Fitness with Kaitlyn

Disclaimer: This article is for informational and educational purposes only. I am not liable or responsible for any damages resulting from or related to your use of this information.

Do you hate running? Or maybe you just want to get better at running. Whichever is the case for you I’m going to share some helpful tips and tricks with you that can help you to improve your running, find running more enjoyable, and hopefully fall in love with running. 

I also have a couch to 5k program available on my website that will gradually take you from the couch to a 5k in just 10 weeks! Check it out here … https://fitnesswithkaitlyn.myshopify.com/products/couch-to-5k-10-week-plan

While trying to learn how to make running easier and how to run properly there are 5 main areas you want to focus on most: training/running intensity, running techniques, training volume, gym training, and mindset. All of these things are going to make your running feel so much easier.

Now let’s dive right in to talking about what you need to do to make running easier and more enjoyable!

Training/running intensity 

First we’re going to start out by talking about training intensity. There are 3 running zones: zone 1, zone 2, and zone 3 not to be confused with the 5 heart rate zones. We are mainly going to focus on zone 1 for the majority of our training.

Zone 1

Zone 1 running will be lower intensity and trains your aerobic system. This zone is going to be a slow steady pace that you can sustain for a longer period of time. When running in zone 1 you can maintain a conversation using sentences for a few minutes at a time. 

Zone 2

Zone 2 running is moderate intensity with 6.5-8.5 out of 10 effort. When running in zone 2 you won’t be able to maintain a conversation but you’ll be able to say a few words at a time.

Zone 3

Zone 3 running will be a challenging pace using max power and effort. When training in zone 3 you won’t be able to say more than 1-2 words at a time. You’ll be sprinting at your max speed for short intervals to help improve your speed and distance. Training in zone 3 is going to be more beneficial when training for long races such as marathons. 

 Make sure to pace yourself at the start of your run. If you start out too fast you will get worn out quicker thus shortening your running time and distance. Also be sure to keep the same amount of effort when running uphill as you do on flats even if it slows down your pace. You want to make sure you’re not using all of your energy on a hill because it will impact the rest of your run.

When working to improve our running we are going to take the polarized training approach. Polarized training is used to train for endurance sports by splitting up your training time by intensity. That being said, you’re going to spend 70- 80% of training time in zone 1, 10-20% of training time in zone 3, and 5-10% of your training time in zone 2. 

If you’re new to running, pick either distance or duration to focus on based on your goals, not both. If you try to combine the two you will get too distracted by trying to focus on your speed to get to the distance that you picked within the specific duration that you picked which is going to take you out of zone 1 running. We first have to train our aerobic system to run in zone 1 for at least 30 minutes before starting to combine distance and duration to work on speed.

However often you are running do your first 5 runs, after reading this, in zone 1. Then pick a distance that seems doable but will challenge you and run it in zone 2 making sure to track your distance, time, and speed. Do this run every 3-4 runs with the bulk of your runs still being in zone 1.

Running techniques

In order to improve our running and make running feel easier we need to learn proper running techniques. When running make sure to maintain a good posture keeping your shoulders relaxed and your chest out, this keeps your airways open. When looking at the ground be sure to only look down with your eyes don’t move your whole head down, this will restrict your airways. Keep your natural cadence trying not to overstride and make sure to run softly (“quietly”) this will reduce the impact on your feet and joints thus reducing the risk of injury while also making your running feel easier. 

Training volume

When increasing your mileage you want to do so at a particular rate based on trying to balance these three things:

1 –  You’re feeling good, strong, and staying injury free

2 – You’re feeling happy and excited to run more

3 – You feel challenged

Once you feel that you are in a spot with your running that you feel comfortable and confident in all three of those areas you can increase your mileage by a small portion. Making sure you are balancing all three of these factors will ensure that you don’t push past your limits, stay injury free, and have the ability to run further. I would recommend that you only increase your mileage by 1-2 miles at a time, see how that feels if it’s too easy or too hard, and go from there.

Gym training

Gym training plays a big part in improving your running. Resistance training and plyometrics have been proven to improve running economy and reduce the chances of injury. Explosive movements and resistance training helps to stiffen the soft tissue in your legs such as tendons. Stiff tendons store more elastic energy and recoil with more power. When running there is a lot of elastic energy involved, during each step your connective tissues stretch and recoil therefore the more elastic energy we can provide when running the less metabolic energy we need to spend. For resistance training/weightlifting stick to exercises such as back squats, lunges, deadlifts, hip thrusts, ect. When doing plyometrics training focus on body weight exercises such as drop jumps, pogo jumps, counter movement jumps, squat jumps, jump rope, sprints, skipping, ect. Doing a combination of both resistance and plyometrics training will help you build stronger muscles and stiffen your soft tissues to fuel the power in your legs and the energy you use when running. 

Mindset

Mindset is everything!! Build yourself up, remember how strong you are, your mind is going to give up before your body will. Ask yourself does your body actually feel tired or are you telling yourself that you feel tired? Keep pushing, it only takes one time to prove to yourself that you can keep going. Give yourself a pep talk, act as if you’re trying to motivate someone else, tell yourself what you would say to them. Remember how strong you are, where you started, how far you’ve come, the progress you’ve made, and think about what your goals are. 

Try to enjoy your run and distract yourself by looking at the scenery, enjoy the nature around you (I always find running outside easier and more enjoyable), listen to music/podcasts, or think about your day/week and what your plans are. Doing these things is going to take your mind off your body and the fact that you’re running. When you take your mind off running it will feel easier and you’ll notice that you’ve went further and ran longer than you may have thought. Like I said, your mind will give up before your body will so keep going, you’ve got this!

Thank you so much for reading! I hope this has helped you find ways to improve your running and find running more enjoyable! If you are looking to further improve your running, check out the couch to 5k plan I have available on my website!