Base training is a time to reconnect with your friends, the hills! If a hilly run or a few hill repeats here and there aren't a part of your weekly routine, starting making them.
Incorporating hills into your workouts builds leg strength, increases your endurance and stamina, improves your running form, and reduces risk of injury once race training begins. Not to mention, most race courses have at least one or two hills in them!
You’ve spent the last few weeks or so stabilizing your muscles and now you are ready to strengthen them so that you are able to run longer without fatiguing.
Most people think “lean and lanky” when they think of the typical runner’s body. While that might be true, it doesn’t mean weak. The most effective runners are powerhouses because they know that being strong translates to faster, more efficient and more injury resistant. And remember, running is a full-body exercise so you have to be full-body strong – not just your legs.
Marathon Season is approaching fast! What are you doing now so you’re ready to hit the ground running (literally) once race training formally begins? The answer - invest in a solid base training program.
What is base training? Base training involves a healthy combination of strength workouts, longer distance runs, stamina building tempo and interval runs and hill work during the weeks leading up to formal race training. During this time, you work on strengthening and balancing major running muscles, safely re-introducing intervals and hill workouts at medium intensity and improving your stamina with weekly runs at a harder, sustained effort.
Why do I need it? The goal of base training is to develop your muscular strength and cardiovascular endurance to enter race training with a proper foundation. This way you can jump into higher intensity workouts without risk of injury, and effectively execute each workout to reap the most benefits.
When to implement? Six to nine weeks before race specific training begins. We recommend a solid nine weeks for maximum strength and endurance adaptations.
Who is it for? Anyone who can comfortably run at least three times per week for a total of 10-15 miles a week and is beginning a formal race training program in the upcoming months.
The month of May at Hot Bird Running is all about base training. Whether you’re coming off a spring half marathon and ready to get back into running or you’re in the final count down before your marathon training starts this summer, base training is for you. Maintain a year round, balanced approach to running with a proper base training plan. Stay tuned all month for our base training tips - get the base before the race.
