The next three weeks – training alone

For many, your coach or leader will be in touch and set you sessions that you can carry out on your own and we are also here to help with lots of information and tips in our Training and Advice section.

With a healthy lifestyle and diet, research confirms that it takes around three weeks before we lose fitness levels when we move away from regular training and this is the exact time frame that we have given for solo training. However, we are lucky that our sport is one of the easiest to do from our own front door. We may miss those group sessions with a coach or our regular training group when we get to push harder with speed and strength work but all is not lost. There are ways to keep on top of this on your own and, importantly, you can spend longer periods addressing areas that you may have neglected to varying degrees while locked on your previous targets.

Remember there are key fitness areas

Endurance (an ability to endure sustained efforts- our main area of fitness).  For most runners this is the most developed aspect of fitness.

Speed (short distance efforts that take less than one minute). While you may want to run faster, are you addressing your development to run at maximum speed? Are you capable of doing it if you lack strength, coordination and flexibility?

Flexibility (stretching and range of motion). Whilst we are sure most will do some form of stretching to increase range of motion, could you improve further to allow improved technique and increase speed alongside this?

Coordination (skill or technique). Is your running style optimum at various speeds and how can you focus on improving this further? For many it is a shorter stride length to land closer to our mid-foot or perhaps a higher knee drive.

Strength (absolute, endurance and elastic). Whilst strength endurance is a key area to the developed, how is your absolute strength? Can you complete five press ups or do five unaided sit ups or five chin ups? If you can then you may have a good degree of maximum strength in relation to your body weight.

A key point here is that to do these activities you don’t necessarily build muscle bulk, but rather the brain’s ability to recruit the muscles you already have!

For ideas on how to improve all aspects of your fitness, visit our Training and Advice section, where you will find motivation and ideas for sessions that you can carry out alone so that you don’t de-train over the next three weeks.

Over the next weeks we will address other aspects of fitness that you may be neglecting to some degree, but importantly will help you get fit, reduce the risk of injury and hopefully set you up to run Faster Further and Stronger as you train Smarter!