Visit www.Run4prs.co/faster to get more information on the program. It’s that time of year again! The dreaded winter training and off season. There are usually not a lot of races that take place in the winter, but there are a lot of spring & fall races next year. This leaves athletes with some time in between training cycles. Runners may feel like they are in limbo wondering all sorts of things like “what should I be focusing on right now?” “How many miles per week should I be running?” “Wha...
Nov 19, 2020•26 min
If you are in the USA you know that it is that time of year again! People are gearing up for Thanksgiving day turkey trots. This tradition has been growing, and we are so excited that more people are participating in these events. A lot of our listeners may be coming back into running more again after a big fall marathon or half marathon, so this is often a strange time of year for racing. We wanted to chat about some tips to help with your turkey day 5k-10k. How much of this race is aerobic vs ...
Nov 11, 2020•40 min
If you live anywhere near us, it is starting to get really cold really fast. I am not talking 40-50 degrees. I am talking single digits and negative wind chills here in Minnesota. We get it pretty bad for 4 months out of the year most days don’t get above 20 degrees in the morning if we are lucky. Most days can be single digits or below zero when we get up to run in the early morning. It can be tough to find the motivation to stay running in the cold. We are going to chat about what we do to sta...
Nov 04, 2020•42 min
Last week we chatted about the importance of the off season. We want to make sure we take time off to recover between major training blocks. However, a lot of athletes can get trapped in the all or nothing approach of training. I can’t train? Okay I will run zero miles per week. Or I don’t want to take time off, I am going to continue to train hard! We want to make sure we find a happy medium and set some goals for this winter Winter can be a tough time for training: why? What are some things th...
Oct 29, 2020•51 min
The off-season is coming. We spent all year building up for big races this fall. After your goal races it can be a time of recovery for most athletes. We talked a few weeks ago of the post-marathon blues and why it is important to take some time off after a race even if you ‘feel good’, but we are going to continue this conversation chatting more about what an off season is and how to do it What is an off season? How long should it last? Do you still need to work with a coach? Is having a plan a...
Oct 20, 2020•38 min
77. Doing a back-up marathon if the first one doesn’t go as planned We have all been there. Train hard, in great shape then something uncontrollable happens on race day. Maybe it’s terrible weather. Maybe our body just felt off. Maybe we got a sinus infection the week of the race. We are chatting today about what to do if your goal race doesn’t go as planned. Have you ever had a race that didn’t go well? What did you do after to utilize your fitness? How do other people react when you fail to re...
Oct 12, 2020•39 min
76. Marathon recovery & blues We have been chatting a lot about race day planning and taper, but we have not yet chatted about the aftermath that may come after you finish the marathon. Many of you have spent the last 3-6 months really building up into great marathon shape. You have spent hours every week doing long runs and workouts. You have made sacrifices, had fun and seen so much improvement. The build up for these races can be exhausting but also an incredible feeling. There is a huge ...
Oct 06, 2020•39 min
Traveling to your goal races Fall is quickly approaching! That might mean some runners will be traveling across the country to their goal races. With Covid-19 a lot of races have been cancelled, but there are some states with races still going on! We are going to be speaking more in general terms with regards to travel. These are tips you can use in 2020 or even if you are listening in 4 years from now headed to the Chicago Marathon. Whether you are traveling 50 miles or 5,000 miles we have some...
Sep 29, 2020•40 min
74. Calming the taper nerves As fall races approach, we see more and more athletes tapering for their goal races. You know how taper is. You spend months building up mileage, busy & exhausted from training then suddenly there are cuts in mileage and more time and energy to worry about all the things. We start to second guess ourselves! Did I do enough? Is this training cycle good enough to get me to my goal time? We start to worry and get anxious. Our normal outlet for our worries may be run...
Sep 21, 2020•51 min
It is so important to go into a race mentally ready to tackle the big event ahead. Part of being mentally prepared is having a pacing plan and knowing exactly what you should be doing to feel good during the race. Today we will be chatting about ways to assess your fitness to develop goals then how to establish a pacing plan for a half marathon and full marathon race. How can you assess your fitness level? How many times you have ran the race What is your history with the races What are your ten...
