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Focusing body and soul only on running can debilitate you; considering other factors is crucial to improvement.
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Sleep is critical for recovery and physical improvement; sometimes preferring sleep to a workout is productive.
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A balanced diet and technique and strength training exercises are essential; also consider cross training for variety.
Justas it happens in study and work, in order to get good grades and aspire for promotion one focuses body and soul on what one is doing to try to achieve the goal. The same is also true in running: in order to improve, which may mean running stronger and/or farther, we focus solely and exclusively on running, leaving out all other types of training. This does not always prove to be a winning strategy. It happens that you squeeze so much by demanding too much from your body that you arrive debilitated at the time when you should be at the peak of your form, which most often coincides with race day. Sometimes it is hard to notice, and by the time you realize it, it is too late.
Shifts focus
There are other strategies you can implement without feeling compelled to increase the number of weekly miles you are used to running. To see an improvement in your performance, you should not underestimate other factors that contribute to this process that also affect aspects of everyday life.
- Sleep
Sleep is not a waste of time; it is valuable time that you invest not only in your overall health but also from the standpoint of athletic preparation. It is one of the most influential factors in improving fitness. During the night, the body puts the recovery processes in place. The more hours of sleep you give yourself the more ready you will arrive at the next training session. Sometimes choosing to skip a workout in favor of a few extra hours of sleep can be the most productive choice you can make. There is no substitute for the effectiveness of a good restorative sleep.
- Training… to eat well
Just filling the tank with gasoline is not enough. One must choose the right gasoline. A diesel car will never start if we put gasoline in it. In the case of the “human machine,” it will be sufficient to adopt a balanced and varied dietary style, including a rotation of foods in the doses and proportions most congenial to each individual. Don’t be afraid to eat, as long as you eat well. Your body needs energy to be able to sustain the effort of training and subsequently to support you in muscle recovery.
- The technique
Technique exercises do not take as long but are very effective if done consistently. Over time your body will memorize the movements, and having arrived at this point you can, a little at a time, apply what you have learned in running, making it more fluid, harmonious and above all efficient.
- Consider other disciplines
In other words, insert cross training sessions. Running is a monotonous and repetitive movement (which is why you do not have the power to complain when you happen to have to do something boring at work or at home, because your passion is based precisely on the tedious repetition of one step after another!) that can “wear you out” in some circumstances.
Cycling and swimming are the most popular disciplines for those who want to increase and improve aerobic capacity without incurring the side effects of too much running. But you can also decide to engage in yoga or pilates for example.
- Train strength
Without needing to get caught up in the competitive streak even in the gym since the goal is not to become bodybuilders, a little muscle strengthening in the gym can only do you good. A stronger muscle is a muscle that can withstand fatigue better and will be able to support you better and longer in competition, even when you find yourself in trouble.
If you start from scratch start with some free-body exercises and then gradually put in some weight, or cast iron as some people like to call it, never overdoing it.
(Via Women’s running)