(And yes, I have made all of these myself)
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As a younger runner I dreamed about fruit on my runs. A few miles in and literally all I could think about was the fruit that I would have when I got home. And the massive bagel sandwich. This sounds ridiculous, but it’s true. Fruit on fruit on fruit...drool. I would eat half a banana before my run, place some water bottles out on my route (if it was a long run) take a sip or two as I passed each, and that was it.
I now get that my fruit dreams were due to under-hydrating. And a lot of the other torture was all of these other things I'm about to get into.
So, flash forward however many years and however much run education and I’m seeing these things slip by many runners. Fortunately the tricks and tips that I’m giving to my athletes and friends, and sharing below, are relatively simple fixes.
Mistake #1: Not Hydrating
I have had multiple athletes tell me recently that they are not bringing water with them on their runs, that they are not using electrolytes post run, and that they are struggggling. If you are running an hour or more, you really should carry water with you. In the summer, this timeframe gets even shorter. Your water game should also include electrolytes. Both on your run and post-run. I even recommend some pre-run electrolytes the night before a long (hot) run. Some of my favorite options include:
Mistake #2: Not fueling
The history of running has a bad food culture. So it makes sense that people don’t realize they need to actually eat in order to run their best. But please if you get nothing else from me, hear that you need to eat the foods! This means eating before you run (can be as simple as graham crackers) during your run if it is over an hour (gels, chews, etc) and after your run to boost your recovery (with a carb/protein meal within an hour of your workout). This not only gives your body the energy that it needs to run, it helps to prevent you from hitting that wall during the run, and helps aid in recovery. Play around with all different things, because everyone is different and therefore our needs and stomachs handle things differently. But, some of my favorite options include:
Pre-run: | Graham Crackers |
During Run: |
Post-run: |
Mistake #3: Not slowing down
If you aren’t at my level of nerdiness, you might not know that all of the science is pointing to the benefits of running 80% of your weekly mileage/time EASY. Running in the middle range majority of the time has had no proven benefits, and actually those who stick closer to this 80% are seeing far more improvement. A small example: I just ran with an athlete of mine who was doing every run at the same pace. I had her slow down her long run/easy runs by about 1+min/mile and she immediately felt better and could go longer without feeling worn out and wiped. Which also led to her an increased ability to stick to her training. I’m super excited to see what this change does for her next race!
Mistake #4: Not strength training
A lot of runners hate doing anything other than running. I’ll even admit that while I love strength training, it’s hard to fit it in when training for a race from a time standpoint. But the fact is that if you strength train 2-3x/week you will run stronger, be more resistant to injury, and you’ll likely be a faster/healthier/more powerful runner if you add some strength training into the mix. Not to mention the total badassery you will feel once you start lifting some heavy weights.
Mistake #5: Not doing the warm-up
I am literally talking directly to myself here. An appropriate run warm-up can take 5-10 minutes, will activate the muscles you need to be using on your run and can decrease your injury rate. I don’t know why I can write all of this, read it over and over again and still want to skip the dang warm-up. We all have our faults. This is one of mine. I’m working on it, okay?!
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