Get on The Gear!

Running is one of the most basic forms of sport there is. It looks simple and straightforward – but there is ALOT of skill involved.

 

The main skill that I want to talk about today is PACING.

 

Alot of runners say things like…..

 

 

“I always slow down towards the second half of the race”

 

“I don’t know how fast to run”

 

 

“How do I maintain my pace throughout the run”

 

“I never know how fast to go off at the start”

 

 

 

To answer all of these questions simply….. you need to PRACTICE all of these in training.

 

 

So here’s a type of training I would suggest – something that is called the Acceleration Run or what I like to call “RUNNING IN GEARS”

 

So what do I mean by “RUNNING IN GEARS” ?

 

1st Gear – This is the pace you start off at and a pace that you could maintain for the full duration of the run quite comfortably but still running at a good pace.

 

2nd Gear – A pace that is a little faster than first gear but you KNOW that you can go even faster when you need to.

 

3rd Gear – This is the final gear and you’re final push to the finish – depending on your fitness level you may be able to stay in this gear for 100m- 1 mile

 

(Some people may feel they have a 4th gear – which is something you can develop.)

 

 

 

So what will you gain from RUNNING IN GEARS?

 

*You’ll learn not to go off too fast and SUFFER LIKE A DOG in the later stages – believe me i’ve been there! There is NOTHING WORSE than knowing you are slowing down and being unable to do anything about it.

 

*You’ll learn how fast you can run for a prolonged period and how your body feels running at that pace…. which you can transfer into an upcoming race or running event.

 

*You’ll develop in LOTS of different areas…..

 

Physically (Speed, Strength, Stamina)

 

Mentally (Focus, Pain threshold, Concentration)

 

Skill (Pace Judgement, increasing your speed, running how you ‘feel’)

 

If you’re serious about improving your running times – you’d be crazy not to want to improve in all of the areas mentioned above.

 

 

So…. here’s how to RUN IN GEARS

 

 

Mark out 3 laps of a distance you want to cover in training

Run the first lap in 1st Gear

Run the second lap in 2nd Gear

Run the third lap in 3rd gear

 

Sounds simple – that’s because IT IS!

 

…….But it is NOT EASY!

 

So go and give it a try – “All You Need is a Stopwatch and Trainers!”

 

Thanks for Reading,

 

Luke