One of the steps to improving as a runner is incorporating speed or races into your training plan.  Before you can just start running faster, you must make sure that you are prepared to run fast with as little chance for injury as possible.  

One way to reduce injury risk is to keep only a small amount of your weekly running done at a fast pace and the other is the topic of this episode: how and when should you warm up.

Warming up is useful to establish a routine before training or racing hard.  It also increases blood flow to the needed muscles. It is incredibly useful in getting the coordinated movements of running working correctly before you push yourself.  The nerve network should be smooth and firing in sync if you plan on getting positive results from a race or workout.

Warming up should be done before essentially every hard effort.  The easier the effort, the shorter the warmup can be. At steady state effort, I simply like to run my first...

If it works, just do more of it.  

The theme of today’s episode is increasing mileage.  Why it would be a good idea, and why might it be a bad idea.  

First, upping mileage is a great coaching trick for easy improvements.  If runners have become comfortable with their current training level, then increasing weekly mileage by 10-20% is almost guaranteed to give positive results.  Changing speeds will also give results, but it’s easier to tell someone to run 5 miles instead of 4.

Also, for basically any race lasting longer than a minute or so, the primary energy system needed is the aerobic system.  Running longer and slow is a great method of improving this system. The greater the race distance, the more important the aerobic capacity, and the more a few extra miles will create a benefit.  

However, the philosophy behind so much of our coaching is to do the least required to reach the goal fitness.  With this view in mind,...

087: Lacking motivation? Every action in our life is a choice.  Also, when we choose one path, we automatically choose not to follow any other path.  Choosing to go for a run today may be an easy or difficult choice. You are not required or forced to do this, so when the motivation wanes, how do we muster the energy to get out the door?

Resources:

• Our Coaching Programs and Training Plans
• Our Favorite Products to Make Healthy Living Easier 
• We have SHIRTS! Show your Real Life Runner Pride!

Hope you enjoy it!! Let us know if you have any questions that you would like answered on our show!    

Thanks for Listening!!

Want to support the show?  Check out our options here!

If you have a topic you would like us to talk about, please send us an email at [email protected]  or [email protected] 

Come find us on Facebook and Instagram and say hi!  

Instagram page for the show @realliferunners

Kevin ...

Who among us is not a little crunched for time and struggling to get in the most optimal workout or workouts each week.  Add in a long run, formwork, strength, proper nutrition, not to mention getting enough sleep and it can all get a little overwhelming.  

On this episode we talk about how to get the biggest bang for your workout buck, or in other words, how you can optimize your running time. The idea is what we like to refer to as multi-system workouts.  

Some examples: 

1. Start fast and move to steady
   • Warmup, start fast - do one mile at 1 mile to 2 mile race pace, short/incomplete recovery (about half the time it took you to run that mile), then move into a medium distance tempo run for 10-20 minutes (at 1 hour race pace), cool down 
2. Cut Down Workout
   
   • Pick any interval- I like quarters- and keep dropping the pace every set
   • 4x4x400 with pace dropping from 10k to 5k to 3k to mile
   • Increase recovery as the pace drops
3. Pyramids 
   • ...

The internet is a wonderful place because you can ask it a question and it will give you millions of answers.  If you are searching for a training plan because you are looking to get fitter or because you have an upcoming race, there are a wide variety of options to choose from just a couple of clicks away.

On this episode, we talk about why those plans each come with their own positives and negatives.  

First the downside of plans.  Most plans are created from one training philosophy that was researched on elites and worked well for someone else.  There are many training styles, and they all have the same end goal in mind of improving fitness. The right plan for you is the one that brings enjoyment, results, and keeps you injury-free.  

While most plans will work, some will get better results faster because each person adapts differently to different styles.  Just because you and your friend run at a similar pace and have the same goal race in...

Change is hard.  We have to find the motivation and drive to change our mindset to change our actions.  There is usually a good deal of negative voices coming from within that we need to overcome.  Sometimes those voices are external. Friends, family, and complete strangers will also comment on our journey, and not always in the nicest manner.

On today’s episode we talk about the negative voices coming from outside, also known as the haters.  We cover a lot of points, but the biggest takeaway is that perspective is extremely important.

First, whatever message you are sending out into the world is not going to be received the same by every person.  They have their own opinions and values, and frankly even their current mood may affect how well they interpret your message.  Some people may try to hold you back for your own safety, some out of fear of losing you, some out of jealousy that you are accomplishing things they want to accomplish....

As coaches and runners we are familiar of coming up short in some of the biggest moments.  There are always athletes who manage to step up when it is all on the line, and others who...well, don’t.  What is it that separates these performances? The answer is generally in your head rather than in your legs.

In this episode, we cover the obstacles that prevent us from reaching our full potential.  All of the topics fall under the general umbrella of limiting beliefs. We have these ideas stuck in our head that hold us back.  Unfortunately, our subconscious mind reacts to a thought we have as though it is a fact. This means if we tell ourself anything negative, we then think that idea is a clear truth.  

We start with the notion of bringing previous experiences to our current situation.  What started out as a survival mechanism is now holding us back when we try to apply order and logic to a new experience.

We continue with the go-to negative...

So many times in our lives we get caught up. Caught up in the day to day, our weekly runs, our million to-do items.  On this episode we cover how living with intention can lead to much greater levels of success in running and all areas of your life.

First, you must start by setting your priorities.  This task sounds simple but is at the basis of living fully and non just mindlessly drifting through the days and years.  Determine your priorities and break it down to the actionable steps you can accomplish to get there.

Second, be fully engaged with whatever task you are doing.  If you have already determined that your actions should be done to be your best and happiest self, then focus on those tasks.  Do not worry about other tasks you are not accomplishing. Do not attempt to multitask. Simply be fully present to your current moment and action.

Finally, recover and relax between actions.  Following a major task, take a well deserved break.  More...

In this episode we thoroughly discuss the concept of the long run.  We cover the physical and mental benefits from a scientific and anecdotal point of view.  If you do not currently have a long run regularly in your training schedule, after about 20 minutes, you will understand why you should.

The back half of the show goes into the details on how to schedule the long run, how fast to go during the long run(probably slower than you are currently running for a long run) and how far the long run should be.  This last question was actually the reasoning behind the show, as a friend asked why she had to run 9 miles when she was only going to race 6.2 miles.

Finally, we go into what I like to call long run bonuses.  These are workouts that you can sneak into your long run for either extra benefit or for the same benefit over a shorter amount of time.  They should not be done every week. They should be treated as an additional workout and therefore should be...

We believe that cross training is important for every real life runner.  It helps you to get in better shape, train muscles that you don't normally train while running, and increase or maintain cardiovascular fitness if you are injured.  

Running-specific types of cross training: pool running, elliptical, ElliptiGo

Other cross training: swimming, cycling, hiking, stair climbing, yoga, pilates, fitness classes, weight training, strength training 

We believe that adding cross training to your weekly schedule has significant benefits.  Try out a bunch of different types and see what you like! 

Resources: 

• Why We Sleep - Dr. Matthew Walker - book recommendation
• Found My Fitness - episode with Rhonda Patrick and Matthew Walker about sleep 
• Aqua Jogger pool running belt 
• ElliptiGo
• Our Favorite Products to Make Healthy Living Easier - find our favorite plant-based protein supplements here

• Our Coaching Programs
• We have SHIRTS! ...