by Adolfo Salgueiro | Jan 2, 2024 | Article, List, Reflection
By Coach Adolfo Salgueiro
May 2024 bring you countless injury-free miles and PRs in all your distances.
As a brand new year appears into our calendars, with 52 weekends primed for long runs with friends, six Abbott Marathon Majors to be completed by some of the runners we know, if not ourselves, and countless races in all distances anticipating for us to register; it comes that time to figure out what we want to paint on that virgin canvas so 10 or 12 months from now, we are not regretting a wasted running year.
Improving your sleep will help you in more ways than a PR or a BQ (Photo: Ketut Subiyanto, Pexels)
Your 2024 running goals should be set in an individual and feasible fashion. It is about what Is realistic for you and what you alone are willing and able to do. Running a sub-3 marathon if you’ve never gone sub-4 is not impossible but it may be a recipe for disappointment or injury for most runners. Improving 10 minutes in your half marathon or 5K PR may be achievable but depending on where you stand. Going from a 2:40 half to a 2:30 one is one thing. Improving the same 10 minutes in 5K if your PR is 22 would make you a world-record holder. So, let’s be realistic about our goals.
If you haven’t thought about it yet, here are eight quick ideas for you to consider before we get too deep into the year. This way you can hit the ground running:
1. 1000 Miles: A feasible distance for any consistent runner. It only requires 4.8 miles a day, four times a week during 50 of the 52 weeks of the year. If you already run 1000 every year, then set your sights on 1500, or 2000.
2. Choose your goal race, now: Not just select it, register for it, and let everybody know. Set up a road map so you’ll know how to get from where you are to where you want to be and to be there in time. It doesn’t guarantee you’ll succeed, but it will put success within your reach.
3. Pick up one PR to set: Sure, we want them all, but a 5K and a marathon are two different animals and requires separate training plans. So, pick one distance where to focus and make sure everything you do is in service of that specific goal.
4. Upgrade your sleep: Sleep is better for restoration than your entire recovery toolkit multiplied by three. Be initiative-taking and intentional about it. Make sleeping a priority in your everyday life. Its benefits will go beyond a PR or a BQ.
Don’t let streght training be the neglected aspect of your running (Photo Andrea Piaquadio, Pexels)
5. Strength training: For every mile you run, you’re pounding your musculoskeletal system with 3-5 times your weight, about 800-900 times per leg. If you don’t prepare your bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments for such a vicious workload, they will inevitably break down. Translation: You will get injured.
6. Don’t just run: The constant percussion this sport places on our bodies requires us scheduling time to repair and restore, more of it as we age. Incorporating one or two days a week of yoga, swimming, Pilates, biking, elliptical or any other non-impact exercise will make you a more resilient runner.
7. Keep a running log: Beyond Garmin, Runkeeper or Strava and the slew worthless or irrelevant parameters they measure for us, writing down your daily activity either by hand or on a spreadsheet will noticeably improve your understanding of what you are doing. Give it a shot.
8. Learn about running: Knowledge is always an advantage. You can delve into the history of the sport, the science of what happens to your body when you run, or biographies of its greatest icons. Pick up one book or two and make sure you finish them before December 31st.
I hope these ideas assist you in shaping the running year to be. This way, come December, you can brag about your victories, PRs and improvements, instead of setting up for a 2025 in which to redeem yourself.
What are your running goals for 2024?
by Adolfo Salgueiro | Jan 3, 2023 | Article, List, Reflection
By Coach Adolfo Salgueiro
Happy New Year!!! May 2023 bring you countless, injury-free miles and PRs in all your distances.
As we turn the page onto a brand-new notebook, one where all the pages are still to be written, we set up our running hopes and goals for this new trip around de sun and we must start dialing in and focusing on what we want to accomplish when it comes to our physical activity. This way we can have a roadmap and not improvise along the way. So, come December, we are not regretting a lost opportunity to accomplish something big.
A brand new year to fill in with hopes and goals so, come December, we don’t realize we have wasted 12 good months (Photo: Bich Tran, Pexels)
As we analyze our goals for 2023 and we ponder our fears about coming short, we start by making sure we are well prepared and focused by setting goals that require effort and challenge you to be active for 12 months. Below find six guidelines to set up realistic running goals.
