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Runner’s World November 2006
By Jeff Galloway
The Starting Line
Q+A
Q: If I follow a training plan, can I shift workouts around to fit
my schedule?
A: You’re the boss of your running schedule. But when you
rearrange a training program, you need to follow a few guidelines
to maximize benefits while avoiding fatigue, or worse, injury.
• Use a running log, calendar, or notebook to make- and keep
track of- all your changes.
• Identify the key workouts within each week, such as long
runs and speed days, and make them a priority.
• Take a day off or run short and easy before and after each
of your challenging workouts.
• Run one long run every other weekend. If you miss one, make
it up within that week.
• If you take a week or more off, ease back into your program
by running slower and taking more walk breaks for at least one week.
Take twice the amount of time you took off to slowly rebuild your
mileage base.
KEEP GOING
For most beginners, there comes a point when they inevitably start
to slow down on a run. Here are two ways to help you push past your
personal wall.
Break through. Once a week, run the first half of a training run
about one minute per mile slower than usual. As you approach the
point when you usually slow down, pick up the pace gradually and
say to yourself, “I’m breaking through.” Finish
strong at regular training pace.
Lose the baggage. A runner I know used to carry a rock with her
in case she met unfriendly dogs. Once when she began to fatigue,
Sara tossed the rock and felt a mental boost. She now carried small
pebbles on all runs and imagines she’s tossing a 20-pound
rock whenever she starts to get tired.
(SAY WHAT?) Running Jargon, Translated
Pick-ups: Accelerations performed during a run.
Pick-ups are generally shorter in duration than fartleks (Sept.
2004) and usually added to easy runs for extra training benefit.
Quick Fix: FORWARD LEAN
Simple Solutions for Common Running Mistakes
Leaning too far forward when you run can cause lower-back pain,
neck and shoulder fatigue, and side stitches- all of which will
cause you to slow down or increase your effort unnecessarily. This
two-part drill will help you maintain the ideal upright position.
Try it at the beginning of each run, when you resume running after
a walk break, or whenever you begin to tire during a workout.
1. Take a deep breath, which naturally encourages your torso and
upper back to straighten and promotes an upright posture.
2. Maintain the upright position from the deep breath and imagine
that you are a puppet on a string suspended from above. This entails
further stretching yourself up to your full height with your back
comfortably straight, your head in line with your shoulders, and
your hips lined up underneath.
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