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SSISA
10 critical things every runner should know
INSIGHTS TO HELP YOU TRAIN BETTER ALL YEAR ROUND
By SSISA Sports Scientists and Biokineticists Warren Lucas , Warwick Cross and David Leith
REST - AN INTEGRAL PART OF TRAINING
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THE VALUE OF A COACH
Rest in a training programme is relative to the experience of the runner . A new runner will require two or more days of no running per week to aid recovery from training , for training adaptation to occur and to prevent injury . As this runner gets more experienced , the number of rest ( zero distance ) days will decrease . Eventually , most runners on a well-designed training programme might just have one day of zero distance . A highly experienced runner is very likely to have no days of complete rest . A rest day for such a runner might be a 12km easy run . Every 4 to 6 weeks , the entire week of training should be easier , again to allow for proper adaptation and to prevent what is called “ non-functional overreaching ” and “ overtraining ”. Before a race , it is very important to reduce the training load in the last 2 to 3 weeks to ensure you arrive at the start line with legs that are not tired . During this tapering period , distance should be significantly reduced , but some faster workouts should be maintained ( for example the weekly club time trial ).
While most track athletes appreciate the importance of a coach , for some reason this has not filtered through to the majority of road runners . Even some elite road runners do not have coaches . While this works for some people , in most cases it does not . The main reason for this is that self-coaching makes an objective outlook difficult . The majority of club runners tend to “ just run ”, with no variety in the type or pace of workouts ( other than perhaps a weekly club time trial ). Almost every runner improves when they get onto a properly structured scientific training programme with regular expert advice .
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THE POWER OF SLEEP
If you want to improve your athletic and work performance , your general health and your mood , you might well need to add an extra hour of sleep each night . We are all different in terms of our sleep requirements but the latest guidelines ( National Sleep Foundation in the USA ) recommend that adults ( 18 to 64 years ) obtain 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night . And once you add athletic training into the mix , you need even more sleep .
Tips on getting more sleep include :
• Establishing a routine
• Limiting caffeine intake to the morning
• Not exercising or eating too late in the evenings
• Limiting alcohol intake
• Avoiding work or anything stressful just before bed
• Avoiding excessive screen time in the evenings .
• In the week leading up to your race – try to accumulate some extra sleep . The good news is that poor or little sleep the night before the event is unlikely to affect your race performance .
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STRENGTH TRAINING ’ S SECRET
Traditional strength training does not do much to enhance performance in “ younger ” runners . However , as we age , strength training helps prevent the loss of strength that occurs due to a process called sarcopaenia . This is the process that results in loss of muscle strength that gradually occurs after age 30 . A specific type of strength training , however , can benefit all runners i . e . Plyometrics . This improves running economy and performance . Although beneficial , it has to be carefully introduced into a programme and is a type of strength training for which expert assistance should be sought .
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THE VALUE OF CROSS TRAINING
Cross training can be useful if you are injury-prone and cannot do as much running training as needed . It can also be beneficial as an addon ; if you are training ( running ) as much as you can tolerate , but want to up the training load a bit more . Two modes of cross training that work well for distance runners are the “ stepper ” and the “ elliptical trainer ” ( cross-trainer ), both of which are common in gyms . As with running , when this is introduced into your programme , it should be done in small increments time-wise , and the workload setting should be gradually and systematically increased for best results .
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