Coaches Corner: Keep Your Running Fresh

Keep Your Running Fresh

By Megan O’Brien Duerring

As a runner of 25 years I have accumulated a lot of knowledge on the sport of running.  I have read quite a bit about training methods, personal running philosophies and coaching philosophies.  And I have gathered tons of information which has allowed me to make great gains.  Of course, I have also made my fair share of mistakes along the way, but that eventually helps in the learning process!

But there is one training strategy that remains constant: you must keep it fresh!  If I had to rely on the track to keep me in shape all of these years, I never would have maintained my fitness, which could be the case for many of you. If you do not have easy access to a track or simply aren’t inclined to step foot on one, or are merely looking for alternative routines, today’s tip will focus on workouts that you can run on the roads or trails—right outside your front door.

Always start with a warmup to get your muscles ready to go.  (This will also elevate your heart rate slightly and lessen the shock of the fast running about to come…) Simply run at an easy pace for 10-15 minutes.  Then choose one of the methods from below, one for each workout. Try for 2-3 workouts per week depending on your present fitness and realistic goals. It is also important to cool down at an easy pace for about 10-15 minutes.

Hills are a perfect way to add strength to your training. They make you fight gravity by lifting your body weight with your legs. Hills serve as a great way to work on your fast-twitch muscle fibers—the very ones that help hone your final kick to the finish line! (Frank Shorter, the 1972 Olympic Marathon champ, once stated: “Hills are speedwork in disguise!”) Many runners hammer out hill repeats — run up a hill, then coast back down it, and repeat. But I recommend finding a hilly course so your hill workout has variety. Run strong up the hills and coast down the backside.  You could also find a valley and go back and forth pumping up one hill, back down, and then–reversing direction–retracing your hilly route.  Usually the elevation and length are slightly different; again, a little variety to keep training from getting stale.  There are no rules here, so depending on what your goal is, you can do 10 hill repeats or 5 (fewer, of course, as you introduce hills into your workout regimen), whatever makes you feel accomplished.

The Fartlek The funny name literally means “speed play” in Swedish. It is one of my favorite “speed” workouts. It is actually a great starter workout for those who aren’t used to speed or interval training. Instead of hitting the track, take to your usual course. Then choose a landmark and run hard to it, followed by a short recovery jog. Then choose another landmark and run hard to that, and so on. I like to use mailboxes or telephone poles to vary my pace and distance.  Sometimes the mailboxes are far and sometimes close.  This makes it sort of fun because you never know when your hard effort or rest will be extended or shortened. Sometimes the distant landmark forces you to push it when you are tired. Mentally, the fartlek prepares you to go when tired legs set in during a race.  It is a great strength builder for both mind and body.

The Park Path Workout We all have lives that revolve around others. When your kids (or spouse) have games or functions and you have to be there, just do some investigating and you will likely find a place to run some repeats.  Bring your running gear. Warm up, then choose a good ‘back and forth’ place on a path around the field or park.  Run at a hard effort for two minutes. (You will be checking your watch early; this workout is tough!) After your two minutes of running hard, rest for about two minutes by walking back 15 steps or so. Then, run back on the same path that you blazed the first two minutes on.  Try to start and stop at the same place each time so that you are maintaining a steady and quick pace.  Run about eight repeats, then cool down.  It is a major time saver and your body won’t know that the repeats weren’t hammered out on a measured track.  If the effort is there, your body will remember.

The main goal is to have fun and stay stress free during your training.  As long as you are putting forth the effort, your runs will consistently improve and personal bests will become easier to achieve. Believe in the process, smile and just run!

In addition to some coaching stints, Megan O’Brien Duerring is a much-accomplished runner. She twice won the Lehigh Valley Half-Marathon and in 2005 won the Steamtown Marathon in 2 hours, 47 minutes.