Hey, fellow runners! Welcome back to my blog.

One thing that I really love about the sport of running is the ability for anyone to make massive improvements and become a very good runner.

With smart, effective training, anyone can make huge leaps in fitness and running performance over a long period of time. Even those who are not very naturally gifted can still get very good at running by consistently doing the right things.

EVERYONE can keep improving!

If you want to be one of those people, here are a few major points that will get you there:

Lock Into a Schedule

One of the toughest and most common obstacles in training for amateurs is finding consistent time to train and working around a busy schedule. On top of working, most of us have lots of other things going on that make it tough to fit in training sometimes. It’s so important to find a schedule that generally works for you as your Plan A for the week.

• Consistency: Scheduling in time to run will help you be more consistent and get out the door.
• Flexibility: When things get in the way of training, you’ve got the structure in place to move your training around.
• Routine: Even if you’re not super busy, having a designated time that you know you’re going to run helps you get out the door and removes choice from the equation.

Identify Strengths and Weaknesses

Everyone’s body is different, so we’ll thrive in different types of workouts. Knowing what works for you and what you need to work on will help you work with your body and continue to improve your weakest points.

• Your Strengths: Identify your strengths by looking at the workouts you like the best. Most of your training should be tailored around your strengths.
• Your Weaknesses: Identify why something is a weak point. Is it because you haven’t developed that part of your training? Improving your weakest points will always level up your running.

Build on What Is Working

First, you have to find something that works! If nothing is working for you, then that’s the first step. Find a baseline of what you can do to improve in the short-term.

• Evaluate: What did you do previously that worked well for you? What new things did you implement that created improvement?
• Adjust: Do more of what works and quit doing what made your fitness stall or regress.

More of the Same

So many runners get caught up in trying to make big changes in their training to produce big results. Once you find what generally works for you to run well, the changes from there are minor to accommodate for improved fitness.

• Consistency: Most of the time, you could run almost exactly the same things you did the last season with the same effort and intensity and produce a slightly higher result.
• Small Improvements: Every season, aim for small improvements. Sometimes you’ll see bigger jumps, but that’s really just a bonus.

Stay Long-Term Focused

Building fitness and making big improvements takes time. You’ll have seasons with more improvement than others. You may have a season of regression (hopefully not). But truly big progress comes over time.

• Patience: There’s no shortcut or any special trick to make big jumps in fitness. Your body takes time to adapt to new training.
• Long-Term Vision: Keep your eyes on the long term and don’t stress about short-term gains or challenges.

Conclusion

By locking into a schedule, identifying your strengths and weaknesses, building on what is working, maintaining consistency, and staying long-term focused, you can keep getting faster and achieve your running goals. Remember, progress takes time and dedication, but with the right approach, everyone can improve.

👟 Ready to take your running to the next level? Check out my personalized coaching services.

Together, we can achieve your running goals and unlock your full potential!

See you in the next post,

Ely