Run4PRs

Ever finish a hard interval during a workout or a race and have to catch your breath? When you run up a hill do you notice your breathing is labored? We often get asked how to breathe while running and how to improve your fitness to the point where breathing becomes easier while you run. Have you ever felt like you cannot breathe while you are running? What physiologically is making it feel like you cannot breathe while you run? Humidity, altitude, extreme cold/shivering, being sick, being dehydrated, running too fast Is there a sort of rhythmic breathing you should be doing like in swimming? Should you just breathe whatever is natural and as much as possible? Do you ever get panicked when you breathe heavy during a run and it causes you to breathe even heavier? Can meditation or breathing exercises help runners learn how to relax? I notice when I am more relaxed, my breathing comes more natural when I am running but when I focus on it too much, it feels harder Do you think the bottom line is that people who can’t breathe while running are just going too fast? How can you figure out how fast to be running? How do you talk while running?

How to start training hard again after offseason This is the time of year when most people are getting stared thinking about training again for spring races. It’s been a long winter and after the holidays, maybe you took more time off than you thought you would! Maybe you are not sure where to start in getting back. We want to do a deep dive into getting back into training again after your offseason and tips for having a long successful season. Often people do too much too soon and burn out within a few months or worse, a few weeks. How long of an offseason is typical? What do you typically do during the offseason? How should you start back adding volume? Should you continue cross training? How much mileage can you add per week? What if you have not been running AT ALL but you were running a TON back in November? When should your first race be of the season? When can you expect to be back into the same shape you were this fall? How will it feel the first few weeks back? How to set goals/mileage targets/paces for workouts? What variable should you add first? What should be the first type of workouts? How long of long runs should you start with?

Polarized training may sound like a fancy word, but it is the way we should all be training to reach our potential in the sport of distance running. Have you ever heard of the 80/20 principle? We want to keep 80% of your weekly mileage EASY then the remaining 20% should be reserved for harder efforts. This principle of keeping the hard days HARD and the easy days easy stems from the growth formula of stress + rest = growth. If you are not able to fully recover from the hard running workouts with nice rest/easy running days, you will not be able to grow or improve as a runner. We want to train smart & get the most out of our daily effort. This is why it is important to make sure our training is really polarized. Polarized means making sure we keep the hard days HARD and keeping the easy days truly easy. It is like the ying and yang. You need to have to rest to offset the stress. When was the first time you were introduced to easy running vs harder running efforts? How do distance runners get caught up in the gray zone? What exactly is the gray zone for paces? What is YOUR gray zone? Is there a such thing as going too slow? Should you be able to tell by someones pace weather it was a workout day vs an easy day? Workout day pace vs easy day pace Workout day HR vs easy day HR Easy running for everyone? Should some people cross train? What if your HR is always too high on easy days? What if I am not doing workouts? Can I go faster on my easy days? How do you get people to buy into this methodology? Will this look different for everyone? IE- your easy pace looks like most people’s hard paceS? Do you think as you get faster, you cannot get away with doing non-polarized training?

90. How to find the perfect pair of running shoes! One of the most common questions we get is ‘what is the best type of running shoe’. It is so crazy how many brands and models of shoes there are on the market today. We want to remove some of the confusion and help make recommendations on how you find your perfect pair of running shoes. You may not like the same type of shoes we like, and in fact, you probably won't but we will be giving tips for how to find the perfect shoe for YOU and practical tips on how to find those perfect shoes.What are all the different shoes you have loved and used over your 20 year running career?Why have you used so many different type of shoes? Do you think your preferences change?Do you think it is 100% needed to rotate through different shoes like tempo shoes vs long run shoes?How do you find your shoes personally NOW?What are the key things you look for when you go into the store?Have you ever gotten a gait analysis? Do you think it’s worth it?What if you want to try a new type of shoe but want to be able to return it if you don’t like it?What is the benefit to trying shoes on in person vs buying online?Should you ask questions on the shoe rep? What questions do you ask?Neutral, pronate, etc.What is the shoe drop?Do  you typically drift towards shoes that are similar to each other?Is it more about the brand or the model?Do most brands have different models that resemble different models in other brands?Are there really that many choices?Do you think the 250$ shoes are worth it?

