The Four Pillars of Optimal Running Performance

One of the reasons I love running is because it is a sport that is accessible to most reasonably healthy people. Buy a good pair of shoes and start running. Sure, there's a lot to learn along the way, but most people can just strap on a pair of shoes for the first time and begin their running journey. 

As a running coach I've come up with the four pillars of optimal running performance. If you want to optimize your running performance, it's important that you are working to improve in these four areas. This is especially helpful If you have been running for a while and looking to take your running to the next level or if you've been wondering why you have not been improving. When I work with new running clients, one of the first things we do is review if there is room for improvement in any of these areas.

Yes, you can strap on your shoes and start running, but if you want a long, healthy and successful running journey, you'll do best to make sure you are not neglecting any of the four pillars of optimal running performance.

the four pillars of optimal running performance. save to pinterest for later

PILLAR ONE: PACE VARIETY

If you want to be a better, faster, stronger runner then your first fitness priority should be running. You have to put in the miles on a regular basis, week after week. Once you build a running base (at least three times per week for four to six weeks) it's important that you vary your training paces for optimal running performance. In addition to your base runs at conversational pace, work to include one of two of the below effort runs into your training schedule each week. 

TEMPO RUNS

Tempo runs are completed at a pace that is comfortably-hard. It's slower than a sprint or a speed interval, but faster than what is comfortable. It should be a pace you can maintain over a few miles. During tempo runs, you should be able to get a word or sentence out, but not able to hold a full conversation without gasping for breath. Experiment with pacing to see what feels right for you. Comfortably-hard is the goal for tempo runs. Tempo runs help you improve your aerobic capacity, which means you are training so that you can run faster with less effort in the future. 

HILL RUNS

Hill training is great for new (and experienced) runners who are ready to introduce high intensity training into their workouts without worrying about running specific paces or intervals. Hills build runner-specific strength and speed. Find a hill with a visible incline and practice running up the hill at a moderate pace and recovering with a walk or jog back to the bottom. Find a hill that takes you 45 seconds to a minute to run from the bottom to top. Start with 3-4 hill repeats and build up to 8-10 over time. I wrote a post in more detail about hill training, click here to learn more. Runs hills a few times and your runs on flat ground will feel easy peasy. 

INTERVALS

If you always run the same pace, you don't teach you body to run faster. Intervals can be shorter bursts of fast running or longer intervals of fast running between periods of recovery, depending on your goals. 

Marathon runners see the best performance results on race day by including long intervals (1/2 mile to two mile of faster paced segments) in their training plan. 5K runners may see improvement by including short intervals of 30 seconds to one minute repeats. 

LONG RUNS

Build endurance and train your body to run farther by incorporating long runs into your training schedule. Slow your pace by 30 seconds to 1 minute per mile than normal when you are increasing your distance. Increase your long run distance by no more than 10% per week. A good way to start is to add a half mile to a mile to your long run every week for three weeks, then back down to a shorter distance on the fourth week to allow your body to recover. Repeat the cycle every four weeks until you reach your goal distance. Never increase both intensity (run pace) and volume (run distance) in the same week to avoid injury and additional stress on your body.

PILLAR TWO: NUTRITION

You're running on a regular basis, you're including some varying paces in your training week. In order to perform your best, it is important you you fueling properly for optimal running performance.

Focus on the quality of food, by consuming mostly whole foods from nature. Limit highly processed foods. Consume quality food in proper portions for best results. Take a cue from Goldilocks. If we eat too much we feel bloated and sluggish, if we don't eat enough, we may have low energy and poor performance. Find your own unique balance.

CARBOHYDRATES

While there may be a lot of hype around low-carb diets, most athletes perform best while consuming appropriate amounts of high-quality carbohydrates. Our body's preferred energy source is carbohydrates and if you limit the carbs you eat before or after your training runs, you may be limiting your performance. (Of course, there are exceptions, but most athletes thrive on whole foods carbohydrates.) The key is to choose the whole foods carbs from nature (potatoes, oatmeal, fruit, vegetables) in proper portions. For most athletes, a serving is one or two fist sizes of high-quality carbohydrates. Sorry folks, that overflowing plate of pasta and a basket of bread isn't what I mean.

