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How long should your long run be in the off-season?

Good morning!

This week: We talk about the importance of sleep, long runs and running streaks.

Happy running,😁

P.S. Let us know. What is your main goal for next year?

TRAINING

Should you do a long run all year round?

One of the things the strongest runners I know have in common is that they consistently do a weekly long run all year long.

There’s a few benefits to doing this: 

  • You maintain your aerobic fitness in the off season. This allows you to start your next training block fitter than if you hadn’t done long runs. 

  • You avoid having to do a big long build when your next training block starts. Building mileage aggressively is when most injuries occur. So if you’re building to 32km and you’re already at 20km at the beginning of your marathon cycle, you only have to gradually add 12km. 

  • You build mental toughness. Running long runs in the off season when you don’t have an upcoming race can be mentally challenging. Especially if it’s cold and windy! But you’re practicing continuing to run even though you want to stop, which for most runners will happen at some point during a half or full marathon! 

How long should your long run be in the off-season? 

This varies depending on the person. The goal is to be consistent.

  • If you do 1-2 marathons/year, your long run could be 16-20km during your off season.

  • If you are more of a half marathon runner, your long run could be 12-16km during your off season.

  • And if 5k and 10k are your thing, with a 10km long run, you are good to go.

Do you do long runs all year long?

SLEEP

Sleep Better = Less Injuries?

Sleep seems to be the holy grail of performance; even Lebron James brags about his sleep hours.

But a new review paper concluded that there’s “insufficient evidence” to draw a direct link between sleep and injuries in most of the populations studied.This can be a little surprising
 or not.

  • Surprising because elite athletes and high-achievers praise sleeping as their secret weapon to longevity and performance.

  • Not surprising because nothing is black or white.

The other side of the coin is that sleep deprivation has shown to suppress testosterone and growth hormone production and enhance cortisol levels, which could weaken muscles and leave you more susceptible to injury.

So, how much should you sleep? The amount of sleep you need depends on various factors — especially your age, pregnancy, previous sleep deprivation, and sleep quality.The Mayo Clinic gives us the following guidelines for enough sleep for good health.

  • 6 to 13 years – 9 to 11 hours

  • 14 to 17 years – 8 to 10 hours

  • Adults – 7 to 9 hours

1Get your 7-9 hours of sleep for a healthy life, and don’t over-stress about it. Stress is dumb!

TRAINING

Run Streaks: How to complete one without getting injured. 

Every year runners get injured attempting to do run streaks. Especially in January when they are most popular after indulging over Christmas. It seems like everyone is doing one and they can be a great way to start the year with an accomplishment.1

Unfortunately, they come with a high injury risk. Why? 

  • You run every day. This is fine if you have run consistently in recent weeks. But many runners do not get out consistently in December, so when January hits and they run daily it ramps up their mileage too aggressively.

  • You may have indulged over the holidays and feel guilty. So even though the run streak requires a minimum of 1 mile/day, you do more. 

  • You ignore the warning signs of injury because you MUST  run every day! So you wake up with a niggle and instead of taking a rest day you run. 

So how can you do one and stay injury free? 

  • Look at your average weekly mileage for the past 6 weeks. Make sure this number goes up gradually (usually no more than 10%). 

  • Remember you can walk/run! Walking is lower impact but can help you get the required daily mileage in. 

  • Be careful if it’s slippery outside. Make sure you have trail shoes or use ice grippers. Take small steps! 

  • If doing "only 1 mile" is too difficult, you can combine your run with some other form of exercise like cycling, rowing or uphill walking on treadmill. 

But the most important questions you need to ask yourself is:

Does doing this challenge align with this year’s goals?

  • If the answer is yes, go for it! Just follow the guideline above.

  • If the answer is no, just focus on your training and crush your goals later on in the year.

PODCAST

Winter Running - Tips and Tricks to Make the Most Out of It

In this episode of Chasing PRs, we cover the following:

  • Main benefits of running during winter.

  • All about layering

  • How to choose the right shoes.

  • Hidden benefits of winter running.

  • Tips and tricks to make it more enjoyable.

Listen on Apple Podcasts
Listen on Spotify

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