LIFESTYLE AND RUNNING
by Bud Baldaro (March 2008)
As with any sport, hobby or passion it is beneficial to view the situation holistically.
If you have suddenly decided to RunBristol either taking part in the Bristol 10km race in May or even more ambitiously the half marathon in September then you are charged with the task of how to maximise your enjoyment and minimise discomfort to get the most from your latest challenge.
Take on board all the aspects of your life; all your commitments and stresses; all the demands on your time.
Take a clean sheet of paper and plan your time effectively to determine how you can realistically make the most of any training program you opt to pursue. The key to fitting in a training regime into an already busy schedule is to manage your time as positively as you can.
This will also help you determine the most advantageous times of the day for you to run. Are you a morning person or night time runner? Would your lunchtime allow you to enjoy springtime runs to break up the day and escape the stresses of the office or work place?
By planning your time it will help also to ensure that the running is adding to your life and is of recreational, regenerative value rather than adding yet a further area of stress. The simple beauty of running is that it is time for just you and you have your own space and freedom and you can put life in perspective.
Make sure your running is fun. It would help to find some running buddies as training partners.
Consider joining a club.
You don’t have to be a superstar to become a club member.
Check them out and if they don’t make you feel welcome go elsewhere.
Check the RunBristol web site for a list of local clubs.
It is not rocket science to suggest that you progress your training patiently and purposefully.
Get a shape and structure to your running that is attainable, enjoyable and rewarding.
Hurry slowly and be smart about your running
To progress you have to make demands on your system (overload). Then allow the body to adapt in the rest/recovery phase so it goes without saying that a “hard “ day should be followed by rest or easy day. They are very relative terms depending on your background of exercise and level of fitness but the key principle holds true. Essentially if you want to run 10k or 21k (half marathon) then you need to run in preparation.
The more running you do the more you will progress (given balance and rest and recovery and appropriate nutrition).
Late spring/early summer is fabulous time of the year to be running and there are lots of wonderful types of running you can indulge in as well as integrating, or maintaining cross training.
Once you have established some sort of base and reminded the body how to run, you might want to become more adventurous and experimental in your approach.
Fartlek is a great form of training. It is a Swedish term meaning speed play. Running where you mix intensity of speeds and over varying distances and recoveries. Running that allows you to be both creative and imaginative and has the additional bonus of allowing you to explore your local landscape; literally playing with speeds.
Interval training is very beneficial for developing the cardio vascular system but keep it realistic and attainable; otherwise it can become quite stressful and demotivating. Essentially it is a case of giving yourself a set number of repetition runs over a set distance at a target speed, once having warmed up and always finish with some easy running.
Eg. 5 x half a mile in 4/5mins with 2mins jog/walk as recovery.
You can measure your progress by changing any one of the parameters at any time but be patient.
Tempo or threshold or sustained running (ie. running at what you anticipate is 85% of your 10k race pace) is especially good for maximising time in a busy schedule.
And of course the long (a very, very relative term) is the foundation of all your fitness development and progress in running. Do be patient in your progression of “time on your feet “.
And as long as it is safe and secure try to run off road where possible; it will be kinder on the joints.
Planning your training is a key and it is well worth working backwards from event date ie. The Bristol 10k on Bank Holiday Monday, 5 May and the Reebok Bristol Half Marathon on Sunday 14 September. That way you know what you are working towards and how best to plan and prepare for it.
Try and integrate some shorter races in your program to give yourself an idea of how you are progressing and also it breaks up the training program.
There is a wonderful variety of weekend and mid week summer races. Details can be found on the local running club websites.
Couple of basic points
· Always buy your kit from a specialist running store eg. Up & Running who are supporting the Bristol 10k and seek specialist advice.
And
· Definitely respond to injury niggles immediately an involve use of sports therapist to keep potential injuries under control.
RunBristol are organising an training camp weekend on April 19/20 in the magnificent location of the Forest of Dean (details can be found on the RunBristol website www.bristolhalfmarathon.com). These could prove superbly informative and inspiring so come along and join us as you prepare to RunBristol in 2008.
Above all enjoy your running and get to know Bristol even better.
