When it comes to training, motivation and working toward goals, the process should be challenging but also enjoyable. Do you enjoy running with friends, a group, or alone? Do you enjoy running doubles? Do you love or hate cross training?  What kind of workouts are your favourite? These are questions I ask or learn over time with the runners I coach. I aim to design a training program that is interesting and fun.

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There are no shortcuts to progress or fitness but the quickest path to success is the one designed specifically for you - your work schedule, your lifestyle, your strengths, your goals. I’m passionate about this because I’ve experienced this kind of training myself when I was at the highest level of the sport.

But here’s the thing - you don’t have to be an Olympian to train smart.

Personalized training plans maximize your availability to run and minimize your risk of injury and burnout.

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Last week I explained that even as a highly trained athlete my first Pilates session was shockingly difficult. What I didn’t say was: I knew if I’d been in a group class, or watching a video at home, the session would have been easy for me.

Our bodies - adaptable as they are, always want to take the path of least resistance. They want to use the strong muscles and let the weak ones keep slacking. The strong will get stronger, the weak won’t do anything. But with focused supervision there’s nowhere to hide and you can’t “cheat.”

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Today I want to talk about Pilates, because just a few years ago I considered Pilates and Yoga basically the same thing and I had no interest in either of them. That changed in 2017 when I went for a Running Form Analysis and was given a prescription for Pilates. I was coming off my second Olympic Games and was still constantly working to improve my poor balance, back pain, rounded shoulders and excessive rotation of the upper body while running. Dr. Agresta explained that while I was very strong in the “global” core muscles, my deeper stabilizing core muscles were not really doing much and that pilates would help me learn to engage the deep core.

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Are you a runner who does not do yoga?

Are you wondering if you SHOULD do some yoga?

Me too, so I asked two therapists who specialize in runner injury rehabilitation, and a very, very fast runner who actually does yoga herself! Here’s what they said…

“People think yoga is going to fix everything and I just don’t think so. I think yoga can be helpful — but yoga isn’t specific and it’s a practice that [began] to help people meditate and sit in full lotus, and that has nothing to do with elite, moderate or recreational sport, or running or cycling. 

“The hip needs to function differently [doing yoga vs. in running]. The general public’s idea of mobility, or even pro athletes will say “I’m in the off season, should I do some yoga now?”

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Limited or restricted range of motion can cause problems for runners, but hyper mobility and excess flexibility are not the solution. When we run, our muscles contract (shorten) and pull on our bones in order to make our limbs move. If your muscles are relaxed and lengthened beyond what is necessary for your stride, it will take just a bit more time to contract those muscles. You won’t feel as responsive or “snappy” on your run. You will work harder to put the same force into the ground with each step as compared to when your muscles have some tightness.

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Massage the day before a big workout or a race is not a good idea, and here’s why: runners actually NEED some tension, stiffness, tightness in our muscles to run efficiently. It is common to feel “flat” or sluggish for a day or two post-massage when you head out for a run. Ideally, schedule your massage after a hard workout or the next day. Do not schedule a massage the day before a race.

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Massages are not just for birthdays and anniversaries, and they are not just for relaxation. They are an investment, not a luxury. Want to keep your body running? Massages are maintenance for the machine that is your body. Sometimes you need to take it to the shop (the massage therapist). 

Massage therapists have knowledge, expertise and training that we don’t have. Regular appointments with a qualified and experienced therapist during heavy volume (when you’re running a lot of miles) or intense training phases is an important part of recovery and injury prevention. Even a once or twice-monthly appointment will help you keep on top of small issues.

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The phrase “no pain, no gain” should really be called “no discomfort, no gain” but it really doesn’t roll of the tongue the same way does it? The truth is, you can’t make progress without sometimes challenging yourself and feeling uncomfortable in training.

If you always run easy you will not improve.

The point of some runs or workouts is to push yourself hard, to be uncomfortable and to “hurt.”  On occasion you will push your body hard so that you are not comfortable, and you would like to stop running or slow down, but you do not. When you really challenge yourself, it makes everything else feel a little bit easier relative to that hard effort, and this is how we make gains. 

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In the realm of training, competition and goal setting, it seems that “compromise” means giving up, settling, and not good enough. Compromise is given a really bad rap is the running world, but it shouldn’t be this way!!! I believe the compromise is absolutely necessary in training and when we embrace it, compromise will become our friend and ally on the path to success.

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Sometimes training isn’t about making gains, it’s about protecting the fitness you already have. When you’re fit, you want to protect your ability to enjoy and benefit from that fitness in your goal race by staying healthy. So how do you know if you should just ignore that little sore spot, power through the tightness and get ‘er done, or go into protect fitness mode (rest/ take the day off)?

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Your training log should include information that your Garmin can’t measure, things like: how well you slept last night, or last week, if you’ve been ill, stressed about things outside of running, feeling amazing, terrible or somewhere in between. Are your legs sore or tired and do you have any injury pains or niggles? Did the rest between reps seem to be too short or more than enough? Were you mentally dialed in or checked out? Running is very much a mind and body endeavour and the training log should reflect that. 

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Strength training is one of the most effective ways to become a better running without actually doing more running.

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Any change to your regular routine will affect your training, even if you’re able to fit in every mile. Different sleep schedules and eating habits are bound to steal some of your physical edge. You likely won’t be crushing any workouts during this time.

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Treadmill running is so boring but workouts definitely help keep things interesting! The workouts outlined in this article will add a lot of variety and a bit of speed to otherwise very monotonous miles or kms of treadmill running.

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