3 Training Program Tips

Good morning!

This week: A very true meme, sometimes rest is NOT best, training programs, and the perfect bedtime snack.

Quick question: do you have a race coming up in the next few months?

Happy running, 😁

RECOVERY

Sometimes Rest is NOT Best! 

Did you know that resting and avoiding running is sometimes the worst thing you can do to recover from a running injury?  

The majority of running injuries are overuse injuries that involve irritated/sensitive tendons. Think Achilles tendinopathy, gluteal tendinopathy or hamstring tendinopathy. 

If someone is limping and their tendon is very painful, then sure 3-7 days rest from running and other high-impact activities might be necessary. But resting for weeks/months to let a tendon “heal” is never the answer. Often after extended rest periods, runners return to running to find their tendon pain stubbornly returns. 

Tendons actually need to be loaded and strengthened to heal! And one of the best ways to load a tendon is to run. The problem is that if you overload it, you'll just worsen your injury and pain. So you have to find the sweet spot! 

Typically if you run and there's mild tendon pain at most (no limping!) during your run, plus the pain resolves within 24 hours, you're good! If the pain doesn’t resolve by then, it means you did too much, and you need to lower the length or intensity of your run next time.

Run at an easy pace, avoid hills, and find a distance that doesn’t irritate your tendon. For some runners, this may be 5km or more; for others, it might be run walking for 10 minutes. Either way, you’re running (yay!) and loading that cranky tendon. 

If you’re currently resting a running injury and waiting for the pain to settle, rethink this strategy if your problem is tendon related. You might be doing more harm than good! 

NUTRITION

The Perfect Bedtime Snack

When you just finished a workout, you are actually less fit than before your workout; it’s during recovery when your body adapts, and improvements occur.

And according to this study, we can help your body recover better with some pre-sleep protein ingestion.

Protein ingested before sleep is effectively digested and absorbed during overnight sleep, increasing overnight muscle protein synthesis rates.

In simpler terms, you’re providing the amino acids needed for repair and growth.

How much should you take?

The study suggests around 30g of protein. Or a scoop of protein powder to make it easier.

What about vegan proteins?

Whey or casein proteins seem to be most effective due to their high muscle-building leucine content not found in plant proteins.

That doesn’t mean that protein plants don’t work, but there has not been a study comparing them.

What about gaining weight?

Fair question; we runners like to be as lean as possible, but research shows that the additional protein calories before sleep do not harm fat metabolism.

TRAINING

How to Choose the Right Training Program? 

So you’ve picked out the spring race you’d like to do, you have a goal time in mind, and now it’s time to find the perfect program. This can be a very daunting task! If you google "running training program" you get SO many options! How do you know which one to choose? 

Here are 3 tips on how to find your perfect program! 

1. The most important thing to focus on is finding a program that meets your CURRENT fitness level. You might find a program you like, but if week 1 starts with running 5 days/week and you’ve only been running 2-3 days/week, you’re setting yourself up for trouble. The same can be said if week 1 involves a 16km long run but you haven’t run more than 10km recently.

 It’s best to choose a program you like far enough in advance to give yourself time to build up gradually to what you’ll be doing in week 1.

2. Make sure your program includes race-specific speed work towards the last few weeks. If you’re doing a marathon there should be longer endurance intervals in your program, such as 4-6 X 1600m with a 2-minute jog recovery between repeats. If you’re doing a 5km there should be short fast intervals in your program, such as 10-15 X 400m with 1 min rest. 

3. Look for a program that has recovery weeks! If you constantly bring your weekly mileage up by 10% and your long run by 10-15 minutes week after week after week, you're not giving your body a break to rest and absorb the benefits of training. Ideally there should be a recovery week with reduced mileage every 4th week. 

And If you’re overwhelmed by all of your options and you really want to nail your spring race, your absolute best choice is to find a running coach to work with! This way you get a custom plan that is designed based on your fitness and your specific goals. 

PODCAST

How to Fuel Your Runs and Races for Optimal Performance

Today we dive into the science of how the body uses carbohydrates and fats as fuel during runs and races and how to ensure that you are consuming the correct types and amounts of nutrients to support your runs.

We discuss the importance of carbohydrates as the primary energy source for running, the difference between simple and complex carbohydrates, and how consuming the right balance of these can help to maintain energy levels during a run or race. We also discuss the importance of timing your carbohydrate intake and how consuming carbohydrates before, during, and after a run can improve performance.

You will learn the science behind how the body uses food as fuel and the best types of food to consume before, during, and after a run and race to support optimal performance. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced runner, this episode is packed with valuable information to help you fuel to improve your runs and races.

Listen today!!!

Meme of the Week

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