All of my running programs include 4 days of running and no more.  It’s not necessary.  True fitness is developed during rest days and in my experience and observations: runners run to much !

Two key workouts if you are interested in improving your half marathon time are Tempo Runs and 400m Track Intervals.

What is a Tempo Run?  This is a continuous run with a buildup in the middle to near 10-K race pace.  For example, a Tempo Run of 30 to 45 minutes would begin with 10-15 minutes easy running, build to 15-20 minutes near the middle, then 5-10 minutes easy toward the end. The pace buildup should be gradual (after warmup), not sudden, with peak tempo speed maintained for 15-20minutes of the workout before the 10 minute easy end.

A Tempo Run can be as hard or easy as you want to make it with total distance of the workout around 5-8 miles.  If you’re feeling good then push the tempo pace for 20 minutes, otherwise go for 15 minutes.

400m Track Intervals (one lap around the track)

If you want to run at a fast pace, you need to train at a fast pace. An interval workout usually consists of fast repeats separated by walking or easy jogging.

You want to build up the 400m intervals each week. Allow yourself at least 8 weeks of 400m interval training. Begin with 5 x 400 meters in the first week and add one more 400 every other week to reach 10 x 400 meters the week before your half marathon. Walk or jog between each repeat. The best place to run 400-meter repeats is on a track, although you can also use an accurately-measured road course. Run the 400s at about your pace for 5-K, or 10-K.

Good Luck and leave a comment if you have any questions.

I was going through my files and found my folder of articles I have saved over the years and am sharing some of those here with you today.

Please leave us a comment below and share any motivating tips or quotes of your own.

1) “Taking even 20 or 30 minutes for a run will help you organize your thoughts, clear your head, wake up, and return to your tasks with a clarity and energy that you can’t get from coffee or even a nap” –Mark Remy

2) “Motivate yourself by running with friends or by listening to podcasts.  Develop a mantra that will keep you pushing when you want to give up.  It’s going to hurt, but the pain goes away.  The finish stays with you for life” –Deanna Kastor

3) “you don’t build your fitness while in a workout, you build while in rest mode.  As your whole self and cardiac system need to recover, you’ve also got to let your muscles and tendons recover, too” –Mary Delany, physical therapist.

4) “The moment we give up our excuses and fully accept responsiblity for our own health and happiness is the moment we harness our true power to change” –Bill Philips

5) “The body is a magnificent chemical factory governed by rules of cause and effect : what you put into it is what you get out of it metabolically” –Dr Philip Goglia

6) “Do the work. Do the analysis. But feel your run. Feel your race. Feel the joy that is running.” –Kara Goucher

Please share any of your favorite running or motivating quotes by leaving a comment here.  Happy Running!

Keep your body and mind guessing. Clock a variety of routes so that you’re not running the same one every day. Choose different distances and terrains. Consider a 5-mile run in the neighborhood one day and a 3-mile trail run another. Vary your pace by alternating shorter, faster runs with longer, slower runs.

You can also consider changing it up with cross training. Cross training uses different muscular groups and pushes your body in new ways. Yoga classes can stretch out the body, preventing injury on sore muscles. Swimming or fitness classes can give your exercise regimen a good balance. Biking will strengthen your quadriceps.  Choose cross training activities that work on a wide range of muscles while continually increasing your cardiovascular health.

How about you?  what strategies work for you to keep motivated?  We’d love to hear from you.

here ya go.

Question #1 from Anna: I would love general help/advice for how to push through fitness plateaus.. I realize that getting to bootcamp more often and adding more runs would help but can’t always find the time. So I guess I’d like advice on how to really maximize the time that I do have, which is usually 3 bootcamps and 1 long run per week. This half also made me realize that signing up for portland is not a good next goal, as what I really want is to increase speed and strength, using benchmarks like shorter races (no marathons) and fitness assessments to track progress.

My answer: Thanks, Anna. Like most people finding the time is the biggest issue. This is why I create training plans that include only 4 days of running. Its more realistic to peoples schedule and will keep you injury free. Besides, quality means more than quantity. You need to decide what race distance you are training for. Bootcamp is excellent for developing muscle strength and increasing speed. You don’t need to add any more days of training. However, the running in bootcamp is to short of intervals to make you faster for the longer distance races so what you need to do is incorporate race pace miles in your long runs. If your goal is half marathon then do 5-7 miles at your goal race pace in the long run. If you’ve never done this type of training before then start with 3-4 miles at race pace and build up.

