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Day 10: Evaluation and Implementation – BRV 045

By Debbie Voiles

Become a Runner Class: Evaluation and ImplementationThis is it! You’ve been learning about what to do for nine days. Think of this as graduation day, the day you get the last, but most critical, piece of the puzzle. Today, you find out exactly what you should do, and I mean you, personally, should do on Day 1 of your running journey. Today, is you diagnostic run.

In this podcast, I explain what to do to find out how far you should run during each running segment of your walk to run mile, which is the distance you should start with. 

I also explain how to progress from there, the three variables, and the details regarding the decisions you’ll be making in deciding what to change and when. 

I’m excited for you because this is, of all the secrets I’ve imparted, perhaps the most crucial one, because if you try to start your running training with too much, you’ll likely never succeefd

http://media.blubrry.com/beginnerrunner/p/content.blubrry.com/beginnerrunner/BRV_45_Evaluation.mp3

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Filed Under: Beginner Runner Village, Beginner Runners, brv-podcast, First-Timers Tagged With: running journey, running segment, running training, walk to run

BAT Best Alternative Training – BRV 035

By Debbie Voiles

Beginner Runner Village Podcast 35

No matter who you are or what your situation, there will be times when, try as you might, the end of the day rolls around, and it starts to look like you won’t have time to get in your workout. Has that happened to you?

It’s a sad feeling, not terrible, but it’s not the way you want to end your day. It’s just one reason why running early in the morning makes sense, if you can swing it, because then, if something interferes, you still have options. Maybe it means you go out and run on your lunch hour or maybe on your afternoon coffee break or, hopefully, you have some flexibility in your afternoon time, but all that is really beside the point of this podcast. This episode provides you with a safety net for those days when, no matter what, no matter the reason, you just weren’t able to get out and run.

In such cases, BAT workouts provide mental reasurance because you know a BAT workout will prevent any loss in fitness. BAT workouts are your running training safety net.

Now, what does this have to do with Halloween? Nothing, except that when I was about to record this episode, I got to thinking that bats and Halloween go together; I’ve always called them BAT workouts, which stands for best alternative training, but it was just a coincidence that I recorded this episode the week before Halloween.

By alternative training I mean alternative to actually going outside to do your planned workout. This BAT workout will keep your fitness from sliding backwards. Even if your schedule – and your daily life – results in you only having time to run on two weekdays, if you do this workout on the other days, you’ll be fine. You can still continue to improve your running fitness with just those two running workouts and your two weekend workouts. So, these BAT workouts can be critical.

Two great things about this workout:

  1. It’s completely customizable. Once you understand the structure, you can swap out exercises or change the time frames.
  2. It can be a complement to your running. Feel free to add in one or two BAT workouts per week. BAT workouts don’t have to be just alternatives for days when you don’t have time to run.

http://media.blubrry.com/beginnerrunner/p/content.blubrry.com/beginnerrunner/BRV-35-BAT.mp3

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Filed Under: brv-podcast, Training Tagged With: BAT workouts, days when you can't run, running fitness, running training, time to run

What is the Minimum Number of Miles Worth Doing?

By Debbie Voiles

group runDid you ever notice how, sometimes, runners have a bit of trouble with maintaining a realistic perspective? This seems to happen to all runners some of the time and some runners most of the time.

Have you ever said, “I only did 4 miles today” or “I just did 3”?

Most people have. Heck, I have.  It’s easy for runners to lose sight of reality, to undervalue our efforts, to fall into a pattern of subjective perspective, and that is always a mistake.

The words, “I only ran four miles,” may reveal a problem with our perspective on our running training, and it’s my goal to help you to see every day’s training from a more objective perspective.

One of my favorite sayings is “It’s all relative.” That relates closely to this topic.

Back in the day, when I, personally, hosted and lead all my local Run Tampa club’s group runs, I would always make two statements. Before we started, I’d say:

“Go as fast as you want, as far as you want, and turn around when you want.” When I said that, I was giving people permission to customize the run to be exactly what they wanted or needed it to be, and that always worked well.

After a run, invariably, someone would say, “I only did ____ (fill in the blank) number of miles.

When I heard that, I would say this: “I only have one rule at these runs: Never use the word ‘just’ or ‘only’ in the same sentence with the number of miles you ran, because no matter how many miles you ran, today, you ran farther than 99.9 percent of the population, most of whom were either still asleep or sitting on the couch while you were running.”

It’s funny because, over the years, there were times – there are times – when I’ve accidentally slipped and do it, myself, and it never failed, someone in the group would say, “Deb, I can’t believe you said only!” That makes me smile because it means they’ve been listening, and they remembered.