Sep 13, 2020•51 min
Race day is approaching for athletes! Many people are looking back over their cycles or thinking ahead to what their goals will be for races this fall. How do you know what kind of shape you are in and when should you narrow down your goal for race day? When does an athlete generally get a sense of what sort of shape they are in? What are some of the key things you look at as a coach to see what type of shape an athlete is in? Mileage Consistency History/Experience Key workouts over time Long ru...
Sep 02, 2020•46 min
Marathon tapering dos and don’t We are getting to the fall racing season. The temperatures are hopefully dropping near you but if not, don’t worry they will be soon! This cooler temps make for prime racing weather! It is an exciting time to go out there and run fast, but we want to make sure we don’t get too aggressive especially during the taper. It may be tempting to hammer some of your runs when the temps fall, so we wanted to talk about the importance of the taper and making sure we stick wi...
Aug 25, 2020•45 min
Last chance BQ tips September is almost here! That means that the Boston Marathon registration is almost here. The next few weeks will be the ‘last chance’ for anyone to qualify for Boston. As a result, there are many athletes around the USA and world gearing up for these last chance races. We have seen great success and great disappointment around the years. Here is what you need to know going into this weekend -Will Boston be around next year to qualify for? How do you deal with the pressure o...
Aug 19, 2020•42 min
Injuries happen and they can be tough! One of the biggest questions we get is what to do if you get injured & how to come back from an injury. We are going to be covering both of those topics in this episode as well as sharing first hand experiences with coming back from injuries. Don’t make the mistakes we made in our younger years from pushing the envelope on the comeback. The best comeback is slow and steady. -Have you ever been injured & what was your hardest injury to comeback from?...
Aug 11, 2020•39 min
Perfect your race day fueling plan As our long runs increase, fueling can become one of the most important factors of our run. We will be chatting about the 24 hours leading up to and 24 hours after your run today. It is important to find a fueling plan and stick with it for race day. -What should you eat the night before a long run? - Is it okay to skip a meal the day before a long run even if you snack? - Should you increase your carb intake the day before? - Should you avoid any specific food...
Aug 04, 2020•50 min
Marathon PEAKING check in: where should we be 2-3 months out We are inching closer to those fall races and entering our peak training for many athletes. We want to do a check in on what you should be thinking about during this time of the season for fall marathoners. Should you have your fueling plan established? How should you practice water stops? Is it important to get a race on the schedule before race day? Should you be thinking what shoes/outfit to wear? Chaffing under control? What if you...
Jul 29, 2020•42 min
Down Week: If you haven’t had one in awhile you should take one We are amidst peak training for fall races. We don’t want to be feeling completely exhausted from our training just yet because the taper can still be a few weeks away for many of us. It is really hard for athletes to take an extra day off or do a cut back week during training because they are worried it might negatively impact their training. We are taking a dive into the benefits of taking time off even during the marathon trainin...
Jul 22, 2020•42 min
Why it could be good to wait to do 26.2 The marathon is all about aerobic strength. Holding a moderate pace over a long distance. We aren’t worn down so much by the speed of our pace, but rather by the distance over which we are holding it. Aerobic strength takes time to build. It’s not something that happens overnight, or even over weeks. But it does happen. Every time we lace up we are adding a brick to our aerobic base. It is something that we can continue to build and improve on over the cou...
Jul 15, 2020•45 min
Peak Heat: Why it will make you faster this fall You made it to August! This is the hottest time of the year, but the good news is the temps will begin to drop soon! All these hard weeks of sweating it out and working hard in the hot temps will actually work to your advantage on race day when the temps drop. They say summer training brings fall PRs, and they are right! Don’t lose hope yet! What happens physiologically in your body when you train in the heat? Does your body have to work harder wh...
Jul 07, 2020•35 min
What to do instead of your fall race: how to stay motivated with no races this fall Many athletes have had their spring and fall marathons or goal races cancelled! It can be a hard year for endurance athletes as events have shifted from fun community events to now solo virtual races. Running 26.2 miles outside your house by yourself just isn’t the same as running the Boston Marathon. We have seen a lot of athletes decide to take this year off from running or give up on training altogether becaus...