89. Should you run based on effort, pace or HR There are many ways you can gauge effort on a run. With all the gadgets around now, it seems like the data is endless. Should we look at HR, Cadence, pace, stride length or should we just go based off effort? What is the most important variable? How come sometimes when I run easy, my HR is sky high? We are going to do a deep dive into the different variable at play when you are running and which to look at for the data you need to assess. Don’t get lose in the noise of too much data.-What was the one thing you started training with for the first 10 years of your running?-When was the first time you wore a GPS watch?-Looking back did the GPS help or hurt you? In what ways was it helpful?-What are some of the downsides to running based off pace?-When did you start to track your HR on runs?-Do you find that HR data to follow a pattern and be accurate?-Are you ever confused by a high or low HR reading?-How much do you look to HR as a guide?- How can you improve your HR when running at a fast pace?-How do you know what paces to run?-Do some days feel harder than others at the same pace?

88. How to find a routine for success: morning or afternoon runners When I first started running, I worked an early shift, so I had to be an afternoon runner. I always wished I could run in the morning, but when I had to leave for work by 6:30am, I just couldn’t do it! Instead I opted to workout after work. I later worked for a company with a later morning culture. Most people got in around 8:30-9am, so I didn’t need to leave for work until almost 8:00! This gave me almost 90 min in the morning to get my run in. Let me tell you how difficult of a transition it was for me! Despite not having to wake up much earlier, I felt like it was almost impossible to be a morning runner for the first few months. I soon made the full transition and could never go back. We are going to chat about how to set yourself up for success no matter what type of routine you pick for yourself. -What is the best time of day to run? - Why are so many people morning runners? - Is it harder to run in the morning or afternoon? - How do you fuel for a morning run? - How do you fuel for an afternoon run? - Getting ready the night before morning run? - Packing stuff for after work runs? - Does a run group help? - What if you miss a day? - successful tips for sticking with your routine?

How to become a running coach We get asked this question all the time! Being a run coach is such a unique endeavour. On the surface level it may not seem that running would be a sport complicated enough to need a coach, but if you have listened to our podcast, you know that there is SO much to learn and discover within the sport of running. A good running coach can help open your eyes to all the details that can help propel your training to the next level. We will be chatting about our journey to becoming a run coach & what we recommend people do if they want to get started coaching. How did you get started run coaching? When was the first time you got paid to coach & how much was it? How many years of running experience did you have before you started coaching? What is your background/what certifications or qualifications do you have that you think others should have? Do you think you need to have a certification to get started? What type of people make good run coaches? Passion for running and improvement Personable - interest in others and their running Leadership qualities What are the top 3 things that run coaches have to do & be good at? Understanding of physiology Open minded & Flexible Empathetic and understanding (know what the runner needs from you) Do you think people have misconceptions at what run coaching is? Create a training plan Not fully aware of the support that it may take and barriers that can come up during training Are there different types of coaches like college level vs moms on the run group? How do you find your niche? Do you have to be a certain level of athlete to become a run coach? If you coached yourself to fast times, does that mean you will be a good coach? What are some of the sacrifices to your own training you may have to make? Should you get a mentor? Should you read a book? Should you become certified? Should you practice by writing plans for free? Should you work for free with local high school?

Reflecting on 2020 accomplishments & Setting goals for 2021 2021 is right around the corner. We are in the last month of the year. Congratulations on all that you have accomplished. I love to spend the month of December reflecting on all the amazing things that happened over the year. Maybe you completed your first marathon, got your spouse into running or qualified for Boston for the first time. Whatever your story is, it is important to reflect and celebrate what you have accomplished for the year. What was your greatest running accomplishment this year? What was something you worked on and stayed committed to for the whole year that you set for yourself at the beginning of the year? What was your favorite race or running moment? Did you help anyone get into running? How did you give back to the running community? Did you push yourself when you didn’t feel like running? Did you allow your body time to recover when you needed recovery? Did you reach any time goals you set for yourself? How many miles per week or year did you run? When we reflect over our proudest moments, it is easy for us to see what we want to do more of for the upcoming year. In this podcast we will be chatting about goals for 2021 and how you can set SMART goals to get there. What is something you achieved this year that you want to continue to build on? What is something you wanted to achieve this year but didn’t? What are areas you could improve on with your mental training? How can you work on stepping outside of your comfort zone? What big scary goals do you have in your head that you have not told anyone else? How should you select goal races and plan for this? What comes first the plan or the races?

