We’ve all had at least a few truly awful workouts. We feel terrible from the first steps, can’t hit the paces, need more recovery and usually cut the run or workout short. If we do finish, it’s ugly.

Runners tend to be pretty hard on ourselves. We question our fitness, we blame our lack of mental toughness, and doubt our training.

But the truth is, most “bad” workouts have nothing to do with our mental toughness or fitness. Usually, we label a workout “bad” largely because of inappropriate expectations.

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The Snake Run™ is an interval workout for runners. It can be approached two different ways: as a speed workout and as a strength workout, depending on the effort levels used.

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I’ve lost track of the number of conversations I’ve had with runners who feel the need to “warn me” about their age. Many wonder aloud if they can still improve, or if they are destined to get slower and slower.

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It’s a tall order to muster up the motivation for a workout when you don’t even know what the workout is!

When the plan is on paper and there’s no thinking involved it can make a huge difference in our motivation to lace up our running shoes.

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Presenting my Top 3 Training Philosophies! I believe that these foundational training principles are the “secrets” that lead to actual progress. These were my own training philosophies that helped me get to the top as an Olympic athlete, and they have proven truly effective over and over again with all the runners I coach.

Here’s what you need to know to take your running to the next level

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Crazy work schedules, extra family responsibilities, travel, accidents, illness, you name it. Sometimes life just… happens. And when it does, the training plan goes out the window.

How do you navigate training interruptions without losing fitness?

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What should runners DO on a rest day? Resting is much more than simply not working out and I encourage runners to get extra rest on these days.

The time normally spent running or working out will ideally be spent “doing” rest. Sleep is the best, but some other great options are reading, laying around, watching a tv show, writing, chatting with a friend, more family time, etc.

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As a coach, the best thing I can do to help runners reach their goals is to be crystal clear about race day expectations. We can hope for a magical day when the stars align and we feel amazing, Those days do happen (occasionally) but we should not expect it.

We need to expect fatigue and discomfort due to exertion.

We need to prepare mentally for the moment in the race when it gets really hard. Not IF, but WHEN it gets really hard.

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The result of our best effort can vary from day to day but we can always discover what we’re capable of on a given day if we commit to 100% effort.

“Just do your best” sounds simple but getting the most out of ourselves takes practice and finesse.

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Are you training for a marathon running only 3 or 4 days a week?

Real Talk.

That is not enough running days. Even if you’re getting the miles in.

Marathon training should involve 5-6 days of training per week.

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“Easy” in general means slow. Even very fast runners know how to run easy and slow, in fact running easy is a huge part of their training. Regardless of ability level there should be a very distinct difference between a runner’s fast/ hard and slow/ easy paces.

Easy means the effort level is LOW from start to finish. Cover the distance without getting tired!

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A full warmup consists of an easy jog of up to 20 minutes, sometimes ending with a short tempo run of about 2 minutes, followed by dynamic stretching and mobility and some strides.

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GPS watches often interfere with our ability to measure our fatigue level and adjust pace based on effort. There’s a certain pace or heart rate range which we feel is acceptable or normal, and anything slower than that is bad. We force our body to follow those numbers rather than allowing ourselves to go slower when we’re tired.

On the flip side, we can get intimidated by paces that seem “too fast” even if we feel comfortable and in control. We hold ourselves back based on pre-determined pace expectations that don’t accommodate fitness gains.

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Things we can’t control:

• If (and when!) our races are cancelled

• When races come back

• When gyms will open again…

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One of the biggest misunderstandings about running is that walking breaks are bad.

But walking is probably the BEST way to improve both speed and endurance! Think about it- even the top athletes and best runners in the world take walking breaks. Any interval workout involves rests!

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Back today with another track interval workout, and for this one I recommend taking advantage of the outer lanes.

The Workout:
2 sets of 4x 200m
Rest: 1 minute between intervals
Rest: 1 lap walk or jog between sets…

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I want to end this mini-series on track running with some of my favourite recommended workouts, but first I need to explain some track jargon. The following terms will help anyone who wants to communicate regarding track interval workouts, time trials or races.

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Today I want to talk about track safety. And by safety, I mean injury prevention.

A track may seem like a really safe place to run because there’s no traffic from vehicles and cyclists, and the footing is perfect, but a track can be dangerous for another reason: TURNS.

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