We’ll finish this week with another 2 performance based tips to help you with continuous improvement.

1) Avoid Over-training. You may have noticed that we are making small gradual changes each week, there is a reason for that. Simply adding more workouts into an established training regime is a sure way to overtrain and risk overuse injury. You will need to start by keeping careful track of your mileage. Once you’ve established a record of mileage, you can use the standard 10% rule of thumb, never increase mileage or intensity by more than 10% per week. What this means is that if you are going to add an extra workout to your weekly program, then a reduction in total distance if maybe necessary. If you turn up the heat too quickly, you are going to get burned! Overtraining syndrome is the result of increasing your training demands faster than your body can adapt to the challenge.

Most importantly, you must develop a training schedule that meets your personal fitness level, not another runner’s ability. Training stress that builds on your fitness base will result in training gains, given adequate rest and recovery. The road to faster times is littered with the injured whose training wasn’t balanced by enough rest.

2) Build strength with weight training. This is something that we have touched on before. A stronger muscle can generate a more powerful contraction resulting in a longer stride or quicker turnover. Spending 30-40 minutes once or twice a week is all that is needed. Disregard the rumour that weight training will make you big  and bulky and hinder your running potential. A weight training programme designed for runners is much different from the workouts you find in muscle magazines. An appropriate program should include strengthening exercises for each muscle group with special attention given to the torso.

Week 5 Nutrition Tips

1) Stay consistent with your meals. 6 weeks in you should be well used to your training and nutrition but it is important to stay consistent. Try to eat all main meals at the same time each day and your snacks spaced evenly between main meals to keep your blood sugar levels steady.

2) As the intensity of your workouts increase you may find your energy levels a little lower if you are not fuelling your body correctly. Listen to your body, if you are lacking in energy during your workouts as the intensity has increased, you may need to slightly increase your carbohydrate intake pre workout.

3) Good fats for recovery. Make sure you are getting some good fats in along with some protein about an hour before bed on heavy training days. This will help speed up your recovery as 80% of muscle recovery is done while you are sleeping.

4) It is vitally important to stay hydrated. The more intense your training gets, the more your body needs. Weigh before training and after training and replace the loss with water straight after.

5) Sleep is vitally important for recovery. Any less than 7.5 hours per night can have a huge effect on your energy levels but also on your recovery and progress.