Welcome to my running blog! Are you a beginning runner looking for some ideas on how to get started? You have found the right place. There are hundreds of cookie-cutter training plans on the internet and it can be overwhelming. Explore my blog for some great training tips and answers to some common running questions. Whether your goal is to run your first 5k, marathon, or maybe your first ultra, read on for help. Do you have a question that I haven’t addressed? Fill out the form below or ask on the RUN717 Facebook page.
Experienced runners also have questions! If you’re like me, you love to learn new things, especially when it comes to running. I’ve been running seriously for about seven years and I’ve coached for four, but I still love to learn about the latest gear, training philosophies, and new advances in training. Are you not improving despite running consistently? Are you looking to complete your first marathon or qualify for Boston? I have included some of my favorite marathon specific workouts that can help you reach that goal. Have you have been running for a few years but have never tried speed workouts? Doing intervals, fartleks, and repeats might be what is missing from your training. Explore my blog to find training tips, marathon tips, specific workouts, recipes and nutrition, and more!
It doesn’t matter whether you are a beginner or an experienced runner because all of us struggle with being consistent. Since the best predictor of success AND being injury-free is running consistently, I hope my running blog helps you. I love running, I love runners, and I love talking about running. Nothing brings me more joy than seeing others reach their goals. Visit here to see how I can help you. Have a question or suggestion for the blog? Get in touch today! I look forward to hearing from you.
If you are thinking about hiring a running coach, you should first decide if you need one. Check out the post Do you need a running coach. If you decide you’d benefit from hiring a coach, it’s important to ask specific questions to ensure that they are the right fit for your needs and goals. Compatibility is important. Here are 12 questions to ask a potential running coach:
What is your coaching philosophy?
This question helps you understand the coach’s approach to training and whether it aligns with your own running philosophy.
What are your qualifications and certifications as a running coach?
Ask about their coaching credentials and experience to ensure they are qualified to guide your training.
Can you provide references or testimonials from past clients?
Hearing from previous clients can give you insights into the coach’s effectiveness and coaching style.
What types of runners do you typically work with?
Find out if the coach has experience working with runners at your level (e.g., beginners, intermediate, advanced) and with your specific goals (e.g., distance running, speed improvement, injury recovery).
How do you develop individualized training plans?
Understand the coach’s process for tailoring training plans to meet your specific goals, strengths, and weaknesses.
What is your communication style and availability?
Ensure that the coach’s communication style and availability match your expectations. You should feel comfortable asking questions and seeking guidance. Clarify the frequency of check-ins, feedback sessions, and adjustments to your training plan.
What is your approach to injury prevention and rehabilitation?
If you have a history of injuries or are concerned about injury prevention, ask about the coach’s strategies in this regard.
What is your fee structure and payment terms?
Discuss the cost of coaching services, any contract terms, and payment schedules to ensure it fits your budget.
Do you offer online or in-person coaching?
Determine whether the coach offers coaching in the format that is most convenient for you, whether that’s in-person or through online communication.
How do you handle race preparation and strategy?
If you have specific race goals, ask about the coach’s approach to race preparation and strategy.
What tools or technology do you use for coaching?
Find out if the coach uses any software, apps, or wearable technology to monitor and analyze your performance.
What do you expect from me as a client?
Understand the coach’s expectations in terms of commitment, adherence to the training plan, and communication.
Asking these questions will help you evaluate whether a running coach is a good fit for your needs, and it will enable you to make an informed decision about hiring them. Want to get started?
Whether or not you need a running coach depends on your specific goals, experience level, and personal preferences. Here are some factors to consider when deciding if you need a running coach:
Experience Level:
If you’re a beginner and new to running, a coach can help you learn proper form, build a solid foundation, and avoid common mistakes.
If you’re an experienced runner, a coach can still be valuable for refining your technique, improving your performance, and setting and achieving more ambitious goals.
Specific Goals:
If you have specific running goals, such as completing a marathon, running a faster 5K, or transitioning to trail running, a coach can create a tailored training plan to help you achieve those goals.
Motivation and Accountability:
Some individuals benefit from the accountability and motivation that a coach provides. They can help you stay on track with your training and push you to your limits.
Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation:
If you’ve had past injuries or are currently dealing with one, a running coach can help you design a training plan that minimizes the risk of injury and includes rehabilitation exercises.
Time and Commitment:
Consider whether you have the time and commitment to self-coach. Coaches can save you time by planning your workouts and analyzing your progress.
