Training and Staying Healthy for Your Race

There are many people who run to help stay active or just because they like the simplicity of it. While these reasons to run are exceptional, they just don’t cut it for some people. Others need to feed their competitive side while still doing the activity they love so much. This is where the competitive side of running begins.

Many runners who want to get involved with the competitive side will often start out running local 5 Kilometer races. These are 3.1 miles and are the most basic of all road races since many towns host these at benefits or festivals. Races like these will attract a plethora of runners from your town and from the surrounding areas so be prepared for some stiff competition.

Training for a 5K race is usually pretty simple and involves runs anywhere from quarter mile repeats up to long runs that range from 8-12 miles depending on personal fitness. Typically when training for one, you should start anywhere from 8-10 weeks out and building up the intensity of your workouts week by week. During my high school cross country season, we did all of our pre-season base training in the summer and focused on building up our speed during the actual season. The time period in the first weeks of a training plan is known as the base phase. This is where you build up your aerobic base by incorporating slower runs, but for further distances. The speed phase comes after your base phase and will involve much shorter and faster runs.

The most important part of any training plan is developing a strategy to keep you from getting injured. This can be anything from stretching routines, wearing more supportive shoes, or even just taking some days off when you are feeling pain. I was a prime example of this during high school because I had developed stress reactions in my lower legs my freshman year, but continued to run and made them worse. By my senior year, I still had pain in my lower legs from time to time which really threw off some of my training. The bottom line is that your body needs to be tended to before and after a workout to ensure you don’t ruin yourself.

Welcome!

Hello my name is Eric Ingros and I am going to help you explore the world of running and all the benefits that it has to offer. I started running competitively in 7^th grade when I joined the track and field team.

Once high school started, I also became involved in the cross country program at our school. We traveled all over the state and even to Ohio and New York to compete. I had my fair share of success during these times and ended up leaving high school with 7 district titles.

Enough of me, let us get to what this blog is about. Over those 5 years, I have learned to appreciate the human body and how amazing it is. The beauty of running is that anyone can do it and it is very beneficial to your body if done properly. This blog is all about the fundamentals of competitive running and we’ll even dive into the professional running scene down the road.

I chose this topic particularly because I am a runner, but mainly because I want to help promote a great sport that doesn’t get enough love in today’s society. From road racing to track and field, we will cover many of the sport’s greatest athletes and some of their training secrets.