Run4PRs Run4PRs

86. Getting a training plan & working with a coach: how it works

How does Run4PRs work? I know some of you already work with us as athletes, but maybe others are curious what exactly we do. How does our training work? What is so different about working with a coach vs a free plan online? Today we are chatting about our process and how it would look if you hit YES to try a free 7 day trial with us no strings attached.

Variety is super important

What is the difference between following an online training plan free vs getting a coach?

How is it custom to each person?

Where should people go if they want to try us out or get started?

What will happen when you fill out the form?

What if people have filled out the form but they are not getting the e-mail?

Who is the e-mail coming from?

Who will read the athlete consultation form?

What information on the form do you look at?

How do you pair athletes with their coach?

How long does it take to have the plan?

How does the coach communicate with you?

What does the plan look like?

Where is the plan?

How many days per week is it?

How often can I chat with my coach?

How personalized is it?

Is there any subscription?

How can they assess my form?

How do you assess my fitness?

How is it better than something I find online?

Do I need to have a garmin?

Visit www.Run4prs.co/faster to get more information on the program. It’s that time of year again! The dreaded winter training and off season. There are usually not a lot of races that take place in the winter, but there are a lot of spring & fall races next year. This leaves athletes with some time in between training cycles. Runners may feel like they are in limbo wondering all sorts of things like “what should I be focusing on right now?” “How many miles per week should I be running?” “What sort of workouts should I be doing?”. This year we wanted to come up with a program to remove all of the confusion and lack of motivation during the winter months to keep athletes excited for training & setting them up for the best opportunity for success for whatever they hope to achieve in 2021.

An overview of the program:
This is a 10 week program. You can start at any time during the program, but we highly recommend doing the full 10 weeks. We kick things off with a 1 mile time trial on Saturday 12/5. This time trial will likely be after some time off or unstructured training. We know this time of year is traditionally hard to stay motivated & most athletes are NOT in peak shape. We dive into the time trial to get a baseline for where you are at! With strength training, you begin to see benefits after 2-4 weeks of training. Aerobic work takes closer to 6 weeks to see benefits. The 1 mile is a combination of using the aerobic and anaerobic systems. We expect that athletes will see a smooth progression in times over the course of the program. Not all races always go as planned, so we offered an extra race or two to practice our racing skills and provide a chance for redemption if one of the races does not go as we hoped.

What will the focus be on?
Strength Training is key for success in the 1 mile because you must develop power & the anaerobic system. We will work on developing explosive speed needed for a strong final kick. The strength training will also help with efficiency and strength to run at faster paces. 2-3x per week 20-40 min

Training specifically for the mile will require more focus on speed work than traditional distance training. This plan will work on developing a strong VO2Max system and work on lowering
your threshold.
2x per week 20% of volume

Benefits to 1 mile training?

Building confidence in other distances

Capitalizing on speed before you age

Learning how to push yourself & race hard

What will the speed workouts look like & why?

If you are in the USA you know that it is that time of year again! People are gearing up for Thanksgiving day turkey trots. This tradition has been growing, and we are so excited that more people are participating in these events. A lot of our listeners may be coming back into running more again after a big fall marathon or half marathon, so this is often a strange time of year for racing. We wanted to chat about some tips to help with your turkey day 5k-10k.

How much of this race is aerobic vs anaerobic?
Is it still important to keep your easy days easy?
Are you still running high mileage?
How do elites train for 5ks?

What sort of workouts should you do the week of the race? Strides and short fartleks
Should you do strides? Yes! Before the race, I definitely want 4+ quality strides. I’m a fan of a few longer 200m pickups about 10-15 minutes or so before the race and a few shorter ones 50 meters right before your race
What sort of pacing plan should you have? Negative split or even split
How do you know what kind of shape you are in? Recent time trials or workouts. Compare consistency in your recent training block to previous seasons when you ran a 5k.
Will the weather play a role? Weather always plays a role to some degree. Hopefully being that Turkey trots are in November that is typically a nice time of year in most areas where we don’t experience one extreme or the other.
Should you consider using this as more of a fun run? Absolutely, It can be tough to run well if it’s colder like here in the midwest. Also It’s a great family event to do and a great way to start the Holiday.
How long of a warm up or cool down? 1-3 Miles
How many days should you taper before? 2-3 or perhaps a few more.
Pacing for a 5k: what is the speed limit the first mile? Your Goal 5k pace (should be 5-10 seconds slower than) If you are super fit it may be okay to run 5-10 seconds faster than 5k goal pace
Pacing for a 10k: what is the speed limit for the first 1-2 miles? I would say even a bit slower, so 10-20 seconds slower than your goal 10k pace. You have more time to work your way down to race pace :)
How should you feel during the halfway point? Strong - Like you can negative split
How should we dress? Be prepared for the weather including overdressing at the start if it’s cold!

If you live anywhere near us, it is starting to get really cold really fast. I am not talking 40-50 degrees. I am talking single digits and negative wind chills here in Minnesota. We get it pretty bad for 4 months out of the year most days don’t get above 20 degrees in the morning if we are lucky. Most days can be single digits or below zero when we get up to run in the early morning. It can be tough to find the motivation to stay running in the cold. We are going to chat about what we do to stay motivated to run outside during these cold months!
What is the coldest temp you have ever ran in?
What is your cut off temp for running outside?
At what temp does it just make sense to do your workout inside?
How are you able to breathe in the cold?
At what temp does it become hard to breathe and execute workouts?
How do you dress in 30 degrees?
How much does the wind play a role?
How can you run in the snow?
Do you have to buy expensive gear?
What does your college team do when it is cold outside?
What are other options if you stay inside?
Do you have to run outside in the cold to be a real runner?

Last week we chatted about the importance of the off season. We want to make sure we take time off to recover between major training blocks. However, a lot of athletes can get trapped in the all or nothing approach of training. I can’t train? Okay I will run zero miles per week. Or I don’t want to take time off, I am going to continue to train hard! We want to make sure we find a happy medium and set some goals for this winter
Winter can be a tough time for training: why?
What are some things that can you help stay on track?
What do you not like about it?
Do you ever feel like there isn’t enough time or motivation during the offseason?
What are some goals you can set to help you stay on track?
When should you start thinking about 2021 races and finding a path?
What do the top athletes do during the winter months that set them up for success?
Should Strength training be something you start to add in?
Should we set goals based on weekly mileage or consistency?
How do we reward ourselves for staying on track if there is no goal race?
How do you stay motivated if you are stuck inside?

The off-season is coming. We spent all year building up for big races this fall. After your goal races it can be a time of recovery for most athletes. We talked a few weeks ago of the post-marathon blues and why it is important to take some time off after a race even if you ‘feel good’, but we are going to continue this conversation chatting more about what an off season is and how to do it
What is an off season?
How long should it last?
Do you still need to work with a coach?
Is having a plan a better way to stay accountable rather than assume you will run when you feel like it?
What is the biggest off season training mistake you see?
How many miles per week should you run?
Should you lift?
Should you cross train?
How long should your long runs be?
How many rest days should you have?
Does everyone need an off season?
Does the offseason have to be right after your goal race?