Back to basics – How to become a runner from scratch.

Or a better runner

There’s an assumption that running is easy.  That it involves no specific skills or body of knowledge.  The zeitgeist of our sport is that all you have to do is show up, do the work and keep at it to be successful.

While running is indeed a simple sport with few rules and requirements there is a body of knowledge.  I’m going to start a project now to create a good and competent runner from scratch.

I’m going to rigorously answer the questions “What if I was starting from scratch?  What if I was new to the sport and new to the concept and new to the practice?”  What would be the sequence of skills that I would need to master?”

Most of us, including myself got into the sport, started running and just figured it out as we went along.  This is an acceptable approach to a simple sport but what if we knew what we know today?  How would we do it differently?  What if we wanted to be runners as a lifestyle choice?  How would we approach the acquisition and practice of that body of knowledge?

If we approached it with fresh eyes could we make progress faster?  Could we scale the miles and speed, if we wanted to?

• Understanding your why.
  • Start with the end in mind.
  • Understand why you want to do this?
  • Weight loss? Fitness? Higher quality of life? Adventure? Community?
  • Write it down and return to it often – this is your purpose.
• Creating space in your life
  • You are taking on something new – how are you going to engineer your life so that it fits?
  • Prioritization – what is this more important than?
  • Finding time.
  • Creating an agreement with your family and friends.
  • The power of establishing routines and habits.
  • The power of neuroplasticity
• Building up your support system
  • Mentors and coaches
  • Massage therapist
  • Nutrition coach
  • Sports medicine
  • Physical therapist.
• Acquiring a set of goals
  • Where are you going? What are the milestones?
  • Being able to run a mile? Your first 5K?
  • What’s reasonable? Align it with your ‘why?’
  • Racing? Going long? Streaking? Fitness lifestyle?
• Acquiring an army of like-minded fools.
  • Finding the running community
  • Running partners
  • Clubs
  • Online support groups
  • Local races.
• Setting a life – timeline
  • You’re not going to be able to get faster or go longer forever – what’s your end game?
  • Do you want to be racing when your 50? 60? 70? 80?
  • If you look over your lifetime what is your plan?
• Strengthening the body
  • Start early on building your sympathetic running strength.
  • Start early on your core.
  • Work core into your initial running program.
  • Work your leg strength as well.
• Flexibility
  • Stretching and range of motion – why it’s important.
  • Yoga and balance
  • Types of stretching and technique.
• Nurturing your mind body connection
  • Listening to your body – what does that mean?
  • Understanding the physical and mental signals.
  • Using your mind to enhance your body (visualization and meditation techniques)
• Fueling for life
  • What should I eat for running is the wrong question.
  • If you are designing a healthy lifestyle that includes running then a nutrition plan is appropriate as well.
  • Don’t have to do it all at once.
  • Avoid drastic ‘diets’. Find a long term strategy that works for you.
  • Find the common thread that works over time – it has to be sustainable.
• Basic hydration strategies
  • Understand your body and how it processes fluid (bag of water)
  • Understand dehydration
  • Understand Hyponatremia
• Fueling on the run
  • What do you really need when you’re out on the road?
  • How does it impact your performance?
  • Understand how your body burns sugar, fat and protein and what that means to your performance.
• Building a wardrobe
  • What do you really need?
  • Becoming more comfortable.
  • Hot and cold weather strategies.
  • Sun protection
  • Cold protection
• What are the best shoes for me?
  • Why this is the wrong question to ask.
  • Learning how your feet work.
  • Fixing your form instead of masking it.
  • Where to start – how to learn as you go.
  • How many miles?
  • Barefoot and minimalist shoes
  • Types of shoes and what they are intended for.
  • Maximal shoes.
• Technology
  • What you need and what you don’t
  • Tracking data
  • Speed, pace and distance.
  • Foot speed and cadence
  • Heart rate
  • Avoiding the data traps
• Learning and practicing good form
  • The single thing that most new runners get wrong.
  • The most important building block of success.
  • Breaking it down and understanding what good form is.
  • Practicing good form from the beginning.
  • Getting a form review.
  • Chi-running, Pose-running and barefoot running.
• Understanding effort based training
  • What is effort based training?
  • What are your heart rate zones?
  • Simple effort based training runs
  • Finding and practicing your aerobic thresholds and max HR
• Building an aerobic base
  • How to use form and zones to build aerobic base
  • Why aerobic base is a precursor to success.
  • Simple aerobic training plans
• Advanced training topics
• Going longer
  • I want to run for more than X hours.
  • Understanding ‘the wall’.
  • Training for a marathon distance
  • How to handle big weekly mileage
  • How to recover and stay injury free.
• Getting faster
• Speed work
  • Why speed work?
  • Intervals and track workouts
  • Running at threshold
  • The mental aspect of threshold
• Tempo
  • Why tempo?
  • Finding your tempo pace with heart rate
  • Popular tempo work outs
  • Track sessions, step up runs, fartleks
• Long
  • Why long runs?
  • How long?
  • The tactics of a long run.
  • Staying fueled and hydrated.
• Hill work
  • Why hill work?
  • Up hill form and down hill form.
  • Practical hill workouts
  • Repeats, form drills, strengthening routines.
• Specialty topics
• Multi-sport training
  • Transitioning to another sport.
  • Scheduling in a bike or run.
  • How to leverage your aerobic base.
• Trail running
  • Why trail running?
  • Trail form considerations.
  • How to fall down.
  • How to get lost.
  • Gear
  • Wildlife
• Mountain running
  • Why mountain running?
  • Training for an ascent.
  • Learning a walk run cadence
  • Power walking form
  • Coming down
• Ultra-running
  • Why ultra?
  • Practical topics of consideration when going really long.
  • Gear
  • Community
  • How to train
• Running with your dog
  • Consideration for having mans’ best friend as a training companion.

How would you organize it if you knew then what you know now?