Running Adventure

What constitutes a running adventure?

We can describe an adventure as a quest, journey, exploration, undertaking, an exciting activity! Doesn’t that making you want to jump right in and plan such a thing immediately? Running embodies all the things described previously as “adventure.” Running is always a quest, journey, or exploration. Running a race or even your club time trial can elevate running to an exciting activity.

In the same way, running a new distance, a couch to 5k to half marathon to marathon to ultra-marathon, is an exciting activity. Or road race to trail race. So much fun to had running. How about a destination race? Traveling to run a race or a beautiful trail in another part of your state, country, or abroad is an adventure.

Planning

Are you ready? Grab your calendar and start plotting a list of your dream running adventures, your bucket list of things, and places you want to explore. Spread this over the next two years or so. Why? Some adventures require planning and training, and both take time (plus time off). After all, you do want to have fun with minimal “suffering.” Runners, you understand why we use the word suffering in context with running.

Prioritize

The next step is to prioritize these events into A and B races. “A” races are those events that are most important to you and where you want to run your best. Your training plan will have you peak for these events. “B” races are also races you want to well in, but they are secondary, and you will not be fully peaked for these. You will use them to practice race preparation and strategies and build confidence for your A races. Pick two A races to plan your season so that the “stars align” on the day that your performance is most important to you. A races are best placed either within six weeks of each other or more than 12 weeks apart to peak for both, although you can work around with careful planning.

Build your training program

Now work out how your training will make sure that you’re ready on those days. Depending on your current base, experience, and goals, you might need up to 28 weeks of base/build/specialty training to reach the peaking phase.

To sum up, the running adventure begins at the planning stage, builds during training, and peaks on race day. After the race, bask in the afterglow before preparing for the next adventure!

“The rewards of running, as in life, come only in direct proportion to the amount of effort I’m prepared to exert and the extent to which I can summon the required discipline and application.”

Tim Noakes

P.S.

Check out our Run Wild Coaching page on Facebook. It’s an excellent place to ask questions about training, coaching, injury, and racing; I’m always happy to help!

We coach goal-based, outdoor-focused athletes of all levels. Creating the best customized, personalized training plans and coaching experiences available to our clients, we strive for our clients to become parts of the broader RUN WILD community as a whole.  

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