03/09/2019
Hello runners. Hope you had a good week and are starting to set your sights on getting ready for a great season of training and racing. March is here and, hopefully, that will mean warmer temps are not too far off. Runnerphile is a place to learn some practical things to get you out the door and enjoy this great activity in an injury free way. This week we will start getting everyone ready mentally so you have the right mindset even before you lace up those shoes. So, let’s get started.
If you are just getting started you will want to begin thinking of what are your goals, what do you want to accomplish and what will a successful running season look like to…you. That is the key. Everyone has his or her own set of goals so your success will look different to another person. If new to the activity you will want to look at first beginning to get into a routine first. That will be the toughest thing for most people as this will be another activity to add to your day. It may take some experimenting as to just when you will do your training, mornings, lunch or after work. Once the when is determined that will help with the routine. Just because you know someone who does his or her training first thing in the AM does not mean it will work for you. You might not be a morning person or have commitments that won’t allow so perhaps after work is better or maybe lunchtimes are better. Start thinking of when you can consistently do the workouts first so you can do them and secondly are allowing enough time in between for recovery.
For those starting a new season or transitioning to the next one you will want to look back at last years’ goals versus accomplishments. Were you able to reach all your goals and if so what are your new ones for the coming year and how are you going to get there. If you didn’t what was/were the reason(s) and how can you prepare to avoid those. If it was an injury was it due to incorrect training, something nagging or a reoccurring issue. Or, was it just…life (family, work), which happens to every one of us. By identifying the reasons for not getting to where you wanted to be will help you work on strategies to alleviate them as much as possible.
Lastly, there might be some here that are looking to complete a goal race (distance/location) or a specific destination race. Now is the time to layout a strategy to get you through your training to the finish line in a healthy manner. This is a great time to make sure you have ample time and work in a couple of weeks where you might miss some runs.
These are just some things to consider. If you have others, please share here so all can learn some great ideas. A thoughtful approach to the coming running season will make it successful and most importantly fun.
Next week we start turning our attention to your running gear and if you are new what should you look for and those starting a new season, what you should consider.
If you want to discuss further a specific plan for your running season now, please reach out to me so we can start your journey. You can do that here or by e-mail at [email protected].
Until next week, have a great weekend and don’t forget to Spring ahead those clocks!
Coach Jeoff