Jul 01, 2020•46 min
The 4th of July is coming up! This is a very popular time to run a 5k or 10k race in the USA. However, this is also typically a very hot time of year for a race. This year there may not be any official races, but we are putting on another virtual race for this traditional race day! We will be discussing the details of how to run your best race on the 4th! How should you approach a race in the middle of the summer? Do some people struggle more in the heat? Do you struggle? What is the difference ...
Jun 24, 2020•27 min
Why you may not need to run 20 miles? The most common questions that we hear when athletes start a marathon training cycle: “How many 20 mile runs will I do before the race?” There is nothing magical about a 20 mile run. Lets dig deeper…..The most important thing to consider when training for anything would be individual differences. Every single person is different. Everyone has different natural ability, training experience and goals. You should train specific to your background! Not for someo...
Jun 17, 2020•46 min
Stopping your watch on long runs Stopping your watch on the long runs! We have all been there on a group run. A great water stop is set up, we pause our watch and gulp down all the water and start chatting away only to realize it’s been 3 min and we have to go back out and continue running! There may be other times we stop our watch as well. Maybe we just feel we need a quick second to recoup or catch our breath. We want to chat about this topic and go into details on how this may impact your tr...
Jun 10, 2020•44 min
Racing your best 5k There are many 5k races this time of year!!This can be a great opportunity for a time trial to see what type of fitness you are in. We want to make sure we train at the correct paces, so assessing your current fitness level is very important! We also want to chat about pacing and goal setting for shorter distance races so that you are able to get the most out of your fitness on race day. What is a time trial? Why is racing important? What is the best way to approach racing a ...
Jun 03, 2020•46 min
Qualifying & Registering For Boston Facts Qualifying for the Boston Marathon is an amazing accomplishment. This is the time of year when many runners become interested in nailing down their plan to get to Boston. All the hype surrounding the Boston Marathon is a great time to chat about the facts of getting to Boston and how the standards have changed over the years What are the Boston qualification standards for Boston 2021? How can someone find their BQ time online? How does one qualify fo...
May 27, 2020•40 min
58. How & Why Virtual Races are the answer This has been a CRAZY time of year with races being cancelled. We were scheduled to do a podcast today on the Grandma’s Marathon course preview but it along with thousands of other races this spring and summer have been cancelled! We are faced with the decision to either not race at all or participate in ‘virtual races’. Prior to COVID-19 social distancing I do not think many runners participated in virtual races, but now they are all the rage :) Wh...
May 20, 2020•35 min
Practicing marathon fueling now! We all know fueling is an important part of running. Many people find this topic confusing, and we are going to shed some light for beginners. Everyone's body is different. I know I struggled with this a lot. It can almost feel like you are fighting your body at times. I promise you practice makes perfect for this! Your body is trainable! You can really transform how your body processes fuel and water and how you run. What have you been doing during training for ...
May 13, 2020•33 min
What your training should look like 5-6 months out from a marathon or half marathon & how to begin We are now less than 5 months out from fall marathons like Twin Cities and Chicago. We want to encourage runners to begin their training soon if they have not already done so. The key to success in any long distance running event is the aerobic base and time/consistency with your training. A good training program will not burn you out or ‘peak you too soon’. We will use the progressive overload...
May 07, 2020•36 min
61. Immune Suppression & Training We are in the middle of a world-wide health pandemic. We all know that exercise has positive health effects. Exercise can boost the immune system, but have you ever heard of immune suppression? Have you ever gotten sick from overtraining? We wanted to do a deep dive about how to avoid over training but still work to gain fitness and work towards your goals. Overtraining has A LOT of negative side effects and immune suppression is one of them. -What is overtr...
Apr 29, 2020•41 min
How the Heat Will Start to impact your training It feels so great to be running outside again. So many runners are enjoying the nice warm weather, but soon it will become hot. Many athletes will experience a slow down in the upcoming months. We will be chatting today about the impacts of the heat on your training and what you can do to make the most out of your training this summer Sun Impact: Most people don’t think of this one first. The impact on the sun is a huge energy drainer for most peop...
Apr 22, 2020•35 min
