There are times when reading quotes from famous people or celebrities can pertain to almost any situation. There were several that came to my attention this past week that could very well fit into running. The first quote is, “If you do not step forward, you will remain in the same place.” This does not mean that the runner stands still and does not move if taken literally. Rather, it means that if you want to improve your running capabilities you need to step forward with your training.
If a runner wants to improve their time in a 5K race, the training program they follow needs to have some faster pace work added to some of the training runs. There are times when running the same speed and distance can result in an increase in speed. This is because over a period of time the muscles will get stronger and the ability to utilize oxygen will increase. This increase takes time and must be on a consistent routine of running for this increase in improved 5K time. It is faster and the results are better if the runner adds one or two faster-paced workouts during the weekly runs. The increase in running faster does not have to be that much of an effort. Adding a 10-second-per-mile faster pace for half of the run will be a good start. Even picking up the pace for the last quarter of a mile at the end of the run will show good gains.
If the runner decides to run a full 26.2-mile marathon, the distance they run must be gradually increased to include runs of up to 18-22 miles. This increase will take almost 12 weeks (three months) before the marathon date. It takes time for the muscles and cardiovascular systems to adjust to this increased demand. The increases need to be gradual and give the body time to adapt to the extra miles added to the run. Increases every two weeks might only be three miles but the body will get stronger over that time. My routine of increase in mileage went from eight miles to 10 miles to 12 miles to 15 miles to 18 miles and finished off at 20 miles (sometimes I put in a 22-mile distance). This increase in each distance was over a period of two weeks. I ran the long run twice before I moved up.