The thing is – and this is what happens to me, personally, on those occasions – the more we run and the longer distances we become accustomed to doing, the more insignificant shorter distances become; that’s where the relativity comes in.

Running Longer Distances

Now, really, running longer distances, in the big picture, is a good thing. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve said it before, if someone likes to race half marathons, then I think it’s a good idea for that person to do at least one marathon. It will tremendously improve their performance in all future half marathons because, mentally, they will seem much shorter because they are much shorter than a marathon. And the same is true of someone who likes to race 5k’s; they should do at least one 15k or half marathon – or at least a 10k, because after that, a 5k will feel short, and it’ll be easier, psychologically, to run the whole thing, harder.

So, I’m not at all suggesting that you avoid longer runs. Not at all. This is a separate topic. I’m just saying don’t let that warp your perspective, your sense of what distance is worthwhile and valuable, because even one mile is worth doing and valuable. Really, seriously, it is!

Look at it this way: Think of all the times you didn’t have time to get in the miles you wanted; so, you ended up not even going out. You considered the day a missed training day, but in actuality, you could have definitely managed to squeeze in say, two miles, but you felt like 2 miles wasn’t worth it.

One or two miles is very worth doing, and here’s why:

Two miles compared to zero is much much better. I’d like to say it’s ten times better or twenty times or a hundred times better, but it’s more than any of those because zero times anything is zero. This bears out that old saying, anything is better than nothing, and so it is, dramatically better, for several reasons.

For one thing, the entire medical community is telling us more and more than we need to get out and out and move throughout the day. So, even the opportunity to walka mile a couple even once a day is far better than not, and by the same token, running one mile, then, is an extreme improvement on not doing it.

From a running fitness perspective, your body needs to be reminded, very often, that you’re a runner. If you miss one day, no big deal, but when life gets busy, if you’re supposed to run on a given day, then to do even one or two miles is far better than none because your body and your mind need a constant reminder that this is who you are, and this is what you do.

I hope that makes sense to you because it makes perfect sense to me. Running is part of my identity; so, a missed day that was meant to be a running day, is always a disappointment, and if I let time constraints keep me from doing it, then I am disappointed.

Even one mile is better than no miles. At least I can give my body and mind a little tiny piece of what it’s craving.

If I am time-constrained, then that’s always, to some degree, stressful; so, even one mile of running will make all things better. Even one mile will lower my stress, but this may not help some people as much because you have to look at it from a glass half full standpoint and exercise positivity by focusing on the fact that you managed to get out there and get in ‘some’ running rather than focusing on what you didn’t have time for what ever number of miles you would have liked to do. Again, it’s a matter of perspective.

Let’s say every other week something comes up and you end up missing a day of training because you don’t have time to do your whole workout; so, you just don’t do any of it. That, I think, is a huge error. Let’s say you actually could have eeked out time for two miles. If this happens every other week, with 52 weeks a year, that’s 26 weeks times 2 = 52 miles. Is 52 miles worth running? You bet it is, and 26 is too, for that matter.

Any physician will tell you that even brief bouts of exercise, even 10, 15 or 20 minutes is still very much worth doing. It will make that day, healthier. Just getting up from a chair and walking around the office is worthwhile; so, certainly running one mile vs zero miles is a huge difference. So, don’t let the fact that you’re accustomed to running many miles ever stop you from just doing one or two.

That doesn’t mean you should ‘aim’ for one or two miles.

Now, I would be remiss if I didn’t also make the point that I would never recommend aiming for one or two miles, not if you’re trying to improve at running. Even to just maintain good fitness, I’d say do at least three. Once you are a runner, I think it’s best to aim for a minimum of 3 or 4 miles or more on any given day, unless it’s a rest and recovery day, which is just as important as running on a running day.

But, assuming it’s a day when you’re supposed to run, then it’s better from a health and training perspective to mix it up the distance, better to do 3 miles one day and 5 miles the next, than to do 4 miles on both days. It’s more interesting and will provide a superior training effect.  Any time a running coach creates a schedule using the accepted training principles, it’s always going to vary mileage from day to day within a week.

Any distance is worthwhile, very worthwhile. If you only have time for one or two or three miles, just try to keep things in perspective and remember the time when you were just starting out and you would have felt a sense of extreme accomplishment for doing that. Strive to recapture that. Give yourself credit and embrace that feeling once again.

