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by
Mark Nenow
Valuable information to improve
your 10K roadrace performance
1. Hills, hills, hills
Put some kind of hill work into every run. If you have a
favorite loop that you run often, make sure there are some hills in there.
Also try throwing in some hill repeats. Hill work is hard, but will make you
stronger and faster on race day.
2. Put in the miles
There's no substitute for putting in the miles. Miles are
essentially a synonym for hard work. This hard work acts as the foundation
on which all of your running goals will be built and achieved. I used to run
about 20 miles a day or about 150 miles per week during peak training
periods. You should determine your goals and adjust your mileage
accordingly.
3. Have clear goals and keep them to
yourself
I found that talking about my goals never helped me achieve
any of them. Likewise, I've heard plenty of people talk a big game then
never deliver. You should set clear goals for yourself and spend your time
working toward achieving them rather than broadcasting them to the world.
4. Run 13 times a week
OK, 13 is a bad-luck number and this is obviously geared to
the more serious runner. But running twice a day is the only way to get in
the kind of mileage necessary for world-class competition. If you're a
casual runner, commit to running a certain number of days per week and stick
to it.
5. Train alone
I'm not saying that you should be a running hermit. But I did
at least 50 percent of my training by myself. I believe that this helps in
several ways: It allows you to stick to your game plan of running easy or
hard, short or long, without ever adjusting to whomever you happen to be
running with. You're simply less likely to be distracted. It also helped me
be more strict when it came to sticking to my training schedule. I think it
also made me tougher on race day. Even if you're a casual competitor, this
tactic could help you on race day.
6. Don't be embarassed by superstition
Be it a rabbits foot, a four leaf clover, your lucky socks or
a pre race routine, if it helps you run with more confidence on race day it
can't be a bad thing.
7. Wear good shoes:
Find ones that are technically correct for your kind of
running. Check with a good running store to find out which shoe is best for
you. It's also very important to replace those shoes as soon as they're worn
out. Don't risk injury for the sake of squeezing out a few more miles in
your old shoes.
8. Rest your body
If you're running at the elite level, you've got to give your
body a break. I took a 4-6 week period off every year. For me it was
Thanksgiving to New Years and I did absolutely no running during this
period. The tough part of this rest period is that you should absolutely not
put on any weight. It's tough, so some runners do a lot of cross-training. I
basically just rested and tried not to eat. If you're a causal runner, you
can probably rest your body enough by taking a day or two off per week while
running year 'round.
9. Sleep, sleep, sleep
It's the obvious one. You and your body will need
incrementally more sleep as your mileage increases. The more you train, the
more sleep you need. During peak training periods I would sleep 10-11 hours
each night.
10. Eat better than me
For a while I existed on peanut butter, toast and Dr. Pepper.
Nutrition is an important part of developing strong muscles and helping
those muscles recover quickly after workouts. Talk to a nutritionist or
someone with better nutritional habits than me and make sure you're eating
right. |
