Have you ever noticed people at the gym who have been exercising for years and still look the same? They haven’t changed. Everyday they travel the same distance, at the same speed, on the same machine. Something needs to change - the activity, effort, terrain.
Increasing training effort is one way to improve performance, lose weight and get fitter; it's also a primary cause of injury if done improperly. This weeks training goal for the BEF Run is to safely increase your training effort to improve your endurance and fitness while getting out and trying a new route.
Guidelines to increase training effort -
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- 10 % Rule - increase your weekly mileage or intensity by 10%.
- Do not increase mileage and intensity in the same week - i.e. If you walk don't start running and increase distance in the same week.
- After 3 weeks, reduce your total mileage by 10 to 20 percent to rest, recover, and rebuild. Resume your normal mileage the following week.
- Build a longer workout into your routine every other week. Make the distance 150% of your regular midweek workouts at your normal training pace.
- Take a recovery day after your long and hard workouts; try an easy walk for recovery.
- Warm up & Cool down. Loosen up your legs as well as the rest of your body with a brisk walk or easy jog. Cool down 5 minutes to help the body to recover and regenerate for your next workout.
- Learn to stretch consistently –do it AFTER your run when the muscles are warm and loose.
- Take a different route; this will help to avoid repetitive strain and mental boredom.
A great location to add to your Benicia trails is Community Park off Rose Dr. The park has a paved path around the baseball fields, if you go around twice it’s about a mile. Bring your dog; the Benicia Dog Park is at the far end near the hockey and skate park. If you want to add some adventure take the dirt trail at the far end of the baseball fields to Lake Herman. The Kinder Care trail also connects just behind the dog park. Use the long dirt pathways in between the playing fields for sprint drills –easy jog, run or sprint– work within your fitness level.
If you haven’t changed your routine lately try something new – treadmill or elliptical at Benicia Health and Fitness Center, Benicia Fitness; walk or run the Benicia State Park, Bay Trail, Community Park; hike Kinder Care Trail, Lake Herman. Variety does a body good.
