Author Archives: Carey Nelson

Run Faster! Everyone would like to run faster in races. Over the years there have been several running research studies proving how you can race faster with more than just workouts. I imagine if you could add them all up together you would have a ten percent improvement! Let’s make a list of some ofContinue reading “How to Race Faster at the Great Trek”

Winter brings snow and rain which has an impact on our workouts. We need to keep training for races over the next two months. Often you can be running on snow or in heavy rain to keep up with your training plan.  There are several options to help you keep fit: you can substitute yourContinue reading “Winter Weather Workouts”

WORKOUT LOCATION SCHEDULE for FORERUNNERS MAIN ST-WINTER 2022 6:30pm Wed Mar 30 – Memorial Track 8:00am Sat Apr 2 – Creekside Community Ctr 6:30pm Wed Apr 6 – Memorial Track 8:00am Sat Apr 9 – Memorial Track 6:30pm Wed Apr 13 – Memorial Track 8:00am Sat Apr 16 – Memorial Track 6:30pm Wed Apr 20Continue reading “Main Street Workout Location Schedule-Winter 2022”

During these times of self led runs and workouts you may have noticed a drop in your speed of long runs and workouts. You may be attributing this reduction in speed to a loss of motivation without the support structure of group workouts and races. However there may be a different reason for your lossContinue reading “Running Longevity-Maintain Running Technique”

For the past four weeks the training program has emphasized improving your VO2max through faster paced workouts at 5km pace. Tomorrow is your final VO2max workout of the series of workouts. The next two weeks of the program will allow you to recover from the higher intensity workouts by focusing on tempo pace. The tempoContinue reading “Hill Training for Running Specific Strength”

Forerunners currently is hosting the Virtual Seven Summits and Four Cities Run until June 30th. If you are planning to run a virtual marathon you may want to use one of the 47km challenges as part of your preparation. Training for a marathon requires several longer runs over 30km to prepare for the 42.2km event.Continue reading “The Over Distance Run”

Your winter training has gone well. You have improved your fitness through long runs, tempo workouts and speed workouts. You may have run one or two virtual races to maintain contact with racing and stay motivated. The weather is improving and spring is around the corner. It’s time to step up the pace and runContinue reading “Improve Your VO2max Pace To Prepare For Spring Races”

Vary the recovery during speedwork to meet your goals The Forerunners training program is based on three key workouts: Monday Tempo; Wednesday Speedwork; and, Saturday Long Runs. The  speed workouts are run at 10km pace and occasionally 5km pace. Over time as your fitness improves it has become easier and easier to run at aContinue reading “Vary the Recovery During Speedwork to Meet Your Goals”

What to do the days between workouts. The Forerunners training program is based on three key workouts: Monday Tempo; Wednesday Speedwork and Saturday Long Runs. These are three quality workouts especially if you have run part of the long run at marathon pace. You need some easier days to recover for the next workout. YouContinue reading “What to do the Days Between Workouts”

Circuit Training – Combined Speed-work and Strength Developing a few aches and pains or your speed has dropped? Have you let your strength slide during the winter? Strength improves your running technique and speed and reduces injury. During these times when gym access is limited it remains important to continue with your strength training toContinue reading “Circuit Training For Running”

It usually takes about two weeks to return to normal after a half marathon. If you run at a maximum effort during a race you will challenge your body more than a regular workout. There will be more than usual muscle tissue damage in your legs. You need some time to recover and allow yourContinue reading “Recovery From a Half Marathon”

The last week of the running program is primarily a week of recovery from the past three months of hard training. There are a few race preparations that can improve your time in the final five days leading to the start. RECOVERY FROM SEVERAL WEEKS OF HARD TRAINING 1) Reduce Level of Intensity and Distance.Continue reading “10 VIRTUAL HALF MARATHON RACE WEEK SUGGESTIONS”

As your key race approaches it’s tempting to run too fast or too far during the final few workouts. You need to decide how to adjust your training over the final two weeks before your race. This will depend on how much you have been training and the intensity of your workouts. You can useContinue reading “TAPERING FOR RACES”

The primary Forerunners training schedule asks for three primary runs per week; long run, tempo workout and speedwork. The schedule is designed to prepare you for races by gradually improving your fitness with a low risk of injury. You can accelerate your improvement in fitness by adding more runs per week or by adding extraContinue reading “Using Average Heart Rate to Adjust Your Training”

Happy New Year! 2020 was an unusual year and a year of patience as COVID turned everything upside down. Adjusting training plans and fitness maintenance were the goals of the year. In early 2020 most of us had expected to be racing in November and December 2020. 2021 looks like a better year as vaccinesContinue reading “Goal Setting 2021”

You have been working out this fall and into the winter building your aerobic base and speed. As you continue to train for the First Half Virtual in February you may want to know what are the changes to your fitness. There are a few ways to gauge how your fitness is improving: Time trialContinue reading “HOW TO GAUGE YOUR FITNESS”

As a runner, the main reason to cross train is to improve your fitnesswithout the injury risk of increasing weekly running mileage. Ourtraining program includes running three times per week but you maywant to train a little more. You can use the traditional forms ofcross training to add aerobic fitness which include: swimming,cycling, elliptical workouts,Continue reading “Is Running With Carbon Plated Shoes A New Form of Cross Training?”

Tempo runs are fast pace efforts that are brisker than long run pace, but not so fast that you are too tired for your next run. The objective is to twofold: 1) raise your anaerobic threshold so you can race faster; and, 2) help you sharpen up for races by running at near race paceContinue reading “Tempo Workouts”

Our training program includes three key workouts per week speed, tempo and long run. This week’s newsletter looks at the benefits of a long run in preparing for the First Half. The long easy run is simply that, a run at an easy pace which is slower than your marathon race pace. Anything slower thanContinue reading “Long Runs for the Virtual First Half”

It was a running shoe revolution. New carbon plated shoes hit the pavement. The first was the Nike Zoom Vaporfly 4% and many soon followed from other shoe brands. Average times in marathon events were dropping and more and more runners started to race in them with significant personal best times. Competition heated. Nike releasedContinue reading “Carbon Plated Shoes for Solo Workouts”

Strides are easy pace sprints run on a level road, track or grass field. These light accelerations are distances from 60m to 100m. Usually you run 3 to 10 repeats at a good pace to help you warm-up, improve your fitness, develop speed or enhance running technique. When and how do you use strides. Warm-upContinue reading “Use Strides to Run Faster”

The Forerunners Mile Challenge is well underway. There are a few more days left to run your first mile in the month of July to qualify for the draw prizes. You may be looking to run a faster mile during the second leg of the challenge during the month of August which is the purposeContinue reading “Improving Your Mile Time”

Circuit Training – Combined Speed-work and Strength During these times when gym access is limited it remains important to continue with your strength training to keep injuries in check. We recommend the Forerunners fundamental exercises to maintain basic strength. You can add circuit training to your weekly routine to add variety to your training, andContinue reading “Circuit Training”

When you start out on a running schedule you will see your fitness will improve week after week. You will improve just because of the consistency of training. For example Forerunners primary schedule has you run 3 to 4 times per week. Eventually you will reach a fitness plateau where your rate of improvement hasContinue reading “Set A Goal To Improve Your Aerobic Threshold”

Our training program includes three types of running, speedwork, tempo runs and the long easy run. The easy/longer distance runs correspond to the running just below or at the aerobic threshold which is also the same as the heart rate training zone of 65% to 75% of maximum heart rate. When you improve your aerobicContinue reading “The Long Easy Run”