5K and 10K races typically attract 2 types of runners. For one there is the beginner who uses these distances as a stepping stone to a half-marathon. It doesn’t take a great deal of preparation for a healthy person to “complete” the distance, after all. Then, there is the serious competitor (which I hope you are) who loves the speed and intensity that comes with shorter road races. Read more >>
Road races are not limited by top-end speed. A 5K race is run at approximately 60 percent of your 100m dash sprint time, and the marathon at 40 percent. While sprinters rely solely on raw power and technique, middle-distance and especially long-distance runners are mainly limited by their ability to supply the energy required to fuel a sustained effort at moderate intensities. Read more >>
Stagnation is the enemy of every competitive runner. Despite pushing the limits of what your body can physically handle, you’re not improving. You believe to have reached your genetic capacity for running. But this is rarely the case in non-professional athletes. In this article, you will learn how to structure your training to trigger further adaptations and consequently faster race results. Read more >>
Running economy is a rather boring term in exercise science. Much rather we would like to read about VO2max and lactate threshold, both of which are associated with higher fitness levels. But the reality is, in seasoned runners running economy holds the most potential for continued improvement. In this article, we explore a multitude of training tweaks that help to maximize this factor. Read more >>
Lactate threshold workouts are known to deliver immense benefits for half marathon and marathon runners, where fast paces need to be sustained for more than an hour. But even 5K and 10K runners profit from tempo runs, which include wide-ranging adaptations in unison with other types of training runs. In this article, you will discover how to add more variety to your tempo days. Read more >>
VO2max workouts are the hardest training sessions to execute and recover from. I myself experience a thrill – sometimes even fear – right before these intense intervals, not unlike stepping into the ring against a superior opponent. This mental battle is against the ‘will of your body’, which seeks an easy way out. But pushing through that comfort zone is exactly what triggers the most potent adaptations, and ultimately, separates you from mid-pack runners. Read more >>
We competitive runners are not limited by a lack of motivation. What usually stops us is burnout or injury, whichever comes first. The only antidote to keep up or further improve our performance is to schedule our training with recovery in mind, especially when we are not in our 20s anymore. In this article, I uncover some strategies that keep you on the road to faster race results. Read more >>
Overreaching is the secret to achieving faster race results, without running the risk of overtraining. Though the reality is, most runners are either undertrained or overtrained – both of which sabotage your progress as an athlete. But those who fully embrace performance training understand that the key to new adaptations is training stress + recovery. In this article, you will learn how to do it right. Read more >>
Hill running is a powerful training tool in the quest for faster race times. Yet few athletes know how to take advantage of hill training as their workouts are usually centered within training zones that feature paces on flat terrain. But with the help of a heart rate monitor it’s quite easy to include hill training into your program without jeopardizing your training balance. In this article you will learn how. Read more >>
Those of us who have been running for a few years often see their race times stagnate. It seems that we have reached our inherent potential or have come to a point where our body doesn’t tolerate any further increases in either mileage or intensity. But all you really need is a change. In this article, I evaluate 8 options on how to alter your training to get on the road for continued progress again. Read more >>