1 – Set up a bold yet attainable goal: Easy goals that can be achieved with little effort don’t mean much. Unfeasible goals that will not be realized, will leave you in frustration. So, be reasonable. Goals can be accumulative, like running 1000 miles in the year, or 200 kilometers per month, or five times a week. You can also strive towards running a particular distance or have a goal time for a distance. The key is to make it a real challenge, one that will leave you elated when you achieve it.
2 – Choose your goal race or races for the year, now: Set up a road map so you know how to get from where you are to where you want to go. Select the races where you want to excel and/or set up your PRs and then work toward is with plenty of time. If you want to set up a marathon PR, you must set up enough time aside so to include all the elements of a training plan. If your goal is a 5K or 10K PR, then you need to plan enough speed work, which also requires time. Make sure you are not surprised when your goal race is 4 weeks away and you are not ready.
3 – Set up a reasonable training schedule that will fit your life: Once you have figured out what you want to accomplish for the year, it is time to get it all into your schedule. Don’t wait until you have time to fit in your training. If you do, you will never train. Write in your running and your cross-training activities into your schedule (actually, write it in, yes!) so, when something comes up, you’ll know you are not available, since there’s a previous appointment in your agenda. This simple technique has worked very well for me, so I highly recommend it.
Block off your exercise time in your daily planner, so you won’t double book it (Photo: Bich Tran, Pexels)
4 – Don’t just run: Sure, running is what we want to do. Yet, the constant percussion this sport places on our bodies requires us scheduling time for repair and restoration. Incorporating one or two days a week of yoga, swimming, Pilates, elliptical or any other non-impact exercise will go a long way to make you a more resilient runner. And if you don’t have time to ad that to your schedule, then trade in a run for one of them. In the long run, your body will thank you and your racing times will reflect the benefits.
5 – Include strength training: I procrastinated about this one the entire 2022. Weight work specifically designed for runners and core exercises to help your body withstand the pounding of the long miles are no longer optional. If we don’t prepare our bodies and make them stronger, it is a matter of time before we will have to stop and recover from an injury. My #1 goal for this year is to restart my strength training.
6 – Upgrade your sleeping habits: If you put all the recovery tools together; the massage guns, the protein shakes, the compression gear, the amino acids and the write-in-your-favorite-here, the sum of them won’t be as restorative to your body as a good, full night of sleep. Skipping sleep is not a badge of honor, it is a mistake that will not allow your body to recover and with luck, you will end up underperforming. Without luck, you will end up injured.
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by Adolfo Salgueiro | Jan 11, 2022 | List, Personal
By Coach Adolfo Salgueiro
In my New Year Running Resolutions for 2022 post from last week, suggestion #8 was to “read at least one running book”. As much as I believe this is an important resolution, I confess that I kind of threw that one in at the last minute, mostly because I was selecting the running books I want to read this year.
A few readers contacted me letting me know this is a clever idea and they will either pick or have already picked their running book for 2022. As an avid reader, I can’t but be delighted on the reception this suggestion had. Now, one of my readers (and dear friend), asked me that, based on this suggestion, what is “the one book” I will recommend for someone to read in 2022.
If you want to get better, learning about our sport is as important as putting in the miles. Being knowledgeable is always an advantage
The question was so broad that I didn’t pay much attention to it, at first. But as the week progressed, I kept circling back to it. Sure, there is not a straight answer to it but there must be a way around it. Somehow, this remained in my brain’s backburner and would not go away. So this is what I have come up with:
There is no way to recommend just one book. No one book encompasses everything, nor it can satisfy the curiosity of every reader. In the post, I stated that “If we want to get better at our sport, we must learn about its science, its practices, its history, and its top performers. Personal experience is important, sure, but it is not the wherewithal to become the best runner you can be.”
Based on this, I decided to segment that suggestion and propose one book from each category. So, based on your particular interest, you can have “The One Book”. It is not what was asked but I hope it fits the bill.
Science – The Science of Running, by Steve Magness: If you want to geek out and dig deep into the science of what happens inside your body when you run, this is the book for you. It is dense, full of biology, scientific references and it is not the most fun to read. But if you decide to go through it, you will come out with a deep understanding on the physiology and mechanics of what happens when you run and why.
Practices – Run for Your Life, By Dr. Marc Cuccuzzella: The author has run Sub-3 marathons for over 30 consecutive years. In this book he mixes science and personal experience in an easy-to-read narrative, without geeking out on the science side of things. He explains the importance, the right way, and the approach to human movement so you can do it smarter, stronger, and springier. This book is as much for a sub-3 marathoner as it is for a walker wanting to complete a first 5k.
