Developing your running

With your running regime hopefully up and running you should be feeling the benefits of your training. So where do you go from your good starting point?

With the warmer months coming and the longer days allowing for more training time your regime can change and adapt in many ways. Hopefully by now you are reaping the benefits of your initial phase of training and are running regularly on at least two occasions per week and have possibly built up some friendships in doing so. We’ll try to break down where you turn next in your advancement of your training and how you can begin to work toward the peak of fitness for you.

Training methods

With your regime up to two times a week hopefully now you can begin to up the workload in various ways-

• Up the high intensity interval training including sprint work to really build a great cardiovascular base.
• Extend your runs to smash your previous bests and aim to keep progressing in quicker times and longer distances.

Plan for a competition

Work towards something with your training and give it a purpose-

• Be brave and book your first running event. You maybe won’t have a target goal in times so you will be starting fresh but it is important to just start.
• If you have made friends with a running partner then ask them to join you in the planned event or if you have joined a club then the likelihood is that a few of the members already have planned events so just join in with them.

Run for a cause

Keep your motivation up by not just running for yourself but running for a good cause.

There are many various charities that require funding throughout the years so why not make your training efforts count for something more and raise some hard earned money in the process? Lots of the bigger charities have national events to run in so join the good cause and get your sponsorship forms filled in.

Keep an eye on your nutrition

With your increased training regime you should keep an informed eye on the nutrition you are taking in and really keeping your body fuelled for your new training schedule.

• Increase the carbohydrate intake on the days before your runs and the heavy training should feel more achievable with your increased energy levels.
• Watch your protein levels and aim to recover on the days after heavy training with some very high protein intake keeping your muscles growing and rejuvenated.

With all the above points in place your training should see you now at a new level and really reaping the rewards of pushing yourself to your limits and beyond. Don’t forget to keep an eye on your equipment with regular trips for new running gear as your body changes and take care of your feet with regular trainer checks and pedicures. You only have one pair of feet and if you are going to be using them efficiently then taking care of them is as important as the training itself.

Remember to have fun and keep it as varied as possible with new safe routes and running partners. Stay motivated and keep a record of your personal bests with a running diary and remember to always look back at where you came from to keep a perspective from where you came from. Keep running, enjoy and ‘Do The Damn Thing!’

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