So, on a long run of 10 miles you would warm up and jog easy for the first mile then run the next 5-7 miles at goal pace then finish with 1 or 2 miles easy pace. Because you have a goal to be faster this technique will help train your body to maintain the pace you desire.

Questions #2 from Mark A: I’ve always been an avid weight lifter and now, I’m an avid runner. Maybe talk about how to combine the 2 and the importance of combining the 2

My answer: Mark, I’m a huge believer in runners doing weight training. It helps prevent injury and will make you a faster/stronger runner. Stronger muscles will help you get through those hard last few miles of a race. Stronger leg muscles prevent injury and also help delay the onset of fatigue. Most importantly, is a strong upper body. Most runners only focus on their legs, but the arms have a lot to do with running stronger/better. If you can keep your upper body strong it will help assist the legs, especially when they get to fatigue. Upper body has a lot to do with running successfully.

At minimum, 2 days per week of weight training. The best time to do the weights is on the days you speed train or on your days off. But, never the day before or after your long run. You need the recovery and rest. Typically, I do my weight training on the same days I do my track workouts. I basically make it my hard days of training by combining the two and the following day will be my day off. You can dedicate one day to only weight training but just be sure the following day run is not scheduled to be an intense one. Muscles take 48hrs to repair so trying to do a hard run on a day after weight training will only break your body down and you won’t reap the benefits.

Be sure to include single leg exercises as those are very important for runners and maintaining a balance of strength in your runs. These exercises include: single leg squats, walking lunges, single leg calf raises, step-ups, and single leg hamstring curls.

Again, the greater amount of strength, the more of it can be maintained for a prolonged period which comes in handy when getting through the wall of a race!

Question #3 from Joe Z. :  I am a 58 yr. old runner trying to stay injury free. In the last year I have intentionally slowed my pace and lengthened my distance switching from running in 5k’s to 13.1 marathons. I would like to see more information on running as long as I can and enjoying myself along the way.

My answer: Joe, sounds like you are on a good program and listening to your body. If you aren’t already, I would encourage you to add some cross training activity. Biking, swimming, weight training are all good activities to add in conjunction with running. This also helps strengthen the “non-running’’ muscles which is huge for preventing injury and allowing you to enjoy the sport of running for as long as you can. Also, be sure you stretch a good 10 minutes post run. Keeping your muscles flexible will also allow you to enjoy the sport for many more years. The other best piece of advice I can give is to listen to your body. When it hurts or aches beyond comfort then you know its time for a day or two off. Otherwise, keep running and doing those longer distances. My philosophy is running no more than 5 days a week if you want to continue enjoying the sport for many more years and avoid injury or burnout. Keep it up and stay tuned for more blog posts to help you continue running healthy.

thanks again.  I’ll be back to answer more of your questions!

I’ve been getting a lot of questions and emails asking how one can get faster.  I have a lot of ideas and some workouts I’ll share with you here, but please feel free to leave a suggestion if you have experienced a training workout that has worked for you.

Remember, we are all different and our bodies respond each differently.

The biggest and most important thing you can do to get faster is to train consistently.  Figure out how many days per week you can fit in your schedule and stick to it.  And, be realistic.  Only you know your time constraints, so do what you know you can and will accomplish each week.

My #1 suggestion if you are trying to get faster is to join a running group.  There will always be someone faster than you and if you challenge yourself to run with or near them, you will run harder and get more fit.  Its not always easy, but I find that I need to find others faster than me and run with them.

This is one reason why I created my Run with Jill Bootcamps.  Its a fun and supportive way for runners to get in shape and run better!

#2: get to the track at least once per week. This means doing real speed work.  For those training for distances of 5k and 10k, I recommend 400m repeats (1 lap).  For distances of half marathon and up, I recommend doing 800m repeats (2 laps).  If you are just starting out, begin with 4 sets total and add one repeat each week until eventually you work your way up to 10 total.

Be sure to warm up with a one mile jog before the track workout.  Each interval, 400m or 800m, is to be run at 80-85%.  So, you are not sprinting all out, but you are going faster than your jog pace…..  again, its about 80%. Run and time each set.  The key is to run each set close to the same time.  This also teaches you how to pace and know your upper limits. Again, the key is to run the last set within 3 seconds of your very first set.

Be sure to cool down with another 1 mile jog and easy stretching.  Track workouts should be performed once per week.