Reading while running is neither safe nor necessary. This is a real photo.
History – Kings of the Road, By Cameron Stracher: This is the story of Frank Shorter, Bill Rodgers, Alberto Salazar, and how they fueled the first running boom after Shorter’s marathon gold in the Munich Olympics (1972). It shows how running went from a niche activity by a bunch of crazies to the foundation of the New York City Marathon. This is the base for what came later, and thus, what we are enjoying, today. These were the pioneers who brought marathoning to the mainstream of participation sports.
Top Performers – There are great bios out there on Rodgers, Shorter, Johnny Kelly, Steve Prefontaine, Haile Gebrselassie and many more. But if you are delving into running bios for the first time, 26 Marathons, by Meb Keflezighi could be a good place to start. Beyond his running acumen, most of us can relate to him because he is a contemporary figure. We can also learn plenty from each one of his 26 incursions into the 26.2 monster.
Special Mention – Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall: An indispensable read for anyone interested in understanding how the human body was built to run, told through superb storytelling. This book has become a classic and there is a good reason for it. Just beware that his praise for minimalistic running shoes and barefoot running has been disproven. But other than that, it is a gem.
What is your book recommendation?
by Adolfo Salgueiro | Jan 4, 2022 | List, Reflection
By Coach Adolfo Salgueiro
As a new year dawns on us and we focus on what we want to accomplish during the coming 12 months, our running lives should not pushed to the back burner. If we want to make sure that come December, we are not regretting a wasted athletic year, or cramming up the miles, the time to set up the course is now.
Running goals are very individual. Qualifying for Boston may be the goal of a lifetime for someone, while others qualify every year. Finishing your first marathon can be a tough yet achievable goal for you, while others are focusing on their 10th 100-miler. Goals need to be feasible and, mor important, individual.
These are a few running goals you may consider for 2022:
1 – Set up a mileage goal – One thousand miles in a year is an immensely popular and achievable goal. The 4-digit number is more of a psychological barrier than anything else, but it is feasible. The key is to break it (or whatever number you set your mind to) down to small segments you can easily manage. For 1000 miles, this is just 83.33 miles per month, or 4.8 a day if you run 4 times a week (less if you include a weekly long run). If this goal is for you, I recommend you join the 1K Run Club in Facebook, with over 8000 runners from all over the world.
Set up your course for 2022, now, so you are not cramming up, come December
2 – Add one more day of activity per week – If running mileage is not your thing, adding another day to your training is an effective way to increase your activity. If you run 2-3 times a week, that 3rd or 4th day is viable. If you run 5 or 6, this may not be a goal for you, but you can always add a yoga class or a cross training day. The key is to increase your activity as long as you are not sacrificing your recovery.
3 – Add strength training to the weekly routine – It is the most neglected part of every training cycle, yet the most beneficial to make you stronger, faster and deflect injuries. This is usually the first casualty of a busy lifestyle. But consider this: As runners, we pound on our musculoskeletal system with 3-4 times our body weight into each leg, about 800 times per mile. If we don’t prepare our bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments to take on the workload, we will be rehabbing instead of running.
4 – Set up a PR Goal on a Specific Distance – Setting up for a PR in every distance in the same season is a recipe for injury. Going for a PR in every race, every week is the fastest way to burning out. Set up your main goals for the season and focus on them. If you want to run your best 5K ever, a marathon PR may not be a good mix. Figure out what is important to you and go for it.
5 – Concentrate on running easy on easy days – The biggest mistake runners make is to go to fast on easy days. There is a good reason why easy days are labeled as “easy”. It is because you are supposed to run easy. These are the sessions when you recover so you can go faster later, when you develop the cardiovascular system so you can go faster later, when you prepare your musculoskeletal system to adjust so you can go faster later. Science has determined that you won’t get slower by running slow. Quite the contrary. You must run slow to eventually be able to run fast.
In 200,000 years of history, humans haven’t evolved not to sleep. So hit that pillow in 2022 (Photo: Andrea Piacquadio, Pexels.com)
6 – Focus on Sleeping –Sleeping is the number one device in our recovery tool bag, and it is mandatory. Consider this: The Homo Sapiens emerged about 200,000 years ago and during its evolution, the need for sleep to recover and reset our systems has not disappeared. That alone should tell you why you can’t skip it. So, make sure 7-8 hours of sleep a night is part of your daily training for 2022.
