Over the last 23+ years, I’ve made most training errors so you don’t have to! Learn how to run smarter and stay healthy by avoiding 5 common pitfalls that can derail your training.
After more than 23 years of running, I can say with confidence that I’ve made almost every training mistake that you can imagine.
My running career began in 1998 and continued with cross country and track at the high school, collegiate, and post-collegiate levels. Along the way I suffered from a variety of running injuries that kept me from training and racing as consistently as I would have liked. Even though I did it the hard way – by foolishly making too many training errors – hindsight allowed me to learn from these mistakes.
In this week’s podcast, I take a look back at my running career to analyze where I went wrong and how I have learned to do better. As a coach, my hope is always to provide you with the best possible insights to make you healthy and successful throughout your running career.
Avoid These Training Errors
While running can be filled with nuanced training and over-advertised hacks for running faster, improvement can’t happen if you don’t nail the basics. Although some training errors aren’t the end of the world, eventually they add up.
You’re bound to get hurt if you continually make injury mistakes with your training.
The foundation of healthy training isn’t glamorous or sexy, but it works. Sorry to say there are no hacks – running well is about creating the space in your life to do it well, no matter if you’re running 20 miles each week or 100.
After all, the fundamentals of injury prevention are the same no matter your ability.
In the podcast I dig a little deeper into each of the mistakes that you need to avoid in order to run well and continue to improve:
- Mistake #1: Running inconsistently with wild swings in mileage – you’re more likely to get hurt during the buildup than during regular high volume running
- Mistake #2: A lack of faster running for long stretches of time – this part of your fitness comes back the slowest so don’t allow it to become detrained!
- Mistake #3: Not running easy enough on your easy days. Why the three “Cs” (and not your GPS device) – should be your tool.
- Mistake #4: Running through sharp or severe pain that alters your running form. If the pain gets worse as you run, listen to your body.
- Mistake #5: You guessed it – a lack of strength training! You have to build a strong foundation to support healthy running.
Want to gain a more thorough understanding of each of these mistakes and how to avoid them? Listen to this week’s edition to find out how to eliminate each of these in your own training.
Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, or Google Play.
Links & Resources from the Show:
- Read more about some of my favorite strength routines.
- Check out the Strength Running YouTube Channel for videos on mileage building, speed development, and recovery
- Learn how to build strength that supports your running.
- Want personalized help from me?
- Get our best advice on injury treatment & prevention
Thank You InsideTracker!
This episode is brought to you by InsideTracker, one of the most reputable blood testing companies in the world. They were founded in 2009 by aging, genetics, and biometrics scientists to help you analyze your body’s data and get a firm idea of how well you’re responding to training.
Understanding your body’s biomarkers, from stress hormones to testosterone to Vitamin D, can help you figure out if you’re over-training, under-training, optimally training, or if you have a health issue that might be affecting your running. But the best part is that they give you personalized optimal ranges for each of these biomarkers and a host of ways to improve these markers through diet, lifestyle, or exercise changes.
I’ve personally gotten three Ultimate tests from them and the process is simple, easy, and very eye-opening if you haven’t done a deep dive on your biomarkers yet. Of all the investments you can make in your running, this one is like getting a detailed checkup or regularly scheduled maintenance for your internal physiology.
If you’re ready to take control of your health and optimize your training, get 25% off any of their blood tests with code STRENGTHRUNNING at InsideTracker.
Thank You Athletic Greens!
Thank you to our sponsor, Athletic Greens! They are a health and wellness company that makes AG1. This is a category-leading greens mix that has 75 vitamins and minerals, prebiotics, probiotics, antioxidants, and adaptogens.
One scoop per day is what I’ve been doing to help me fill in any nutrition gaps in my diet. It also provide a nice boost of energy and focus throughout the day. With all 3 of my kids in school, I know I need to support my immune system or else I’m getting sick and can’t train.
I also love that AG1 has changed over the last decade. Athletic Greens has made 53 improvements to the formula based on the latest research to make these nutrients more absorbable.
For our listeners, they are offering a year’s worth of free Vitamin D and 5 free travel packs of AG1 with your first purchase. You can sign up for single shipment or for a monthly drop – the choice is yours. Check out Athletic Greens to redeem your offer today.