Staying motivated over the holidays The holidays are officially here. If you are anything like us, this can be a tough time of year to stay motivated. So many holiday parties, holiday christmas shopping and not enough time to ourselves! So many people fall off the bandwagon over these winter months, and we wanted to chat about things you can do to help with motivation and staying on track and consistent over the holidays Have you ever taken a month off? Is it hard to get back into training if you don’t train during the holidays? How do you stay on track when you have holiday work parties and happy hours and parties to go to? SET WEEKLY OR MONTHLY GOALS - MAYBE 1 KEY WORKOUT EACH WEEK Is it better to do a short run than no run? How do you stay in the routine of working out even if you don’t have time? How can you make it a part of your family routine to prioritize fitness even when it’s the holiday season? Are there ways to involve the whole family and make it fun? YES! ASSIGN CHORES OR CHALLENGES AND GO RUN AND COME BACK IN X # OF MINUTES Should you sign up for a race in the spring? Does working with a coach and having a plan help you stay on track? Should you add in workouts to the mix to help the time go by faster? YES - FARTLEK Is it okay to use the treadmill?

Tips for dressing in the cold In the last episode we talked about staying motivated to run outside in the cold. In case we inspired you a little bit we will be chatting about ways to stay warm and dressing for these colder temps. Jason and I live in Wisconsin, and we have both ran and raced several times in blizzards and sub zero temps. We have a lot of practice dressing for various temps, and we want to share some tips with you How often should you be checking the weather? How/when do you decide if you are running in or outside? Things that will make you feel WARMER than the temp outside If it is sunny and you wear all dark colors If there is no wind it will feel warmer 50 degrees: What do you wear upper layer? Lower layer? Gloves or hat? 40 degrees What do you wear upper layer? Lower layer? Gloves or hat? 30 degrees What do you wear upper layer? Lower layer? Gloves or hat? 20 degrees What do you wear upper layer? Lower layer? Gloves or hat? 10 degrees What do you wear upper layer? Lower layer? Gloves or hat? 0 or under What do you wear upper layer? Lower layer? Gloves or hat? Where can you purchase these items? Is there any secret that will keep you warm or does it always kind of suck? Do body parts ever go numb?

86. Getting a training plan & working with a coach: how it works How does Run4PRs work? I know some of you already work with us as athletes, but maybe others are curious what exactly we do. How does our training work? What is so different about working with a coach vs a free plan online? Today we are chatting about our process and how it would look if you hit YES to try a free 7 day trial with us no strings attached. Variety is super important What is the difference between following an online training plan free vs getting a coach? How is it custom to each person? Where should people go if they want to try us out or get started? What will happen when you fill out the form? What if people have filled out the form but they are not getting the e-mail? Who is the e-mail coming from? Who will read the athlete consultation form? What information on the form do you look at? How do you pair athletes with their coach? How long does it take to have the plan? How does the coach communicate with you? What does the plan look like? Where is the plan? How many days per week is it? How often can I chat with my coach? How personalized is it? Is there any subscription? How can they assess my form? How do you assess my fitness? How is it better than something I find online? Do I need to have a garmin?

Visit www.Run4prs.co/faster to get more information on the program. It’s that time of year again! The dreaded winter training and off season. There are usually not a lot of races that take place in the winter, but there are a lot of spring & fall races next year. This leaves athletes with some time in between training cycles. Runners may feel like they are in limbo wondering all sorts of things like “what should I be focusing on right now?” “How many miles per week should I be running?” “What sort of workouts should I be doing?”. This year we wanted to come up with a program to remove all of the confusion and lack of motivation during the winter months to keep athletes excited for training & setting them up for the best opportunity for success for whatever they hope to achieve in 2021. An overview of the program: This is a 10 week program. You can start at any time during the program, but we highly recommend doing the full 10 weeks. We kick things off with a 1 mile time trial on Saturday 12/5. This time trial will likely be after some time off or unstructured training. We know this time of year is traditionally hard to stay motivated & most athletes are NOT in peak shape. We dive into the time trial to get a baseline for where you are at! With strength training, you begin to see benefits after 2-4 weeks of training. Aerobic work takes closer to 6 weeks to see benefits. The 1 mile is a combination of using the aerobic and anaerobic systems. We expect that athletes will see a smooth progression in times over the course of the program. Not all races always go as planned, so we offered an extra race or two to practice our racing skills and provide a chance for redemption if one of the races does not go as we hoped. What will the focus be on? Strength Training is key for success in the 1 mile because you must develop power & the anaerobic system. We will work on developing explosive speed needed for a strong final kick. The strength training will also help with efficiency and strength to run at faster paces. 2-3x per week 20-40 min Training specifically for the mile will require more focus on speed work than traditional distance training. This plan will work on developing a strong VO2Max system and work on lowering your threshold. 2x per week 20% of volume Benefits to 1 mile training? Building confidence in other distances Capitalizing on speed before you age Learning how to push yourself & race hard What will the speed workouts look like & why?

