The Jeff Galloway Blog

Beginners: Just Add a Mile. Go a little farther (or faster) to reap big rewards.

A mile can be more than just 5,280 feet. For new runners, completing that first mile is a major achievement. More seasoned runners find that logging More seasoned runners find that logging an extra mile or two per week builds stamina better than any h technique. And adding a mile’s worth of faster running to your weekly routine can help you run more efficiently, making every mile feel easeier. Here’s how to get started and keep going.

• Work up to a mile

Spend your first week of activity walking every other day, increasing to a one mile walk. Next, introduce your body to running – walk a quarter-mile, then insert a five-second jog into each minute. If you begin huffing and puffing, walk a few minutes before adding short run segments back. Repeat every other day, adjusting run/walk times as needed, until you can comfortably run most of a mile.

• …Then to 30 minutes

Running for 30 minutes every other day will help you to achieve the recommended weekly 150 minutes of activity. To get there, focus on increasing the distance of one run each week (with shorter runs on other days). Add a quarter mile each week, and increase walk breaks as needed. Once the longer run feels comfortable, expand one short run at a time until 30-minute runs are the norm.

• …Then add a long run

The best way to make 30-minute runs feel easy is to add a weekly longer run. Start by adding a half mile to a weekend run every other week. Again, slow down- the walk breaks that help you catch your breath can also help you avoid the aches that can surface when you add mileage.

• …Then go a bit faster

Speedwork can help you run more smoothly at all paces, but the greater impact forces pose an injury risk. Don’t spring-speed up by increasing your cadence. Try this: On a rolling route, let gravity pull you downhill, then glide up the uphill for a few yards. Walk up a bit more, turn around, and run the other way, using momentum to run farther back up. Start with tow repeats, and work up to four to six.

Jeff Galloway Resources: www.jeffgalloway.com Visit the E-Shop where you will find on line training programs: Customized Training and E-Coaching by Jeff.  You will also find training tips, training groups, running retreats and more. Look for Jeff’s article,” The Starting Line” in every Runner’s World magazine.

Join us in Atlanta for the 2017 Jeff Galloway Race Weekend! To register or find out more information on the JG 13.1, The Double G, Barb’s 5K, Fit Kids Run and other weekend events go to: https://jeffgalloway131.com

Magic Mile Training in Hot Weather, Guest Blog by Chris Twiggs, Chief Training Officer, Galloway Training Programs

Question: I ran my first Magic Mile in 10:30 on an sunny, 84 degree day. What temperature related adjustments should I make to my MM time and subsequent training pace?

Answer: While heat certainly plays a role in slowing us down during our runs, we do not recommend adjusting the MM (Magic Mile) calculation based on heat. On an 84-degree day, some people who are used to heat are able to push through and run MM times within seconds of what they would on a 55-degree day. Others are particularly sensitive to the heat and run significantly slower for the mile when the temperature reaches 70. Adjusting one’s effort on a training run is appropriate for a hot day, but trying to figure out how fast you would have run if it hadn’t been that hot could result in a MM calculation that has you training too fast, and that could lead to injury. 

I recommend you use the 10:30 MM for your training calculations for now and look for an opportunity to run a new MM in a week or two, hopefully at a time or place that is cooler.

Jeff Galloway Resources: www.jeffgalloway.com Visit the E-Shop where you will find on line training programs: Customized Training and E-Coaching by Jeff.  You will also find training tips, training groups, running retreats and more. Look for Jeff’s article,” The Starting Line” in every Runner’s World magazine.

Join us in Atlanta for the 2017 Jeff Galloway Race Weekend! To register or find out more information on the JG 13.1, The Double G, Barb’s 5K, Fit Kids Run and other weekend events go to: https://jeffgalloway131.com

Concepts of Hill Training on Trails

 

1. Keep the effort level and breathing rate consistent and conversational as you approach a hill.
2. Touch lightly as you go up the hill (many trail runners walk up most or all hills).
3. If you insert running segments when going uphill, reduce stride length as you run up to maintain resiliency in the leg muscles.
4. Reduce stride to baby steps when needed on steep hills or long hills – OR WALK.
5. Monitor effort by breathing rate; try to maintain the same breathing pattern as on the flat.
6. Stay smooth when running up and running down.
7. Let gravity pull you down the hill as you touch lightly with a relatively short stride.
8. Let cadence or turnover increase as you run down, without a great increase in stride length.
9. Watch for trail hazards constantly and walk through them.
10. Don’t over-stride!

Jeff Galloway Resources: www.jeffgalloway.com Visit the E-Shop where you will find “Jeff Galloway Trail Running” and other books for your running library. You will also find training tips, training groups, running retreats and more. Look for Jeff’s article,” The Starting Line” in every Runner’s World magazine.

Join us in Atlanta for the 2017 Jeff Galloway Race Weekend! To register or find out more information on the JG 13.1, The Double G, Barb’s 5K, Fit Kids Run and other weekend events go to: https://jeffgalloway131.com

Running Can Change a Negative Mindset Into A Positive One

 

What you think, say, and believe can stimulate the release of either positive or negative hormones. Mantras are a great first step to a turn-around of a negative mindset.

Mantras that can turn emotions in a positive direction:

(Feel free to use these or create your own)

• I’m going to get moving – I’ll feel good!
• I’m moving!
• I know I can do this!
• I’m feeling better!
• I love endorphins!
• I’m changing my attitude!
• I feel better!
• I feel good!
• I feel light!
• Feeling positive!
• I can do it!

Jeff Galloway Resources: www.jeffgalloway.com Visit the E-Shop where you will find “100 Reasons To Run…NOW!” and other books for your running library. You will also find training tips, training groups, running retreats and more. 

Join us in Atlanta for the 2017 Jeff Galloway Race Weekend! To register or find out more information on the JG 13.1, The Double G, Barb’s 5K, Fit Kids Run and other weekend events go to: https://jeffgalloway131.com

 

“Muscle Memory”

Your neuro-muscular system remembers the patterns of muscle activity which you have done regularly, over an extended period of time. The longer you have been running regularly, the more easily it will be to start up when you’ve had a layoff. During your first few months of speed work, for example, if you miss a weekly workout, you will need to drop back a week, and rebuild. But if you have run regularly for several years, and you miss a speed workout, little will be lost if you start the next one very slowly, and ease into it. Be careful as you return to speed training, if this happens.

Jeff Galloway Resources: www.jeffgalloway.com Visit the E-Shop where you will find “Galloway’s 5K/10K Running” and other books for your running library. You will also find training tips, training groups, running retreats and more. 

Join us in Atlanta for the 2017 Jeff Galloway Race Weekend! To register or find out more information on the JG 13.1, The Double G, Barb’s 5K, Fit Kids Run and other weekend events go to: https://jeffgalloway131.com