7 – Keep a running log – Sure, Garmin, Runkeeper, Strava, etc., keep track of more parameters you could ever understand or need. But keeping a personal log, either handwritten or in a computer file, on your daily activity, will make a noticeable difference in the understanding of your training.
8 – Read at least one running book – If we want to get better at our sport, we must learn about its science, its practices, its history, and its top performers. Personal experience is important, sure, but it is not the wherewithal to become the best runner you can be. Reading may not be for everybody, but one book a year should be easily manageable. Find a book on a running subject that interests you and give go for it.
Of course, these are not the only athletic goals you may set up for 2022. They are just ideas to help you define what you would like to achieve this year. Pick one, pick two or pick them all, but get started right away.
What are your running goals for 2022?
by Adolfo Salgueiro | Jan 5, 2021 | Article, List, Reflection
By Coach Adolfo Salgueiro
Based on where you are in your running life, your goals for a new year will vary. While for some people, making it to 1000 miles may seem like an insurmountable goal, others have been accomplishing this distance year in and year out. Some athletes break 1:30 in the half marathon on a bad day, others struggle to go sub-3.
Making achievable New Year resolutions is the key to keep your athletic goals relevant.
The point here is that to set up your running goal, or goals, for this brand-new year, it must be done in an individual and feasible fashion. These goals can’t be compared with what your friends are doing or what you were able to do when you were a young runner; and they can’t be so out-of-touch that you will be off track at the first sign of trouble or the first day when life gets on the way. Also, you don’t want to get injured because of overstress.
If you haven’t etched in stone your running goals for 2021, or if you haven’t thought about them yet, do so, now. This is what will keep you focused, especially while it is uncertain if and when normal racing will return.
The following goals ideas you may consider:
1 – 1000 Miles – Depending on where you are in your running life, one thousand miles could be a challenging yet achievable Goal. You can also set your eyes on 1500, 2000 or 3000. The key is to break it down in small chunks so you can visualize it. I.E. For 1000 miles, this is just 83.33 miles per month, or 4.8 a day if you run 4 times a week (way less if you include a long run one of those days). Last year, over 1000 members of the 1K Club made it to the 1000 mark. If you have never done it, this may be a great goal for the year.
2 – One more day of activity per week – If you don’t want to focus your running year on counting mileage, adding another day to your training is a good way to increase your activity. If you run only 3 times a week, that 4th day becomes feasible. If you run 5 or 6, this may not be a goal for you, but you can always add a yoga class, a cross training session or an easy, long recovery walk to your week. The key is to increase your activity if you feel you can fit it in without sacrificing your recovery.
3 – Strength training – It is the most neglected part of every training cycle. When we are focused in our training and our work or personal life gets on the way, strength training is the first aspect of the program to be sacrificed. As runners, we pound on our musculoskeletal system on a daily basis. Consider that every in mile you dump 3-4 times your weight into each leg, about 800 times. This is about 2500 times per leg, per 5K. If we don’t prepare our bones, muscles, tendons and ligaments to take on the workload, they will break down, and you will be rehabbing instead of running.
Sleeping 7-8 hours a night will improve both your athletic and your personal life (Photo: Pexels.com)
4 – Specific Distance PR – This goal can be handled in two ways. A) You can set up your sights and training on one specific distance where you feel confident performing and go for your best time, ever; or B) you can get out of your comfort zone and pick up a distance where you don’t feel confident and go for it. If you’ve been chasing the elusive Sub-2 half marathon or sub-3:30 marathon, you have a full year to make it happen. Or, if you dislike the 5K because it is too short or too fast; or if you are afraid of what lies beyond the mythical 13.1, then you have a few challenges right there.
5 – Sleep more – It may sound odd that sleeping more is part of a running goals list for a new year, but sleep is one of the most overlooked aspects of recovery, and thus, training. It is also the one that may take you down, if not with an injury, at least by robbing you of your chance of peak performance. In our society, lack of sleep has become a worthless badge of honor, while in reality (and science), our sleeping time is key to our recovery both as athletes and as functional human beings. The benefits of a hard workout are not seen once you finished, the body needs to repair itself and adapt to the stress we just put it through. This doesn’t happen with an easy 5-miler on 5 hours of sleep. The body heals itself and flushes the day’s metabolic waste while we sleep. So, 7-8 hours a night is part of your daily training and a worthwhile running goal for 2021.
Of course, these are not the only athletic goals you may set up for 2021. They are just ideas to help you define what you would like to achieve this year.
What are your running goals for 2021?
