I have a confession….
There's something that I need to tell you...I'm not a fast runner.
When I first started running road marathons, I couldn't finish in under 4 hours. The harder I tried, the slower I got and my love for running was declining.
Right when I was about to give up on running altogether, I stumbled on an article in Runner's World about trail running and ultras. I made the switch and found a trainer who taught me that I wasn't progressing because I was focusing on the wrong things.
Fast forward 10 years later - I'm still not a fast runner - but I'm getting faster.
Here's an example:
These are my finishing times for the last day of the Ragged 75 Stage Race (the 50k) for 2018 and 2019.
How did I shave 45 minutes off my time in just 1 year?
For one, I stopped treating my body like a poorly maintained machine!
I realized I'm no different than a car that needs constant maintenance in order to run fast, smooth, and for a long time.
With that realization in mind, I shifted my focus to the nuts & bolts of my training...the things that actually make runners faster
I analyzed my sleep patterns and learned that even though I was getting a full 7-8 hours, the quality of my sleep was bad.
I kept track of everything I ate for 2 weeks and noticed that on the days I was busy, I wasn't eating nearly enough.
I looked back at my training data from the previous year and saw that my strength & mobility training was sporadic (at best).
Once I'd found the holes in my training, I got to work implementing new habits and practices to set me up for a better race the following year and couldn't believe I shaved an entire 45 minutes off my time.
It was like I'd found the secret hack to running faster without running MORE.
I couldn't keep it to myself so I put all of it into my upcoming program, the Winter Reboot.
Join the program to find & fill the holes in your training so that you can go faster in 2022.
See you there!
Meghan