Mojo For Running Podcast

For most people, running hills is an element of running to tolerate, but to the wise, properly trained and knowledgeable runner, hills provide an avenue to faster running and faster races. Between improved conditioning from using hill training as speedwork and improved hill-running technique, any runner's mindset should change from dreading hills to embracing hills.

Progression runs do wonders for speed, endurance, and fitness, preparing the runner to run faster farther into their race, hopefully, ideally throughout their race, but also offering a wide range of fitness benefits. Simply put, a progression run starts slower and gets continually faster; however, as with all forms of speed work for running, the many variations make it possible to tweak the workout, optimizing it for the desired race goal or training goal, keeping it interesting while still challenging. Progression runs are an excellent means of improving running fitness.

While a good track workout is always effective, adding other activities between sets will magnify the impact and make speed workouts more fun. As a result, you're likely to be more consistent with speed training and benefit more from it. In this episode, you'll discover how to gradually incorporate balance, plyometric, and agility exercises into the training, which will result in improved running form, more efficient running, fewer injuries, and faster times. The exercise options include but are not limited to jumping rope, jumping jacks, hulahooping, one-leg balance work, and a series of drills that combine several of these. Now, listen and prepare to take your speed training to the next level. Mojo for Running Coaching

To get faster or stronger or even to build endurance, every experienced runner needs speedwork. This is the first of a series of episodes on speedwork for runners, what is a speedworkout, who should do it, how to add it to your running schedule, how often, types of speed training, how to maximize benefits, and what not to do.

Let's go back to the basics of how to move when you run, head to toe, from where to look, to the nuances of effective arm technique, what not to do and physical cues to help with practicing good running form. While everyone's form will be unique, based on their body, minor adjustments will still pay off with greater comfort, improved endurance, greater speed, and fewer running injuries, all good reasons to focus on running form during every mile of every run. The goal is to practice the running form that's easiest on the body, the most efficient form, a movement that is light and fluid. Since practice makes permanent, it's not enough to do form drills and then let it go or to practice form, occasionally. Every runner needs to think about form and make practicing the elements of good running form a daily ritual. Two prior episodes referred to: MFR 77: How to Run Hills, Part 1, Uphill MFR 78: How to Run Hills, Part 2, Downhill This episode includes a reminder for listeners to enter the Gasparilla Distance Classic's Name the Parrot contest. Enter here. Mojo for Running shirts here. Register for Deb's race, the gnome-themed Run Tampa Tinsel Run, December 11th, here. Check out the medal and shirt art.

Running success hinges on preparation. Crossing the finish line is the easy part, a celebration, the apex of all the training that prepared you to be there, the celebration of a well executed running training plan. The longer you run, the more races you train for, the more you'll appreciate the importance of a good training schedule, one that keeps you healthy while preparing you for your goal race. This episode explains the variables you'll see as you study your options along with guidance to help you evaluate their quality and assess whether they're right for you.

One of the main attractions of running is the sheer simplicity of it. Running requires one thing, a pair of shoes - well, two things. That simplicity is a thing of beauty, but to take it to any level beyond basic fitness, or just to make it more interesting, knowing and applying some basic training guidelines will be of great benefit. Many people, at least early on in their running career, run the same number of miles every day. Nothing wrong with that if extremely gradual improvement is the goal, and if it doesn't get too boring, but learning a few simple time-proven running training principles will make running a fascinating hobby as the runner has the ability and knowledge to plan weeks and months of training, evaluate how that training impacted their performance, and make adjustments. All this, and the variety in type and duration of workouts always adds to enjoyment of the sport. For a deeper dive into periodization, specifically, micro and macro cycles, check out Episodes 134 and 135 of this podcast. Go to Patreon to pledge as little as $1 per episode. Support with one-time contribution, here. Follow me @mojoforrunning on Instagram and @runtampa on Instagram.

