To get better at running, the first thing you need to do is run.
Sounds obvious, right?
Start with running a little more often, then run a little bit longer.
But even when you find the perfect amount of running for you, there are 5 non-running things that are critical to running your best.
At any age.
1. Sleep.
Getting enough sleep is the number one most effective (legal) performance-enhancing activity you can do. If you are not prioritizing it above all else, you will not reach your potential.
In our over-scheduled hustle culture, living on less sleep is somehow considered a badge of honor. That needs to change for everyone, especially athletes.
Guidelines for sleep for athletes are between 7-9 hours for active runners, but this really can vary.
If you can wake up without an alarm, that's a great sign you are getting enough.
2. Prioritize Fueling
In my own marathon journey, I thought losing weight was key to helping me get faster.
I read a famous book on what my "race weight" should be and I restricted my calories as much as I could until I hit that magic number. After each marathon, I'd gain back all I'd lost and try it again.
And it got harder and harder each time.
Thankfully I came to my senses and stopped starving myself before I got hurt. I stopped trying to reach my “race weight” and fueled sensibly for my training.
I gained weight.
And yet I ran faster and faster. Turns out I ran my fastest race at the exact same weight as my first.
Now I know for sure that training and proper fueling matter more than the scale.
3. Add Strength Training, But Don't Overdo It
When running performance is your main goal, your strength work should support your running. It should not be so heavy or intense that you are too sore to run well.
What you are looking for is challenging, but not overly intense strength training.
In my case, I took a general, non-running-specific, full body strength class twice a week.
I didn’t “lift heavy” or work so hard that I was sore for running.
To learn more about strength training for runners, check out this podcast episode.
4. Work on Your Mental Strength
When I was running with no expectations of myself, I was excited on the starting line of races.
Once I started caring about my performance, pre-race anxiety began to overwhelm me before every race. I would get so nervous that I would feel sick to my stomach, start sweating, while anxious thoughts would spiral around in loops.
I was able to get control of this when I started to practice race visualization regularly.
Practicing all the details of the race mentally ahead of time in a calm environment taught me to remain calm in the corral. With time, the overwhelming nervousness transformed into calm anticipation.
I used generic guided meditation for athletes that I found online since I couldn't find anything specific for runners. This inspired me to make my own guided visualization specifically for runners which you can find here.
5. Find a Community
One of the absolute game-changers for my running was joining the running groups in my town.
As an introvert, joining a running group of strangers was a challenge for me. But I did it anyway and they inspired me to dream big and go for big goals.
Runners of all ages with busy lives, kids, and stressful jobs were crushing running goals that I could only dream of. They showed me the path and I couldn't wait to see what I was capable of.
Most decent-sized towns have running communities and the first place to start is your local running shop. If an IRL running group isn't available where you live or it just doesn't work with your schedule, an online group can provide a lot of the benefits as well. Check out the PR Team here.
While running itself is truly the best way to get better at running, without good sleep, nutrition, strength, mental strength and community, you'll never know how far your running could really take you.