Filed Under: mental, Training Tagged With: brief bouts of exercise, half marathons, longer runs, maintain good fitness, marathon, missing a day of training, run longer distances, run tampa, running, running day, running fitness, running longer distances, running training

MFR 102: Listener Question Answered – Should I Train for Distance or Speed

By Debbie Voiles

A listener question answeredFor this episode, I’m responding to a question someone asked on Instagram. [Read more…]

http://media.blubrry.com/beginnerrunner/p/media.blubrry.com/brv/p/content.blubrry.com/beginnerrunner/mfr-102-speed-distance.mp3

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Filed Under: mfr-podcast, Training Tagged With: run farther, run faster, running training

MFR 92: Perspective on a Few Days Off From Running

By Debbie Voiles

Does the idea of a brief running haitus cause you to panic?When you have to take time off from running, you probably freak out; most runners do. Once we’re in the habit, we can’t even imagine not running. After all, it’s part of our identity, a big part. Time off from running leaves a gaping hole in our day, and if it occurs several days in a row, it’s like a crater in our lives, right?  [Read more…]

http://media.blubrry.com/beginnerrunner/p/media.blubrry.com/brv/p/content.blubrry.com/beginnerrunner/mfr-92-persp-2016-02-15.mp3

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Filed Under: mfr-podcast, Training Tagged With: beginner runners, empowered runner, hiatus from running, runners psychie, running hiatus, running training, time off from running

MFR 90: Running Drills

By Debbie Voiles

Add this fun training elementI’m a huge believer in taking into account all elements that might affect your running performance, evaluating it from every angle, not all at once, of course, but I think it’s important to realize that adequate sleep is just as important as the right shoe, and speed work is just as important as the appropriate total mileage. Running drills have a unique effect that you don’t get with any other element of training. Plus, they are great fun.  [Read more…]

http://media.blubrry.com/beginnerrunner/p/media.blubrry.com/brv/p/content.blubrry.com/beginnerrunner/mfr2016-02-03-drills90.mp3

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Filed Under: mfr-podcast, running technique, Training Tagged With: improve running, injury prevention, run faster, running drills, running economy, running technique, running training

Hard Easy Principle of Running Training – BRV 007

By Debbie Voiles

The Hard Easy Training Principle

I’ve learned that new runners – even the newest runners – will progress more comfortably and with fewer injuries when they apply proven principles that veteran runners use to guide their training. The difference is that they must be modified to be appropriate for beginner runners. In this podcast I  explain one of the hard easy principle, and how to apply it. This one simple concept could be the difference between succeeding in becoming a runner and being relegated to the sidelines. It will keep you healthy and comfortable when you run.

http://media.blubrry.com/beginnerrunner/p/content.blubrry.com/beginnerrunner/Hard_Easy_Principle_of_Running_Training-BRV_007.mp3

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Filed Under: Beginner Runner Village, Beginner Runners, brv-podcast, Training Tagged With: beginner runners, hard easy principle, new runners, running training

MFR 82: Make Three Changes to Your Training This Month to Set a PR Next Month

By Debbie Voiles

Even slight changes in training can result in faster running.Most of the runners I know hope to PR on a regular basis. They know they’re not likely to PR often, but they at least hope to PR every once in a while. [Read more…]

http://media.blubrry.com/beginnerrunner/p/media.blubrry.com/brv/p/content.blubrry.com/beginnerrunner/mfr-2015-09-07-e82.mp3

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Filed Under: mfr-podcast, Running Faster Tagged With: run faster, running faster, running plateau, running podcast, running training, set a PR

MFR 80: Overtraining Syndrome

By Debbie Voiles

overtrainingAny runner at any level is always at risk for becoming overtrained, of developing overtraining syndrome, a condition you’ll want to go to great effort to avoid because it’s unpleasant, disappointing, and dangerous. [Read more…]

http://media.blubrry.com/beginnerrunner/p/media.blubrry.com/brv/p/content.blubrry.com/beginnerrunner/mfr-2015-07-27-e80.mp3

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Filed Under: mfr-podcast, Running injuries and prevention, Training Tagged With: overtraining, overtraining syndrome, recovery, running podcast, running training

Periodization: Macro and Micro Training Cycles for Runners

By Debbie Voiles

Macro and micro training cyclesMany runners race every few weeks, or even every week, or even every Saturday and Sunday. Yes, really. Nothing wrong with that if you build up to it very gradually, if your body can tolerate it, and if your goal is not to PR, but few people fit into that category.

If you are a Marathon Maniac or Half Fanatic, you may race most every weekend, and once in a while you will likely PR, but you’ve probably noticed that it’s almost always after you’ve taken a break of several weeks from racing. After a break, your body can perform better because it has had time to recover and rebuild. Also, you may have accepted that you’ll have to forgo PR’s in exchange for other kinds of records.