Budget:
Running coaches come at a cost, so you should evaluate whether your budget allows for this expense. Some runners may opt for more cost-effective alternatives like online coaching programs or running communities.
Self-Motivation:
Some runners are highly self-motivated and disciplined, and they can develop effective training plans and routines on their own.
The decision to hire a running coach is a personal one, but you can be successful without one. If you find that your running goals align with the benefits of having a coach, you may want to consider it. However, if you are highly motivated, well-informed, and comfortable designing your own training plans, you might be able to achieve your goals without a coach.
If you decide to hire a running coach, be sure to interview a few options and have a list of questions for them. Here are some questions to get the conversation started. You want to make sure you and your coach are compatible!
3 key points on how to run your first interval workout:
Find your pace
If unsure, start a little slower
Aim for consistent paces
Finish knowing you could have done 1 more
Outright exhaustion isn’t the goal
Good warmup
Easy running for 5-10 min or more
Dynamic stretching
Some shorter fast bursts to race HR
Use a track or uniform stretch of road
Consistent pace requires a consistent surface and distance
Useful to compare efforts over weeks or months
Accurate distance
In high school, I remember hitting the track with my basketball teammates for a pre-season workout. I had run around the soccer field in the fall, so I thought I was fit.
We ran around the track as if each effort was a race, I had no idea how to gage my effort, other then I knew the workout was to be hard. Surely the coach would be impressed if I beat my teammates for each rep. Faster, Faster, Faster, was the goal.
The workout was brutal. With each effort, my legs became more Jell-O like, my shoulders burned, (why?), my lunges heaved, and all I could think about was the end. When would the torture end?
After the last rep, I sluggishly walked to the gym, where we were going to play some basketball. I needed new legs, as my current pair was in no shape for any form of basketball. My first shot was at least 3 feet short of the basket and fell harmlessly to the floor.
I had run my first interval workout.
If you’d like to experience injury or extreme fatigue with minimal training benefit, please repeat my folly, if you’d like to experience an interval workout meant to build your speed and progress your endurance please read on.
Before talking on any type of interval workout you should have completed weeks to months of regular easy pace running. The amount of preparation time will vary among athletes based on age and prior running experience.
Once you have completed the necessary base buildup, you are ready to begin developing speed through interval workouts. For an endurance runner, an interval workout typically consists of efforts as short as 200 meters to as long as 2 miles or more. These efforts are repeated several times and will enable the athlete to accumulate several miles of hard, fast running. Again, the total distance will vary based on experience, and goal race distance.
Following are some tips to running a successful interval workout.
Find your pace
Ideally, you would base your workout speed off of a current race, but beginners often won’t have raced yet. Therefore pick a pace that feels comfortable for the first rep. Once completed, did your breathing and heart rate stay under control? If so, you may want to run your next rep a bit faster. After each rep, consider how many more reps you plan to run. When finishing the last rep, you should feel like you could have done one more, but you are glad you don’t have to do another. As you gain experience, you will begin to learn how to adjust your paces for 200s or 400s, versus mile repeats. Like everything, finding the right pace takes practice. Be patient, and aim to slightly speed up during a workout, and slightly speed up from week to week until you find your pace.
Get a good warmup
Adults should not step on the track and hit full speed. Aim for at least 10-20 minutes of each, comfortable running to start. Then transition to some dynamic warmup exercises. Skips, high knees, but kicks, leg swings, squats, and lunges are all good movements. These exercises gently loosen and stretch your muscles while also increasing your range of motion through your joints. Finally, complete 4-6 reps of faster running over a short distance. Anywhere from 40-80 meters. This again moves your body through an increasing range of motion, and also helps to elevate your heart rate for the work to come. Rest for 30-60 seconds between fast bursts.
Find the right location
A track is ideal. Often the public can gain access to high school or college tracks. A track ensures each rep is the same length and the same distance, which greatly helps in determining pace and effort. If you don’t have a track nearby, find a stretch of road or trail that is flat, has limited curves, traffic, or other obstacles which could impede your running. Set up a start and end point. In a pinch, I will use road signs and telephone poles for these. If I would plan, a mark with chalk would be perfect. These markers are important as they establish a clear distance and allow you to focus on the run. You cannot maintain a constant effort when repeatedly checking your watch.
Use these tips to run your first interval workout! Train smart, run fast!
Summer travel season – whether for fun or for work – is upon us. Vacationing while training for a race can be exciting and provide beautiful running scenery. Some of my most memorable runs have happened hundreds (thousands) of miles from my home in Lancaster County. But, training during vacation or travel can also increase stress and challenge runners to maintain consistency.
