You’re never too old to make a change to your running training programme that will make you faster.
I had an epiphany at the age of 38 and after more than a decade of running that I’d been getting some key elements of my training wrong all these years.
I’m still kicking myself it had taken so long to make simple changes that enabled me to break a seven year old 5,000m personal best with relative ease.
In order to spare you the annoyance of finding these out in the twilight of your running career, I thought I’d share my six steps to optimise performance.
Train more: increase volume – especially zone 2.
I’d always thought intensity was the key factor in getting faster. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a hugely important element of training, but overlook volume at your cost.
My usual weekly mileage would be around 30 to 40kms per week. Half of this would be short, track intervals, rarely longer than 1km reps. I might do one weekly long run, steady run. This is a big mistake and left me without the necessary base fitness to progress.
Over the course of a couple of months I focused on building time in zone 2 – a steady pace where you can maintain a conversation, but it’s been shown to have an incredible impact on athletic efficiency. Have a listen to this fascinating podcast about the benefits of zone two training.
I began running every day, a minimum of eight to 10kms, with a couple of 15-18km interval or steady runs.
This base made me feel strong and comfortable when layering on heavier or more intense efforts.
Recovery is key: focus on recuperation.
I’ve always struggled with sore calves and achilles tendonitis. I’d be in agony the day after a track session or hard road run. Obviously, this seriously reduced my ability to double up and do back to back quality training days.
My achilles issues are now, touch wood, vastly improved after I bought a Theragun to help ease out tightness before and after sessions. You can read my full review here.
I’m sure you could get the same improvements with disciplined stretching and self-massage, but I’m lazy and rarely actually took the time to do this. Now, I can gun my legs for a few minutes twice a day and feel supple and ready for action.
Invest in good equipment – you can buy speed.
I’ve touched on this point with the purchase of the theragun. But it also counts for clothes – especially running shoes.
I really didn’t think it would make much difference, maybe I thought it was all hype, but good shoes really reduce the wear and tear on your body.
I went from some bog standard neutral mileage shoes to some Adidas Boston 6 and found found a huge difference in feeling during the run and recovery afterwards.
I also upgraded to a pair of Nike ZoomX Dragonfly track spikes – you can read about my experience here – which are a joy to run in and helped me shave more than nine seconds off my 5,000m time.
Also, admit it, when you look good, you run better!
Eating for success: a few diet changes can make a big difference.
While the world’s getting hooked on plant-based fads – usually pushed by the wrong sort of people – I’ve gone the opposite direction: carnivore.
Well, not 100 per cent meat, but as much animal based, whole foods as possible and fewer sugary snacks.
Butter, cream, steaks, organ meats. Nose to tail for the win, plus a few treats to reward a hard training session! Keeping it simple, but your body craves these nutrients when you’re pushing it in training, so feed your success.
Don’t be fooled by the marketing around supplements, you should be able to get all you need from a well balanced animal-based diet.
Race more!
There’s nothing like the heat of competition – the sound of a rival having a coronary episode in your ear as you – to spur you on.
I went from rarely competing to trying to compete at least a few times a month. Even if it’s a regular a park run, racing will push you to your max and unlock potential you didn’t realise you had.
Racing will build your confidence and help you understand where your limits are, what you need to work on, how to pace your effort, and importantly, get you used to the suffering required to run at your maximum.
Becoming accustomed to the feeling of existing on the knife-edge – that delicate point where you’re just able to hold the effort without going too deep – is one of the most important skills to have.
Don’t forget strength and conditioning.
Adding core workouts – a range of body-weight exercises – every day is a sure fire way of shaving time off your bests in all disciplines.
It’s easy and fun to incorporate these into your day too – especially if you’re working from home. Every time you go to make a cup of tea, knock out 50 push ups or 20 chin ups. You’ll be surprised how effective that is.
Here’s a few reasons why every runner should add callisthenics.
Routine, routine, routine!
It’s a simple change, but one which will result in big gains over time. Apply all the lessons above into a good, achievable routine and you’re smash your pbs. It’s difficult to juggled training around life’s commitments, but find a way to squeeze the most from your day.
A little less scrolling on social media will free up an extra hour or two every week – that’s enough to transform you from mid to front of the pack.
