Racing is about mechanics and strategy. That remains true all the way up to Nascar where drafting and a good pit-stop crew will win the race. And it stems down to human beings, where athletes who work smarter, not harder achieve success.
Improving your one-mile — or four laps around a track — is about incorporating the right strategies. After you know how you’re going to run a race, you can then put in the hard work to solidify it. But before you start having fantasies of running a sub-six-minute mile, listen to this quote by author James Clear:
“Rome wasn’t built in a day, but they were laying bricks every hour.”
You’re not going to be a track superstar in one day, but if you’re consistent and follow these three tips, you’ll crush your personal record (PR) in no time.
Diversify Your Runs
Joggers and weekend warriors alike complain every day about never improving their PRs. They’ll run the same three or five courses, hit the same, monotonous exercise routines, and continue to see no results. If you’re this kind of runner, don’t fret, there’s an easy solution to this problem: diversify your runs.
Instead of always running the same courses find new places to run; places with hills, windy roads, and grassy pathways. If you continue to run the same course every week, you’ll never improve your mile time.
Even better, try mixing up the distance and speed of your runs. Replace one of your boring jogs with an intense session of sprinting the straights and jogging the curves. Or consider doing hill sprints; however you do it, speedwork is important because it helps improve your form and efficiency at all paces.
Incorporate Strength Training
Lean muscle is the greatest asset in increasing your running performance. Hugo van den Boek, a two hour 12-minute marathon runner and head coach of a top Kenyan program explains why he uses weight training for his athletes.
“Many runners could increase stride length and improve running form in general if they incorporated some strength and power work. Doing weight lifting is the base for that,” said van den Boek.
Strength training not only makes you a more explosive runner, but it also develops the mind-muscle-connection. This is the conscious connection you have with your muscles and it develops as you incorporate more strength training.
When you need that last push during your final lap, you’ll be able to contract your core and focus on your quads powering through to the end.
Here are a few strength exercises to try:
- Jump Squats: Hold two dumbbells in your hand and when you go down for a squat, jump back up making sure your feet leave the ground. Speaking from experience, this is a quadricep killer and will make you much more explosive in time.
- Reverse Lunges: Once again grab a pair of dumbbells. Lunge one leg back, lowering your body until both legs reach a 90-degree angle. Alternate between legs and do not be afraid to go heavy on this exercise.
Reverse lunges are an all-time great exercise and are right up your alley if you can’t squat due to knee pain (or other issues). They work the glute medius, which is important, as no runner walks around with strong glutes. It also hits your quads, hamstrings, and calves.
- Jump Rope: You’re not getting out of strength training if you don’t own dumbbells. Jump rope has been making athletes quick on their feet for generations. Every runner or athlete will benefit from a few sessions of jump rope every week.
Stop Static Stretching Before Your Run (Incorporate More Dynamic Moves)
Stretching is one of the most beneficial activities across all age groups. It decreases muscle stiffness and increases range of motion, reduces the risk of injury, and helps manage stress, to name a few. That being said, static stretching (holding a stretch for a long time) is one of the worst activities to perform before a run or workout.
Pre-run static stretching reduces muscular strength, power, and explosive performance, regardless of age, gender, and fitness levels, according to research published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports. You’d be better off running a mile after rolling out of bed, according to the study.
Instead, incorporate more dynamic stretches to warm your body up. These can include the straight-leg lateral swing (swinging one leg back and forth like a pendulum); or the side lunge (lunging to one side with both feet forward).
Or it can involve plyometric-type moves like butt-kicks (allowing your legs to pick up from behind and kick your butt) or high knees (a brisk jog while bringing your knees up to stomach level).
Ditch static stretches and warm up with dynamic moves; you’ll likely see an instant benefit when you do.