If you are in the USA you know that it is that time of year again! People are gearing up for Thanksgiving day turkey trots. This tradition has been growing, and we are so excited that more people are participating in these events. A lot of our listeners may be coming back into running more again after a big fall marathon or half marathon, so this is often a strange time of year for racing. We wanted to chat about some tips to help with your turkey day 5k-10k. How much of this race is aerobic vs anaerobic? Is it still important to keep your easy days easy? Are you still running high mileage? How do elites train for 5ks? What sort of workouts should you do the week of the race? Strides and short fartleks Should you do strides? Yes! Before the race, I definitely want 4+ quality strides. I’m a fan of a few longer 200m pickups about 10-15 minutes or so before the race and a few shorter ones 50 meters right before your race What sort of pacing plan should you have? Negative split or even split How do you know what kind of shape you are in? Recent time trials or workouts. Compare consistency in your recent training block to previous seasons when you ran a 5k. Will the weather play a role? Weather always plays a role to some degree. Hopefully being that Turkey trots are in November that is typically a nice time of year in most areas where we don’t experience one extreme or the other. Should you consider using this as more of a fun run? Absolutely, It can be tough to run well if it’s colder like here in the midwest. Also It’s a great family event to do and a great way to start the Holiday. How long of a warm up or cool down? 1-3 Miles How many days should you taper before? 2-3 or perhaps a few more. Pacing for a 5k: what is the speed limit the first mile? Your Goal 5k pace (should be 5-10 seconds slower than) If you are super fit it may be okay to run 5-10 seconds faster than 5k goal pace Pacing for a 10k: what is the speed limit for the first 1-2 miles? I would say even a bit slower, so 10-20 seconds slower than your goal 10k pace. You have more time to work your way down to race pace :) How should you feel during the halfway point? Strong - Like you can negative split How should we dress? Be prepared for the weather including overdressing at the start if it’s cold!

If you live anywhere near us, it is starting to get really cold really fast. I am not talking 40-50 degrees. I am talking single digits and negative wind chills here in Minnesota. We get it pretty bad for 4 months out of the year most days don’t get above 20 degrees in the morning if we are lucky. Most days can be single digits or below zero when we get up to run in the early morning. It can be tough to find the motivation to stay running in the cold. We are going to chat about what we do to stay motivated to run outside during these cold months! What is the coldest temp you have ever ran in? What is your cut off temp for running outside? At what temp does it just make sense to do your workout inside? How are you able to breathe in the cold? At what temp does it become hard to breathe and execute workouts? How do you dress in 30 degrees? How much does the wind play a role? How can you run in the snow? Do you have to buy expensive gear? What does your college team do when it is cold outside? What are other options if you stay inside? Do you have to run outside in the cold to be a real runner?

Last week we chatted about the importance of the off season. We want to make sure we take time off to recover between major training blocks. However, a lot of athletes can get trapped in the all or nothing approach of training. I can’t train? Okay I will run zero miles per week. Or I don’t want to take time off, I am going to continue to train hard! We want to make sure we find a happy medium and set some goals for this winter Winter can be a tough time for training: why? What are some things that can you help stay on track? What do you not like about it? Do you ever feel like there isn’t enough time or motivation during the offseason? What are some goals you can set to help you stay on track? When should you start thinking about 2021 races and finding a path? What do the top athletes do during the winter months that set them up for success? Should Strength training be something you start to add in? Should we set goals based on weekly mileage or consistency? How do we reward ourselves for staying on track if there is no goal race? How do you stay motivated if you are stuck inside?