I'm always looking for new ways to improve my fitness and enhance my running training, and one of my favorite is the mini trampoline, also known as a rebounder, which I use for 'rebounder running,' running in place on the rebounder. It is an affordable, relatively small piece of equipment, making it a great alternative to a treadmill and a good way to add miles while at home by running in place on it. Because it maximizes the plyometric element of running, a mile on a rebounder probably has greater impact on running conditioning while being, in fact, a much lower impact exercise, and so, easier on the joints. While running, when done correctly, doesn't ruin one's knees, for most runners, there is a point at which adding more miles would likely cause trouble, but like pool running, this is a gentler movement, from that standpoint.

Running trails requires different technical running skills, a different outlook, and different equipment, but it is so beyond worth it, and if that's not enough, your on-road running will greatly improve. Why? Because running on off road trails demands more work and more finesse. Your muscles work more and differently. You'll feel it the next day, that good feeling that you are getting fitter in a new way. You won't question whether it will pay off. You'll be confident that it will. In this episode, I break down everything you need to know, from running technique to gear and how to not get lost.

Optimize your running training by properly applying the hard easy principle. You must keep your easy runs easy and your hard runs hard to get the desired training effect. Most runners are driven to check their watch, worried about their pace being too slow, even when it's an 'easy' run day, and this prevents much-needed, injury-preventing recovery. In this episode, I explain the appropriate time differential between hard and easy runs and provide suggestions for how to avoid running too fast at the wrong time. Don't forget to subscribe.

It's that time again, time to carefully consider what we should do in 2020 to take our running and our lives to the next level. Since the options for running resolutions are almost infinite, I thought I'd provide some insight into the advantages of some types of resolutions and the pitfalls of others. In this episode of the Mojo for Running Podcast, I discuss goal of more miles than you've done before, the goal of a longer distance than you've ever run before, the goal of maintaining a running streak, and the goal of aiming for a PR. Beyond that, we'll look at other kinds of goals I recommend you pursue, non-running goals. Above all else, you need to set a meaningful goal. Some will plan to do 2,020 miles. But, why? Seriously, it's just a number that happens to be the year, but what would be your reason for wanting to do that number of miles? Please give this some thought. Besides being meaningful, your goal should be reasonable, achievable. Then, you should start thinking about the process goals you'll need to achieve to get you to your goal. Hopefully, this episode will give you some ideas and guidance. The post MFR 143: Sensible Running Resolutions for 2020 appeared first on Mojo for Running.

Whether you are new to running or you've been running for years, there will be times when you stop running weeks or even months. Matybe you have a health issue, and maybe you had an injury. My runners miss long periods, sometimes, maybe due to caring for elderly parents, maybe due their own medical problems, and sometimes a running injury or some other injury that requires a long recovery period. Sometimes, it's weeks of overtime or school. Three of my runners in the last half dozen years, have missed more than a year when working on their doctorates. All came back, but it wasn't easy. And then, there's the more common situation that I liken to falling off a diet. You know how, sometimes you're being very careful with sticking to eating reasonable portions of healthy food, but then Thanksgiving rolls around, and you decide to let yourself go a bit for the holiday weekend, thinking that you'll return to your healthy ways right after the weekend, but then Monday rolls around, and you find it's too easy to just decide to wait one more day before getting back on the healthy eating bandwagon, but then Monday turns into Tuesday, and pretty soon, you're saying to yourself, "Oh, well. I'll just enjoy myself over the holidays and get back to my normal smart self after the first of the year." Well, sometimes running goes that same way. You take a week off, maybe due to going on vacation, planning to get right back out there on Monday, but Monday turns in to Tuesday, and so it goes. Before you know it, three months have passed, and with every passing week, you think about how much harder it will be than it would have been if you'd only been on a month-long break. Now, you're less motivated because you realize how hard it will be. No matter the reason, you know you need to return to running. I hope this podcast episode will help you ease back into a smart, consistent running schedule. The post MFR 141: Returning from a Break appeared first on Mojo for Running.