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5 Tips To Boost Your Running Routine

It has been a tricky time for fitness. Gyms are closed. Sports clubs are closed. Team sports have been impossible. However, all this time at home has led to ingenuity by people doing classes at their properties, creating gym kit with household items such as tinned food, water bottles and weighted rucksacks, and of course we’ve been using the permitted outdoor exercise allowance. Many of you may be running.

Running is a great tool to get out and destress, as well as to keep up your fitness and support vital immune function. Dare I say some of you may even be enjoying it.

It is important to acknowledge the particular challenges to running as we’ve stayed at home. Even seasoned runners may feel a difference in their performance. The old mantra of healthy body = healthy mind has plenty of truth to it. Which one comes first, if either at all, can be contentious. Furthermore it can work detrimentally too if one of them drags the other down.

All of us would have experienced some mental hurdles over the past 10 weeks. Studies have shown that a preoccupied mind can lead to worsening athletic results, so do not be too hard on your self. The stress of the pandemic as well as the distractions of children, working from home and available space/kit are bound to have a physical impact. Also, our current mindset can lead to perceiving physical effort as much harder. The fact that we’ve had to exercise alone can also hold us back. Ride it out for now, for your best will return on the other side. In the meantime I would like to offer five tips on how you can get the best out of your new or existing running routine in lockdown.

FRESHEN UP YOUR KIT.

Buy some new trainers and/or running gear. Fresh kit can not only provide impetus but your old trainers may be past their best and a fresh pair will provide better support, comfort and performance. A bit of online retail therapy is now practically a public duty to boost the economy.

GET AN APP.

Whether to track your own progress or that of your friends the feedback can egg you on. Seeing others doing it too can inspire and gives you something new to talk about that doesn’t begin with a c... Strava or the Nike Run Club app are a great option, they are free and connect you to others as well as being full of tips themselves.

SET NEW TARGETS.

These can be both challenging and stimulating. Do something you wouldn’t normally do. The couch to 5k is a brilliant option for beginners. Alternatively if you are more used to pounding the streets set a cumulative total for a month such as 50km or 100km. The extra focus can sharpen your mind. Be aware to have at least one rest day a week for recovery. For new starters aim for three runs a week. The amount of runs in a month is another alternative goal, for example 10 for beginners and 20-25 for seasoned runners.

SUPPLEMENT WITH STRENGTH.

Bodyweight plyometric exercises can make your runs feel easier as you feel lighter and stronger. Twice a week try 3 sets of 10-15 Squat Jumps, Dynamic Lunges and Calf Raises. This should boost your legs and improve your results when back out on the tarmac.

VARY YOUR RUNS.

You may have exhausted local routes and varied your times or distances, which is great. You can also alter a flat speed run by doing some intervals. High bursts of speed mixed with recovery runs or walks. Try running hard for 1 minute, walk for 1 minute. Do this 5 times during your run to begin. As you notice your recovery improving add extra intervals. On top of that if there are any hills or steps in your area fight your way up them. This should improve your flat runs as they feel easier in comparison as your strength and endurance grow.

I hope you stay well and healthy. Those top 5 tips can see you through until we meet again. On that note, I shall take my own advice and get out for a run. It may also get me out of cooking dinner tonight!

READ NEW SOCIAL DISTANCING GUIDELINES FOR RUNNERS HERE - specialists in Urban Physics and Sports Aerodyanmics are recommending new guidelines for outdoor runners.

TRY GABS' RUNNING WARM UP HERE - perfect for warming up and mobilising the muscles and joints pre-run.

TRY MICHAELA'S YOGA FOR RUNNERS HERE - perfect for just after a run or long walk.