Common Mistakes of New Runners

Common Mistakes Beginning (and Veteran) Runners Make

1) Running easy days too hard
- Keep these at the E/L pace according to current fitness
- Going too fast on easy/recovery days makes it harder to:
- Run hard workouts well;
- Recover from hard workouts/races

2) Running hard days too easy
- These should be pretty intense workouts
- Cut volume if unable to maintain consistent tempos or...
- Adjust tempos as conditions dictate (temperature, footing, wind)

3) Running without a plan
- Make a plan, make adjustments, work with a coach/parent to reach goals, stick to your plan
- Maintain records on a log or calendar
- Are you "running" or are you "training?"
- Training has a specific purpose/goal - have you listed these?

4) Running without intention
- Every run has a purpose…recovery, aerobic base, long, interval/threshold/repetition, etc.
- Stick to the intended purpose of the run (a Monday long run should not turn into a time trial)

5) Running without strength work/stretching
- Beginning a run with a dynamic warmup transitions the body into being ready to run and to avoid injuries
- Cooldown stretches and recovery are ideal after completing the run - do this inside if it is cold or very hot
- Strength work:
- Squats, deadlifts, bench press with free weights
- Burpees, push-ups, lunges, and core work
- Adding strength and tone adds to injury resistance as training demands increase