It's smart to limit processed carbs. It's smart to be mindful of the number of carbs we are consuming. It's smart to consume most of our daily carbs around our workout times. It's not optimal to remove carbs altogether. Learn more in this post called how to cut carbs without cutting your sanity. The key is to find the right balance of carbohydrates for your training goals.

It may take some experimenting to find the right balance for you. Take note of how you look, feel and perform and adjust your nutrition accordingly.

PILLAR THREE: STRENGTH TRAINING

Strength training for runners, my favorite topic to go on and on about. I built a whole blog and business around the notion that runners need to strength train. Runners who strength train are stronger, faster, and less prone to injury. You don't have to spend five extra hours a week inside of a gym. (Who has time for that?) Work in three to five 20 minute full-body strength training sessions a week (either on non-running days or on easy running days) to build runner-specific strength. Focus on core/hip strength moves that include balance, lateral, and rotation moves to become a stronger runner. Don't neglect stretching, foam rolling, and mobility work. It's all part of the program. Balance your running with strength training to become a more well-rounded athlete. 

PILLAR FOUR: REST

The four-letter word, every runner loves to hate. R-E-S-T. Resting is not laziness. Rest is as important to your training plan as your scheduled workouts. Your body adapts (gets stronger and faster) during the rest period after the workout, not during the workout itself. You must allow your body the time it needs to repair and rebuild your muscles. If you don't rest, you will never see the full benefit of your hard work and you may risk injury, burnout or overtraining. Take a day or two to recover each week, your running performance depends on it. 

Give yourself a break between hard workouts and long runs. Never do high-intensity workouts back to back, give yourself a rest day or lower intensity day between hard workouts. Most athletes only need one or two high-intensity days a week to see improvements.

SLEEP

What does sleep have to do with my running performance, you ask? Everything! A lot of your body's recovery processes happen during sleep. Having trouble recovering from workouts? Not losing weight? Trouble managing stress? Sleep quality and quantity may be to blame. When it seems like you're doing everything right in regards to nutrition and exercise, but you are not seeing the results you desire, look closely at your sleep patterns. Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep for best results. 

Do you have all the pillars of optimal running performance covered? Need help?

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COACH LEA

THE DOS AND DON'TS OF STRENGTH TRAINING FOR RUNNERS

You're a runner and you heard that strength training is important for runners. You know you should be including strength training, but you've not quite figured out how to make it all work in your training schedule. It's easier to just lace up your shoes and go out for a run than it is to figure out how to add in strength training. You don't exactly have spare time laying around like your husband's socks. If you're going to do this it has to be quick and effective. 

Strength training for runners is important, not only for injury prevention, but for your running performance. Strength training will help you become a strong and faster runner. It can be the difference between a potential injury and new PR.

But strength training for runners is not the same as strength training for muscle growth or strength training for other sports. Runners need running-specific strength. What does that mean? Let's explore the Dos and Don'ts of strength training for runners. 

the Dos and Don'ts of strength training for runners

THE DOs of STRENGTH TRAINING FOR RUNNERS

Do include exercises in all planes of motion 

When we run, we are moving in one plane of motion (the sagittal plane, forward and backward). When we pound out the miles week after week we can develop muscle imbalances because we don't develop strength in the other planes of motion, which can lead to injuries. The best way to injury-proof your running is to include strength exercises that include lateral and rotational exercises to cover the frontal and transverse planes respectively. Try incorporating side lunges, curtsy squats, one leg lift and chop and plank to side plank.

Do full body exercises at least twice a week

For best results, do full body exercises at least twice a week. This can be two 30 minute sessions or four 15 minute sessions. Any less than twice a week, you won't get the full benefit of the strength work (although I will argue that something is always better than nothing). 