#3: The long run.  Spend one day per week doing a long, slow run.  Even those training for a 5k, I recommend one run per week of 4-5 miles.  Same is true for those in 10k training….run an  or 9 miler at least twice before race day.  For half marathon training, I suggest at least two (three is best) runs of 12-14 miles.  Endurance, Endurance, Endurance!

#4: Strength Train.  You’ve heard me say this plenty of times before and I’ll say it again, Get Stronger!  Even doing a simple set of pushups, tricep dips, lunges, squats, and planks will get you strong enough to be a powerful runner and fight fatigue during those last few miles of the race

#5: Be sure you are getting enough protein in your diet.  In my experience, most runners do not include enough protein in their diets.  Yes, you need the carbs for immediate energy and glucose, but protein is what rebuilds broken down muscle tissue, so get in the protein.  The best time to include protein is post run so you help repair the muscles.  Protein is a longer digestion process so be careful not to each too much before a run.

#6: My last recommendation for getting faster is to run Fartleks (speed play) once per week. I love these runs because I can be as creative as I want.  This type of run  combines continuous and interval training. Fartlek runs mean you at varying intensity levels over distances of  YOUR choice. For instance, you can run easy 2 minutes followed by 3 minutes hard followed by 1 minute easy….etc.  This type of training stresses both the aerobic and anaerobic energy pathways. Include both long and short bursts of speed within the same workout session to tap into and work your full range of energy systems.  The variety within the workout keeps you mentally engaged in what you’re doing, which will give you more confidence in racing situations as you’re more in tune with your body.

Lastly, just listen to your body and run accordingly. Over time, fitness and running-specific strength will improve.  Be patient and be happy with every step and progess you make.

If you have some workouts or strategies that helped you get faster, please leave a comment and share with us.  thanks!

“The experience so far has taught me a lot about myself. I know that if I put my mind to something I can work through it and accomplish the task. I feel that if I can do what it takes to run a marathon I can do what it takes to achieve anything. In every long run you hit something called a wall, the point where you feel like you cannot go any farther. Your body screams to stop, but you know if you want to reach that ultimate goal stopping is not an option. Pushing through the walls in my runs will help me get through other difficult obstacles I will encounter in life”

If so, what is your opinion….good or bad?  I haven’t tried barefoot running myself and not sure I will, but I do want to know from those who have tried it or have converted to the Vibrams.

I recently attended a health expo and had a free evaluation from a chiropractor.  His first comment to me was that I take out the insoles from my shoes.  He then put in a small cushion in the heel of my shoe for a ”heel lift”.  He says shoes and all the padding is what is causing most structural imbalances and injuries in runners.

So,  I did my next few runs in my sole-less shoes and was a bit sore in the ankle and shin area.  Seems like the bottom half of my legs had to do a more work and handle the force of my steps a bit more without the support.

Either way, I haven’t been interested in trying the barefoot thing because I’ve run happily and injury free for many years and feel as though why make a change when all is good.  However, I have heard and keep hearing from many barefooters that they love it.

Please leave me your opinion or experience of barefoot running if you have tried it.

thanks!

I was thinking about this on my run today: the word “Purpose”  It got me thinking WHY it is that I run and WHY it is that I want to get faster and go after my own PR.  Well, it could easily be that I’m a little crazy and overly competitive with myself, but also because it gives me purpose to my workouts.

This morning I could have easily gone out for a 6 mile jaunt…..hey, nothing wrong with that, by the way. BUT, because I want to improve my race results this year, I put a little purpose to todays run.

For example, I have a bad habit of going out to hard in races and then left with nothing to finish.  So, today my 6 mile run consisted of me increasing my pace each mile.  Here’s how it went: 8:40, 8:25, 7:40, 7:25, 7:15, 6:55.  The last mile was hard, no doubt.  But, I kept my goal in mind and that kept me going strong.

I”m training my body to start out slower and progressively get faster so I can finish my races stronger.

So, my question to you is: “what are you working for?”  A 5k race? 10k? half marathon?  Regardless, I encourage you to find an event and set a goal of what you want to achieve.

Having a defined goal to work towards is essential to seeing any progress. It makes each workout and step that more important. It adds value to the ritual of working out and it becomes something more than just a collection of some runs. With the right program and some clearly defined goals you will literally be sculpting and building yourself into something that you may never thought possible.  I challenge you to challenge yourself and find out what you are made of!

Ok….leave a comment below and let me know your goals!

And, if you have a goal and not sure how to get there, just ask me here and I’ll answer.  thanks.