Running tips #1: Notes

With the Coeur d'Alene Iron Man fast approaching, my mind has been racing through all I have learned over the years about aerobic fitness and training. As I scour through my old notes, presentations, and articles, I have become reinvigorated with the excitement that comes from extreme athletic events and the training that goes into them.

This is going to be a series of increasingly in depth topics about running, based pretty much on the order that they pop into my head. But we’ll start out with some simple interesting topics. 

Firstly, let’s just talk about what running is. Simply put, you throw your leg out in front of you, let gravity pull it down, then you fall on top of it; do that a bunch of times, then bam, you ran. While that explanation sounds a little dumb, boiling down certain ideas to their most basic components tends to reveal concepts that may have otherwise been passed over.

One level up, running is the most common cardiovascular endurance exercise, humans have been doing it for as long as lions have been chasing us. In the modern era, lions are less of a concern, and we now run to escape debilitating stress, the guilt that follows over-indulgence of delicious snacks, and other responsibilities.

As with other forms of exercise, the process of starting out running as your chosen form of torture begins not with the physical component, but the mental. I’ll touch on the mental side of training a lot in these and other series, one because it is undervalued for how significant it is, and two, because that’s what I spent most of my time researching.

So, running tip number one is… Goal-setting.

Your body is fairly important to keep in shape for distance running for sure, but the mental side is generally lacking some attention when it comes to physical training. Now obviously I don't mean to tell you to do a crossword while you’re running; so what exactly am I referring to?

There are lots of cookie cutter workout plans, training plans, “guides to (5k, marathon, etc.); these aren’t necessarily bad, but in an attempt to apply to everyone, they usually don’t apply to you. Unique people require unique training. The mental side of training I hinted at before is twofold; there are techniques used for developing personalized training programs, unique to your skills, goals, and personality. (Even if you have a coach or trainer, this could give you some common terminology or ideas when working together to create your program). Secondarily, there are psychological techniques, often utilized in elite sports and athletics.

1) Goal Setting

What to do: Start off with a far-reaching crazy goal, something big. What is the end result of this training? Why are you wanting to train in the first place? This will give form to your motivation, allow you to picture what success will look like. Do you want to run a 5k; then set that in mind, craft an image of what you will look like running.

The next step after this, separate out the big goal into smaller, more directly achievable goals, benchmarks. Keeping on with the 5k race goal, think about everything that is involved with that.

Marathon Example:

Big goal: Run a 5k

Requirements: 

• running 3.1 miles

• eating the right food beforehand

• pre-race conditioning and proper recovery

Benchmarks: 

• slowly working up in run distance at a couple different paces

• Learn about and adapt diet for longer running

• Learn about your own recovery time, then plan out pre-race training to consider recovery

That up there is a shortened, rather broad example, the message to relay is to think a lot about your particular goal, where you are currently, and from that make a personalized plan for training.

Although the purpose may appear to be merely to satiate detail-crazed people like myself, there is more benefit than simple organization. Believe it or not, goal-setting in training actually leads to positive physical and performance outcomes. It is all centered around developing motivation. Achieving goals, even smaller ones, leads to positive emotions, and a positive outlook with regards to future goals in a similar vein. Setting up and knocking down the small goals in succession puts you “on a roll” so to speak, making that big goal look far less daunting. 

The use of psychological skills and techniques, emotional and mental control, and having that sense of control over your own training are just as important as the training itself. These elements are the very backbone, your motivation to continue and power through the physical challenges ahead. 

That’s all I’ve got for this quick running tip. This is the first video of The kinesiologist series discussing exercise science topics. I’ll keep going with topics I find interesting, or I can tailor some videos to answering questions that people might have, there are already a couple of videos coming up based on questions that people brought up to me.

Author

R. Andrew Paxton,  B.S., M.S. Kinesiology

Head Coach & Trainer, Coeur Ninja

e: robertpaxton11@gmail.com

p: (615) 424-3239