When we are traveling, finding a suitable place to run or complete a workout and fitting in your training around vacation plans can feel like a burden. But, it doesn’t have to derail your training – here are some tips for how you can stay on track with training while enjoying a family getaway or traveling for business.
Plan Some Runs Ahead
Maintaining your training schedule while on the go doesn’t require hours of research and planning. But it does take some preparation. Google Maps is a great tool to search the satellite imagery near your vacation spot to find local rail trails or greenways, public tracks (most, but not all High School tracks are open to the public), or state parks and forests with trails (and trail maps!).
If you’re looking for trails – check AllTrails before you go to find reviews of trails nearby and graphs of elevation. If you know you need to complete a track workout during vacation, look for a local school or two within driving distance. But have a backup plan if the track is closed to the public – paved greenways and rail trails are good alternatives. Speaking of alternatives…
Keep Your Training Plan Adaptable
If you arrive at the local track for some 400m or 800m repeats but it’s closed to the public, or the trail you planned to run is underwater, closed, or packed with tourists (yourself excluded – you’re a trail runner!). Adapt. Instead of a distance-based track workout, head to your backup rail trail and switch to a time-based workout. How long would it take you to run your track workout? 2 minutes for a 400? 3-4 minutes for an 800? Boom – you have your time-based workout.
If your pre-planned trail route isn’t going to work – have a backup trail prepared or be ready to run those miles on pavement. You may need to adjust your time/effort/distance expectations based on the trail conditions. Instead of a medium or hard effort on that loop, opt for some hill repeats on a different section. For that matter, find any hill and practice hill repeats (critical for any runner, especially trail runners). Or, move your long run on that busy trail to mid-week, when folks are more likely to be elsewhere.
Commit to a Vacation Routine
I know I just told you to be flexible with your plans, but now I’m going to tell you to (try) to stick to a workout routine. I’m a morning runner – I love getting out early (6 am club!) and getting my run or workout done before work. When I’m traveling, even though it’s no fun to be early-to-bed when on vacation, I know I’ll feel better and perform better in the morning. It’s also more likely that you’ll commit to your training while on vacation if you create a routine and stick to it, instead of saying “I’ll figure it out later.”
Do you like to come home from work and crank out the miles in the afternoon? Then sleep in, join the family for a beach morning, and head out for your run or workout when everyone else is enjoying their before-dinner nap. Again, adaptability is key here, sometimes travel and vacation plans get in the way of our “normal” workout times. Stick to the routine as much as you can, but allow yourself the flexibility to move a workout (or skip it) if getting out the door isn’t feasible.
Photos above: When on a van trip in Maine in 2021, I found a local high school track for my Yasso 800 workout, and several rail-trails or river trails for long runs. I also combined an easy run with a place I wanted to see – Portland Head Light!
4 Tips for Training While on Vacation
I’ve traveled quite a bit for work (in my previous life) and for fun (I currently live in a van with my dog Piper and am driving my way to all 49 continental states). The general principles above are how I manage to work, travel, train, and sustain some level of sanity. But I have a few anecdotes to get you thinking (or make you laugh).
When I was traveling abroad in college, I was training for my second or third half-marathon. We hotel-hopped for a few weeks, where I often woke up early (see earlier comment about my coveted 6 am club status) and used my easy runs to explore whatever town we were in. Much to my parent’s dismay, I got lost several times and had to consult Google Maps for my location and the best route back to the hotel. Always (ALWAYS) drop a pin at your starting location! When running outside wasn’t suitable, I found the hotel’s emergency stairway. Never did I step foot on a treadmill.
On a recent van trip through Florida, I visited the “World Triathalon Destination” town known as Clermont, Florida. I stopped by the local running store and made a connection with a group that runs from there once a week. I was able to make a few friends and enjoy company on my runs. Most medium and large size cities have some kind of running club. Check the RRCA website to see if your destination town has a running club you can join for a weekend run or weekday workout.
Don’t forget – vacation is meant to be fun. So don’t over-stress about your training. One week of “off” running won’t break your training goals. Get in the runs you can, and don’t stress about the rest. Just plan to hit the ground running (pun intended!) when you’re home and back to your normal routine.
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If you have a running goal you want to achieve or want help committing to a consistent running routine, RUN717 Coaching can help. Our customized training plans and athlete-centered coaching will help you train smart and run fast. Contact us today to learn more about our services and how we can help you achieve your running goals.
