’ve passed a runner several times during a run and don’t want to keep on with the Basic Wave or the Hip Wave.
Using the Head Nod Wave acknowledges the other runner without all the effort of using your arms.
The Smile Wave
The Smile Wave is similar to the Head Nod Wave, except it’s used for a different audience.
For example, I reserve the Smile Wave for very young runners and for those who are obviously much older than me. It’s a reflection of my true happiness of the situation.
The Smile Wave is also flexible in that you can accompany it with a “Hi!” or “Good morning!” or something similar.
The Smile Wave the friendliest of all the Runner’s Wave types.
Not Everyone Will Wave At You
I don’t always wave when I run — especially when I’m in the middle of a tough workout. I can be in such a zone that I don’t even make eye contact with my fellow runners.
When I’m pushing, I am sure that I fail to reciprocate on Runner’s Waves and that’s okay. I know that not everyone’s going to return a wave on every pace of a run — especially on days when the trails are busy. It can be tiring to wave to the world.
Therefore, don’t worry if your waves go unreturned. That will happen sometimes. Just remember that you’re not waving to getting a response — you’re waving to say “hello”.