Do single leg and balance exercises

Runners benefit greatly from unilateral (single leg) exercises like single leg deadlifts, lunges and single leg lift & chop. When we run we are repeatedly balancing on one leg at a time over the miles. When we build single leg strength and develop strong balance our running performance will improve.

Do multi joint exercises

We want to get the most bang for our strength training buck so we can get it done and get back on the road, right? Multi-joint exercises are more effective and efficient because they work multiple muscles in one exercise. Squats, deadlifts and lunges are all great examples. Skip the bicep curls and the leg extension machine and choose multi joint exercises instead.

Do be consistent

Strength training only works if you do. If you do your exercises one week, but then skip two weeks, you won't see the full benefit of your work. It's more important to be consistent than anything. Even if you can just do 10-15 minutes at a time, work to maintain consistency in your strength training. 

THE DON'TS OF STRENGTH TRAINING FOR RUNNERS

Don't neglect your upper body

It may seem like that as runners we only need to build a strong lower body, but strong arms, back and shoulders power our stride and provide stability for our running form. Push ups, rows and shoulders presses should be included in your strength training for runners plan.

Don't spend hours in the gym

Don't waste any time in the gym. Runners do best to work in a circuit fashion, which means to move from one exercise to the next with little to no rest between exercises. Complete a set of exercises moving between lower body and upper body movements. For example, perform a set of single leg deadlifts, followed by a set of push ups, followed by a set of rows and finish up with lateral lunges. Once you complete all the exercises, take a brief break and repeat the circuit one or two more times. Bodybuilders need long rest periods between sets, runners do not. More quickly, but slow enough to keep proper form. 

Don't do hard running workouts and strength workouts in the same day

If you run hills, intervals or a long run and then attempt a strength workout, your strength workout will suffer and you could end up injured, overtrained or burned out over time. It's better to schedule strength training on days that you are not running, or on easy effort running days. I will do a strength training session in the morning of a day that I have an easy three mile run on the schedule. Never do strength training and running on the same day if the total workout is more than an hour and a half. At that point, the risk for injury starts to become greater than the benefit of the workouts.

Don't ignore pain

No pain no gain is bull crap. Push through discomfort, push through breathing heavily, push through muscle burning, never ever ever push through physical pain during running or strength training. Pain is your body signaling you that something is wrong. Always listen to pain. Learn to tell the difference between feeling pain and feeling discomfort.

Don't neglect rest days

I know it can be challenging to fit everything in: the miles, the strength training and the rest. Always take at least one full rest day a week (sometimes you may need two or even three). If you have to cut something out of the schedule to make it work, never cut out the rest day. We adapt to exercise (get stronger and faster) during the rest periods after the workout, not during the workout itself. If you don't allow your body the proper time to recover you won't see the full benefits of your hard work. I know that sometimes for runners, the rest is the hardest part, but it may just be the most important day of your training schedule. 

Got it? Good. Need more help or individual attention? If you live in Fort Worth, at the time of this post, I have openings for strength training sessions to improve running performance and fat loss. Live outside of Fort Worth? Contact me to learn about how we can work together online. 

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COACH LEA

Runners! Banish These Three Words to Own Your Run!

Runners! Stop apologizing for your runs! Ditch the disclaimers and own your run!

Are you as guilty of this? We, as runners, have a tendency to put a disclaimer on our runs. I hear it all the time, heck I even say these things sometimes...

"I know I'm not as fast as some of you but I ran my fastest mile today."

"I know it's not as far as some of you run, but I ran my longest run ever today!"

"I only ran three miles today."

"I just did the half marathon."

"I'm only running the 5K."

BUT...ONLY...JUST. Runners! Stop saying these three words!

Why do we do this? In the world of social media, maybe we put a disclaimer on our achievements in case someone might try to undermine our accomplishment, we want to beat them to it. If we say it first, no one else can tell us we're not good enough. Maybe we compare ourselves to other runners and we feel like we don't measure up to the Insta-runners online. Maybe we're afraid of sounding like we are bragging about our runs. 

