I get asked this question a lot!
As most of the athletes I coach are a little older and working full time with busy lives, training needs to be on point and it needs to fit in to your work/life balance. However, You have to remember there is NO quick answer or fix.
So, here are my top tips to help you to get faster safely.
- If you have a coach, trust them . Of course, work with them and communicate as a team, but listen to them.
- If your session says easy, do it easy. You are not gaining anything by doing all of your sessions at the same pace. effort means that and easy means Easy.
- A recovery run flushes out toxins and repairs muscle tears which happen in a hard run. So do not underestimate the point of easy sessions.
- Do not miss your rest days.
- Be consistent with your training. You cant have a race in 3 weeks time and say you want to get faster quickly for that race. Its almost too late. the ground work needs to be done, now its fine tuning and tapering.
- Accept where you are. You might be coming back from injury or illness or have had a tough emotional year. It is what it is. Be grateful for the fact you are training and racing again.
- Do not neglect your cross training and your strength work.
- Training is training. Do not expect each session to be great or to be on point. Races are when we see the gains and the rewards for the hard work we have done. You should not be expecting or wanting PB’s in training!
- Invest in sports massage regularly and work with a physiotherapist. Self care is not a wasted expense.
- Enjoy it. You are doing this for FUN.
If you have any questions on coaching, training plans or training holidays, do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected]
