Category: Training

Before I begin, I understand that running should be one of the least of our worries right now. We have bigger concerns to think about.

That said, I’m not an expert in pandemic response so I have very little to say about it. Seek out other sources for that topic. I recommend starting with the CDC.

What I do know is that many of us rely on running or working out in some form to calm our nerves and relieve stress. In these times, calming nerves and relieving stress seem very important. So what is a runner to do?

Last week, I wrote about what makes a good training plan. In it, I said it’s a plan that allows you to accumulate consistently good runs and workouts.

So what’s a good workout?

What does a good training plan look like?

What a loaded question, right? It could look like so many things.

Well, don’t expect a detailed explanation below because the truth is that what makes a good training plan lies in the big picture, not the details.

Are you late to group runs? Do you miss training runs or workouts regularly?

Are you late to meetings at work? Do you miss appointments?

If you answered yes to the first pair of questions, you probably answered yes to the second pair.

If something goes wrong in your training plan, what do you do? Do you panic or do you roll with it?

How about if something goes wrong in a race?

When you line up for a race, what’s going through your mind?

Are you looking at it as a challenge? An opportunity to see how well you can perform?

Or do you see it as a threat, fearing failure?

Are you planning to try something new this year? If so, have you decided what you’re taking away?

It may seem strange to talk about removing something but, if you’ve already maxed out your training, how can you add something without taking something else away?

It’s the time of the year where we’re planning out our racing seasons for next year and setting our goals. How do you go about setting a good goal, though? You want a goal that will challenge you without feeling overwhelming.

In other fields, you may have heard of SMART goals. I think the SMART goal concept works very well for runners. But how does it apply to runners? Continue reading “SMART goals for the runner”

You CAN run through the winter!

Winter is here! At least in this part of Wisconsin, it seemed to arrive on Halloween this year and hasn’t let up since!

That means it’s time, if not a little late, for your annual reminder: winter running can be safe and, dare I say, even enjoyable with a few precautions.

It’s the most simple question that can be asked to assess the usefulness of a training concept: did it work?

However, is that always the right question to ask? What if it appears that it did work but for the wrong reasons? What if it appears to not have worked but some other variable was the problem?