The half marathon is one of the most popular race distance in America. It’s long enough to require committed training and to present a challenge, but without the intense time and energy commitment of the marathon. Every year, more runners sign up for their first half marathon. If that’s you, here are some tips for new half marathoners to help you train for the race and enjoy your experience. Pick a Plan Appropriate for Your Fitness Level A novice runner (running for less than 12 ...
Training Tips
How to Mentally Cope with a Stress Fracture
A stress fracture is a challenging injury. You cannot run and simply daily activities become immensely more difficult. Stress fractures often require six to eight weeks of limited activity to heal. You may end up in a boot or on crutches. Needless to say, a stress fracture can be as mentally difficult for a runner as it is physically. Learning to mentally cope with a stress fracture will make a difference in your recovery. That's not to say that injury recovery will go by quickly or ...
How to Run Your Fastest 10K
The 10K deserves more appreciation. It’s not just a tune-up race or a stepping stone into the half marathon and then marathon. It’s a challenging test of both speed and endurance. It's long enough and requires enough grit to appeal to long-distance lovers, while fast enough to appeal to speedsters. Running your fastest 10K requires both of speed and endurance. If you want to run your fastest 10K, you can’t just rely on mileage alone or speed alone. Instead, as with any distance, you want to ...
How to Include Tune-Up Races in Your Training
You picked your goal race for the season and you have already put in weeks of hard training, but your race feels weeks away. You're eager to test your fitness and enjoy a race atmosphere - so why not run a tune-up race? When done correctly, a tune-up race can boost your fitness and your confidence before a goal race. The Benefits of Running Tune-up Races What exactly is a tune-up race? A tune-up race is a race run in preparation for a goal race. It is not a goal race itself but rather ...
Why Leg Speed Matters for Distance Runners
Do you lack a finishing kick in a race? Do your legs feel stuck in a marathon shuffle? If so, you may be lacking leg speed. Many long-distance runners trade leg speed for high mileage, but you can develop it while still logging high mileage. If anything, deliberately developing leg speed will improve your marathon and half marathon times. Leg speed does not just rely on your top-end speed. It develops from specific neuromuscular training. Short sprints recruit muscle fibers differently ...