You know what? We should be bragging about our runs. Whether you ran one mile for the first time or you're an ultra marathoner, you should be proud. Whether you ran a seven minute mile or a 13 minute mile, you laced up your shoes, got out there and did something that was hard for you. 

IT'S ALL RELATIVE

The thing about hard work is that it is all relative. A runner completing a half marathon may be working just as hard as an elite marathoner. In fact, I'd venture to say that the newbie runner who completes their first half marathon in three hours is working harder than an elite athlete who completes a full marathon in less than that time. Slow or fast it doesn't account for individual effort and it certainly doesn't dictate whether the run was brag worthy. Did you do something that felt hard for you? Congratulations for pushing outside your comfort zone and doing hard things. You are already doing better than most.

STOP THE COMPARISON GAME

No matter where you are in your running journey, there will almost always be someone faster than you and someone slower. There will always be runners who can cover longer distances and runners that can't run as far. The truth is no one cares about your pace or distance as much as you do. Share your runs online. Tell your friends. Someone will be impressed that you are out there at all. We are all on our own journey. You know that gal online who runs an 8 minute mile? There was a time when she first started running that she was a lot slower too. Stop comparing yourself to other runners and be proud of your own accomplishments. 

BE PROUD

Own your run. Own your accomplishments. Be proud. I am proud of myself everytime I lace up my shoes. Sometimes I have great runs that feel speedy and effortless, then sometimes I have hard runs that feel like I am running on two stiff logs instead of legs. I'm still proud i'm out there trying. Running fundamentally changed who I am as a person, and I am better for it. Who would have thought that the young lady who was afraid to break a sweat would grow into a woman who regularly runs half marathons and coaches others to do the same? Certainly not me. 

It doesn't matter how long it takes you cross the finish line. It doesn't matter how far away that finish line is. It doesn't matter if you never toe the line at an official race. If you push yourself to run, then you are a runner.

“If you run, you are a runner. It doesn’t matter how fast or how far. It doesn’t matter if today is your first day or if you’ve been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run.”

— John Bingham

Make a new year's resolution to banish the words but, just and only from your vocabulary and be proud every time you lace up those shoes. You earned it. 

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Coach Lea

PR-MAKER WINTER RUNNING SUPPORT GROUP

Do you sometimes feel like you need a support group? 

“Hi, my name is Lea Genders and I am a run-oholic.”

— Lea Genders Fitness

No, not that kind of support group. I was thinking more like a support group of like-minded people who can help motivate you, encourage you and push you to the next level. They say we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with. If you want to improve your sport and improve your life then you need to be intentional with the people you surround yourself with. 

My husband is a huge supporter of my running, my fitness, by blog and my business. He helps push me out of my comfort zone. I'm not sure i'd be able to get out of bed at 5:30 in the morning if he wasn't there supporting me (um, I mean flicking on all the lights and pulling the covers off). 

What do you do if the people in your life don't have the same interests and goals as you do? All hope is not lost. The internet is a wonderful place where like-minded people come together over similar interests. Are you an accordion player who loves knitting and has a pet squirrel? There's an internet group for that. Well...probably.  

Are you a runner looking for a group of friends who are into chasing their goals, getting stronger, healthier and improving their sport? Then look no further, I created the PR-maker winter running support group for people just like you and me because spring PRs are built in the winter. 

PR-MAKER WINTER RUNNING SUPPORT GROUP

We are just getting started and the group is small and connected. I'd love for you to join us and help get it off the ground as a supportive and engaging group. We need you to make it work. You can post pictures from your workouts, ask questions and help support the other people in the group, because unless today is your first day of running (if it is, then welcome to the club) there is likely someone who can benefit from your help and we can all learn from others. 

We only have a couple of rules. 1. Every runner (or wannabe runner) is welcome. 2. Be nice and supportive. 3. No selling or spamming 4. No politics or religion please. 5. Keep negative comments out of the group. 6. You may share running and fitness-related blog posts with admin approval first. 

Are you in? Join the Facebook group and join in on the fun! I hope to see you there. Come on over and introduce yourself. I can't wait to meet you. 