But let’s talk about the average ‘Joe’ or ‘Joan,’ who just enjoys racing and enters every race that sounds like fun. Often Joe and Joan expect to improve, over time, with this regimen, but it’s actually a given that if they race very frequently, their speed and endurance may well plateau, or they may even become detrained, meaning that they will get slower  and less fit, or worse, experience an injury.

Whether you are Joe or Joan, or not, what I’d like to explain here is the whole concept of how and why you might want to structure your training into macro and micro cycles to experience the most improvement and greatest success.

Why should you implement macro and micro training cycles to plan your racing schedule? Periodization is the combination of macro and micro training cycles to define a training regimen carefully choreographed to provide your body with optimal training for a given race.

1. You will improve much faster.

2. You will experience fewer injuries.

2. You will have more fun. Really. Who wants to do the same thing year round?

Before we get into more detail of how to do this, let me touch once again on the most common mistake runners make:  doing too much, training too hard, with too much intensity, too often.

Hard running workouts will only provide payoffs if you allow your body to recover. That is when the strengthening occurs.

We call it the hard/easy principle. Well, that principle should also be applied to weeks periods of training as well. Every month should not be as hard as every other, and every week shouldn’t, either. Give your body some easy times, even weeks or months when you take it easy. I’m not saying to stop running during those times. I’d never say that, but you do want to give your body plenty of easy, gentle, low intensity running, and a few times during the year – at least twice – it should be several weeks of just easy running with nothing even remotely intense. This will give your body time to really recover, to rebuild, to completely heal, and the result may be nothing short of amazing.

How many macro cycles should you have in a single year?

It’s up to you, and it depends on how important it is to maximize your performance. You can have two macro cycles a year, and many elite athletes do this, but I think most competitive runners will have at least three, and some people may have four. The more cycles, the less effective the system, but it will still be effective, to a limited degree, even if you start the cycle over every eight weeks.

I want you to understand how to build a cycle and understand that such a cycle – when combined with a great coach or even a great training schedule – will lead to greater success. How great depends on how many cycles you incorporate into your year and how well you execute each cycle. Fewer cycles means each cycle can be more definitive and longer, leading to better results.

But most of us seek a balance. We love to do well, but we also want to enjoy the experience with our friends; we’re willing to trade off some superior performances for the opportunity to be able to participate in more races with our friends.

I think the average competitive runner probably races three or four times per year. What I’m hoping is that by providing this information, that runner can treat the weeks leading up to and following each of those races as a cycle, and thus, optimize the whole period, leading to greater success and  more satisfaction.

After all, for us, running is more than an exercise; it is a hobby. Understanding periodization, i.e., the utilization of varying types of workouts/training during a cycle, and evaluating how our bodies respond, is fascinating. It’s a great element of the sport of competitive running.

Your macro cycles look like this:

Base-building

This period consists of from one to many weeks of easy, gentle miles. Be leery of people who tell you that lots of slow, easy miles will only train you to run slow and easy when you race. If you plan and execute a macro cycle correctly, those slow, easy miles are setting you up for the harder, more targeted miles that lead to great performance. The better your base, the greater the opportunity for laser-targeted, effective speedwork later in the cycle. Your base is the time when you build up your mileage to where you want it to be before you launch your next phase of training. If you build it up to 25 miles a week, you’ll get by, but build it to 40, and you’ll really start to see a payoff. Of course, the longer the race you’re training for, the more of a base you need, but I see many 5k and 10k racers who would do much better to build bigger base. A little bit of speedwork, such as fartleks and tempo runs is okay, but I would recommend keeping that to no more than once a week. 

Sharpening

This transitional phase is when you start to incorporate speedwork at least once per week, real speed work. Most coaches will recommend one traditional speedwork session and one tempo run while still maintaining a long run once each week.

Tapering

This is a period of gradually decreasing mileage while focusing on race specific runs.

Recovering

During this time, give your body time to recover from your last goal race. It is just as important as the above three parts of the cycle. In fact, without proper recovery after the goal event, you will never experience the potential for success proper utilization of periodization can produce. This is the single thing that may be most responsible for some people running well for years, and others either never reaching their potential or experiencing frequent injuries.

That’s it. If you haven’t been building your training schedules on this principle, please try it. It may be the one thing that will completely change the effectiveness of your training.

Filed Under: injury prevention, Training Tagged With: average competitive runner, base-building, hard easy principle, hard running workouts, injury prevention, macro cycles, micro cycles, perodization, racing schedule, recovery, running training, running workouts, traditional speedwork, training cycles

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Coach Debbie Voiles

Coach Debbie Voiles

Whether you want to build endurance, score a PR, or improve your health, I hope my programs, podcasts and blog posts … more

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