{"id":12290,"date":"2024-11-11T07:07:33","date_gmt":"2024-11-11T00:07:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=12290"},"modified":"2024-11-11T07:07:33","modified_gmt":"2024-11-11T00:07:33","slug":"preparing-for-a-fun-run","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=12290","title":{"rendered":"Preparing for a Fun Run"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Summer is approaching, the mornings and evenings are getting lighter and you are looking for a new challenge to boost your fitness and get you motivated.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The fun run season is approaching, so why not have a try? Setting yourself a running goal can be a great way to give your fitness a much needed boost.\u00a0 Running is a great cardio activity and you\u2019ll likely shed a few kilograms as your fitness improves.<\/p>\n<p>The following tips will help you to achieve your running goals and prepare you for a fun run.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-706021\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fitnesseducation.edu.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/DSC08862-456x304.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"456\" height=\"304\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Choose a run of an appropriate distance<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If you only have 8 weeks to prepare, don\u2019t choose a marathon or half marathon!\u00a0 Be realistic about how fit you can get in the timeframe you have.\u00a0 Sure, you might struggle through a half marathon but at what cost?\u00a0 Are you going to be so sore that it will potentially stop you from exercising for days or even weeks afterwards?\u00a0 Worse still, it may lead to injury that restricts you from participating in other activities you enjoy. Depending on your initial fitness level, a 5 \u2013 10km event is a reasonable option if you have 8 weeks to prepare.\u00a0 Four to six months of preparation is recommended for a half marathon while a full marathon will likely need six months or more.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Plan your training<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As a guide, only increase your training volume by approximately 10 \u2013 20% per week.\u00a0 For example, if you start with 2 x 5 km runs in the first week, you might increase this to 2 x 6 km in week two (or 3 x 4 km).\u00a0 Sensible increases in volume will reduce the risk of injury.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-706023\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fitnesseducation.edu.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/FITZ3816-456x304.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"456\" height=\"304\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Specificity vs Variety<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>To improve your running speed and endurance for the race you actually have to run in training!\u00a0 While training on the cross-trainer, bike or stepper is better than not training at all, you definitely need to include regular running in your exercise program.\u00a0 Furthermore, running outdoors on a variety of surfaces will be more beneficial than running indoor on the treadmill. Check out the terrain for the event and try to replicate it in your training.\u00a0 If the course is hilly, include some uphill and downhill running in your preparation.\u00a0 If it is held on the road, incorporate some training on harder surfaces so your legs become accustomed to the extra pounding effect.\u00a0 Running on a treadmill only prepares you for running in a straight line on an even surface.\u00a0 How many fun runs do you know of that are like that??<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Use technology for extra motivation<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>With the range of technical devices available to monitor your exercise, they can actually increase your motivation.\u00a0You might wish to consider the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>GPS<\/strong> \u2013 GPS watches and apps available on smart phones enable you to track your training runs to monitor the distance travelled, average speed, maximum speed and elevation throughout the course.\u00a0 You can record these and compare your training runs to monitor your improvement. Many of these link in to software programs that graph the results and show maps of your courses.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Bluetooth headphones<\/strong> \u2013 listen to your favourite music while you run.\u00a0 Some people find they run much better when they have their favourite tracks accompanying them.\u00a0 But a word of caution, be very careful if you run with headphones on, particularly near roads or along busy paths because you won\u2019t hear anyone or anything coming up behind you!<\/li>\n<li><strong>Smart Watch<\/strong> \u2013 these devices can count your steps and provide an indication of distance travelled, heart rate and other metrics that can be useful for your training. Most runners would be familiar with heart rate training \u2018zones\u2019 which provide an indication of how hard they are working.\u00a0 Higher heart rates occur with more intense exercise.\u00a0 Wearing a smart watch may be useful if you are inclined to go out too hard at the start of your run and tire early.\u00a0 Through your training you can identify the heart rate zone that correlates to a pace you can maintain for the entire run.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-706024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fitnesseducation.edu.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/FITZ3737-456x304.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"456\" height=\"304\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Fads and Trends<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Like most forms of exercise there are always new trends in running, particularly when it comes to the latest in clothing, footwear and hydration.\u00a0 One of the benefits of running is that it is a low cost form of exercise.\u00a0 A decent pair of runners will cost $100 \u2013 $200 and you don\u2019t necessarily have to outlay a whole lot more.\u00a0 But for comfort you should check out the range of purpose designed clothing, particularly those that prevent chaffing and assist in keeping you cool while you run.<\/p>\n<p>It is recommended you buy your runners from a specialist retailer so they can check your running biomechanics to determine whether you need additional support for pronation and supination.\u00a0 Minimalist shoes are a current trend and without going into too much detail regarding the positives and negatives (maybe a topic for another article), they take a bit of getting used to!\u00a0 So don\u2019t buy a pair of them 2 weeks before your event and expect them to significantly reduce your time.<\/p>\n<p>While hydration is important, unless you are training for an ultramarathon don\u2019t waste your money on energy gels that can be consumed on the run.\u00a0 A sensible eating plan prior to and after exercise will be sufficient.\u00a0 Fun runs include drink stations every few kilometres and these are ample for the needs of the majority of runners.\u00a0 In your training make sure you are well hydrated before your run and drink 1 \u2013 2 litres afterwards even if you don\u2019t feel particularly thirsty.\u00a0 If you sweat a lot, replace the electrolytes with sports drinks such as gatorade or powerade, otherwise water is fine.<\/p>\n<p>The last consideration for your preparation (and the most critical if you want to improve) is \u2018interval training\u2019. To run faster you have to practice running faster!\u00a0 It makes sense doesn\u2019t it!<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fitnesseducation.edu.au\/blog\/fitness\/preparing-fun-run\/\">Preparing for a Fun Run<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fitnesseducation.edu.au\">Australian Fitness Academy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fitnesseducation.edu.au\/blog\/fitness\/preparing-fun-run\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Summer is approaching, the mornings and evenings are getting lighter and you are looking for a new challenge to boost your fitness and get you motivated. The fun run season is approaching, so why not have a try? Setting yourself a running goal can be a great way to give your fitness a much needed &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12290","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fitness"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12290","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12290"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12290\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12290"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12290"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12290"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}