These Mini Tips Will Help You Stay Active for the Long Run

Multi-pace training is, of course, the key to top performance regardless of your target race distance. But that's not the only reason to do all sorts of workouts regularly, from long runs and basic speed sessions to slow recovery runs and tempo workouts. There’s no better way to keep your running interesting than to have peaks and valleys of intens

A national-class woman who runs easy mileage at 7:30 per mile is doing those recovery runs more than 2 minutes per mile slower than her 10K race pace. That means you should add at least 2 minutes to your 10K race pace for recovery runs, even if it feels like you’re crawling. It’s called a recovery run for a reason!

When you feel like you’re in a rut, make a deliberate effort to shake things up. Head out the door without the slightest plan of where to run. Run at an unusual time of day. Drive to run somewhere different. Take your dog with you, and let Fido lead the way. Even wearing crazy clothes can be enough to reboot your mental approach.

Secret Source of Energy

When you're feeling flat, a little fast running is often the best cure. A slow 5 miles might leave you feeling more lethargic. Instead, throw in some random, short pick-ups, or do a set of striders on your street once you've done your normal loop. Little bursts of fast running can help you surpass sluggishness.

No Regrets

It's not uncommon to go to bed thinking, “Darn, I should have run today.” But it's not common to go to bed thinking, “I shouldn't have run today.” Just get up and go. We promise, you will likely never regret it.

At least a few times a month, decide what route you’re going to run, and then leave your watch at home. Other days, run wherever, guided by total time on your watch. The thing to mostly avoid is timing yourself over the same courses day after day. That way lies the madness of beating yourself up for running slower than you “should”

Not every “hard” workout has to be a killer session. You can sneak in more quality without going to the well by stopping at a track, on a hill, or an obstacle-free stretch of road toward the end of a run and doing a few up-tempo repeats between 200 and 800 meters.

Even if you think a run doesn't advance your fitness, it has other benefits—promoting blood flow, clearing your mind, getting you away from the computer, burning calories, getting you out in nature, helping you spend time with friends, maintaining the rhythm of good training, and infinitely so on.