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Coach Lea

Learn to Run Hills to Build Strength & Speed

If you have been running for awhile and ready to take it to the next level, incorporating hill running into your training plan you can help you break through running plateaus to get faster and stronger. 

Hill running recruits more muscle fibers, helps improve speed, builds runner-specific strength and power and can be easier on the joints that flat road running. 

I recommend hill repeats for beginner and intermediate runners who have established a solid running base of at least three times a week for six weeks. 

Add in hill repeats into your training schedule one day a week to start, after four to six weeks of hill training, you may be ready to add in a second day of hills. I recommend 24-48 hours of rest after hard workouts. 

HILL REPEATS

The best way to incorporate hill running into your training is to find a hill outdoors and run repeats. Sometimes the instructions I see online for running hill repeats look too technical and confusing. They sometimes will tell you to find s 7-10% grade hill and run at a 10K pace. Let me help you simplify it.

Find a low traffic hill that looks relatively steep to the eye, one that takes approximately one minute to run from the bottom to the top. 

Always warm up before intense workouts. 

RUNNING FORM FOR HILL TRAINING

Running hills can help promote a more economical running form. 

1. Imagine that there is a rope tied to your waist pulling you towards the top of the hill. 

2. Keep your chest up with your shoulders back and down.

3.  Keep your neck neutral with your eyes looking forward, not at the ground.

4. Keep your hands loose. Imagine holding a potato chip between your thumb and pointer finger if you have a tendency to clench your fists.

5. Keep your jaw loose. 

6. Pump your arms at a 90-degree angle and do not allow them to cross over the front of your body.

7. Keep your elbows close to your body, do not allow them to flare out to the sides. 

RUNNING PACE FOR HILL TRAINING

When running hills start at the bottom at a relaxed pace and gradually increase speed as you approach the crest of the hill. If you are new to running hills then it may be enough to simply jog up the hill, you will notice an increase in intensity as compared to running on flat roads. You can work to increase the pace as you improve and get stronger.

RECOVERY BETWEEN REPS

Recover fully between reps, this may mean to jog or walk back down the hill to allow your heart rate to return to normal before you start your next hill repetition. It may take you one minute to reach the top of the hill and two and a half minutes to walk back down to the bottom.

REPETITIONS

Start with three to five repetitions and increase over time as you adapt to your training. 

PROGRESSION

It's important to think about how you can progress your training when you're ready. Your body adapts to the workouts you do, so what once felt difficult can start to feel easy and become less effective over time. Once you are running hills on a regular basis, think how you can progress your training to the next level every four to six weeks. A few ways you can progress hill training:

1. Increase the number of repeats. If you were running three repetitions, try to run five or six repeats, build up to 10 overtime.

2. Increase the speed of each repetition. Try to beat your time from the bottom to the top of the hill. Never attempt to increase both numbers of repetitions and speed in the same workout. Increase one at a time to help reduce the chance of injury.

3. Reduce rest time between repetitions. If you were walking between reps, try a slow jog. 

4. Find a steeper or long hill to run.

5. Increase the number of days of hills repeats in your training schedule. Start with one day and progress to two days after four to six weeks. 

As you get stronger look for ways to keep challenging yourself or you could hit a plateau in your training. It is important not to push progression beyond your current fitness levels to avoid the risk of injury, overtraining, and burnout. For best results, start slow and progress over time, changing variables every four to six weeks.

RECOVERY

Listen to your body and always allow proper recovery between workouts. Your body adapts (grows stronger and faster) during the rest period after the workout, not during the workout itself. If you don't allow proper time for recovery between workouts, you will not see the full benefit of your hard work. I recommend 24 to 48 hours of rest or easy days after hard workouts. Always allow at least one full rest day a week and listen to your body, take more if you need it. Sleep is also an important component to recovery. Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep per night for best recovery and performance benefits. 

Are you ready to tackle those hills? It's the workout that runners love to hate, but is so effective in taking your running performance to the next level. Need more help?

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Coach Lea