If you’re like me, planning a run can sometimes become a dreaded chore. A mental feat. Which hills to include? How many? What’s the perfect distance to build strength but not overdue? Do I really want to commit to this run?
Here are 5 tips on how to plan your next run. I promise it’ll help!
1. Distance - If you run 3 days a week, then you probably want to plan for two light runs and one challenging one. If you’re all about increasing distance, then add 2 miles to your most comfortable distance for your challenging run. For example, if you have been running 4-milers for weeks and it’s a distance you’re comfortable with, perhaps you ought to consider running a 6-miler one day in the next week to help build endurance and strength.
2. Terrain - Sometimes I like to add a few hills to a run instead of miles. This seems to mix up my training and offer my muscles the chance to really get a workout. Other days I minimize the hills as much as possible to give me a chance to work on speed. As is true when thinking about distance, whatever is most comfortable is fine for most runs per week. The best approach is to add a little zing to your running routine with some hills, some flat striding miles or simply a different route altogether to for a little something new!
3. Speed - It’s good to plan ahead the general “pace” of your runs. If you just start plodding along each day with no clue of how fast you’ll run that day, you’ll probably end up enjoying the run enough for having run it. But you won’t have gained that added satisfaction of knowing you set out to do something and then actually did it! That’s the bomb. Consider giving yourself a rough pace for the run you’re planning. If you have no idea what that pace might be, then wait and time yourself over the next 6 runs. See what your average time is to run various distances. See if you run a little faster after a break. And figure out what your “comfortable” pace is and what pace you might achieve if you’re trying to run a little faster. With this backdrop you’ll be able to plan to finish in a general timeframe, will have a better handle on how you’re running as you are in the midst of a good run, and you’ll be able to begin to identify ways of shaving off time.
4. Setting - It’s a personal thing, I know, but for me, what’s going on around me, has everything to do with how I enjoy a run. The treadmill for me is jail. Track running bores me. And I loathe any course that sends me out and back. Ugh. It’s worth every minute it takes to figure out what I’m going to see on my run. I’ll even go for a drive to find an area new and interesting. Then I look it up on “Map My Run” http://tinyurl.com/db449j, and try out paths I’ve never run before. I love to just mix it up. It always pays off. Running different neighborhoods, parks, parts of the country, and even old places I’ve lived before, offers an intimate perspective on any of those places. Perhaps it might help you enjoy running even more. It’s a must for me.
5. Sound - Whether I run with someone I adore, find funny, who tells great stories, or my iPod, I always plan what’s going to be entertaining me during a run. It’s a must.
What are your strategies for making your running excersions extra special? Share them with me! I’d love to give them a try.
May your next run be a good one.
Rebecca
