 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
||
SUMMER TRAINING TIPS
Below are some of the helpful tips to help you get
off to a good start in your training this summer.
1. Begin slow and easy. Run at a relaxed pace each day. Do not try and prove how fast or how far you can run. Pick a short distance and repeat the distance each day for a week. Emphasis should be on completion - quality is more important than quantity.
2. Gradually, you may increase your distance each week (not each day). Usually you should increase by around one mile, or ten minutes per week.
3. Find a partner or a group to run with. It is much easier running with others than by yourself.
4. Choose a time to run each day and stick to it. Consistency is the key to improvement.
5. Have fun when you run! Pick different routes or courses daily. Choose different areas and terrain - variety is the spice of life, and running on various courses and terrains helps keep you mentally sharp.
6. As your fitness improves (it will take around 2 to 3 weeks for this to happen), incorporate a few hills into your training. Talk to your coach about proper hill running technique.
7. Make sure you stretch well both before and after you run for at least 8-10 minutes. This will prevent injury, and allow your body to breakdown any lactic acid that might have built up during your running.
8. Before you begin your training, make sure that you have a good pair of running shoes! (See the running shoes page for more details.) Check with your coach as to the types of shoes are appropriate and to evaluate the shoes you are using.
9. Write down your training each day on a calendar (which will be provided to you from your coach before summer begins) or running journal. Include distance run (be sure to keep track of this, and make sure that your weekly totals make it to the appropriate person for records), how you felt, weather conditions and anything else of interest (you saw a bird fall from the sky, met two runners, found Jimmy Hoffa's body, etc.).
10. Try to run on the beach at least once per week. After you run, take a swim. Cross training is a good thing.
11. Ice your shins and knees after longer workouts, or after difficult workouts. This will help in preventing injury.
12. Your body is going to be tired as it is adapting to higher levels of stress (and they say running is easy!). If you feel overly tired or feel an injury, back off of your training for a few days and rest. Then begin your training gradually - listen to your body! If you treat it well, it will do the same to you.
3 FACTORS IN TRAINING
1. Frequency - this is how often you train. This is the key to cardiovascular fitness - the more often you train, the more efficient your oxygen-carrying-capacity will become.
2. Duration - how long you train each day. This is important as well but many people vary their duration each day. One long run per week is quite recommended.
3. Intensity - How hard you train - experience will dictate this factor.