7 Expert Running Tips for Boosting Speed and Endurance This Fall

The temperatures might be dropping, but your training will be heating up before your fall races.

Fall tends to be a busy time for marathoners. Whether you’re running 26.2 miles for the first time or you’ve got a few races under your belt, it’s always a good idea to revisit your running routine and freshen it up with smart training strategies and new ways to fire up your motivation.

Ahead, you’ll pick up expert-led tips and strategies to revitalize your running routine, improve speed, and enhance endurance in preparation for the fall marathon season. With these revamped skills in your toolbox, you’ll be more than equipped to reach your running goals and excel in upcoming marathon events.

Assess Your Fitness Level

When embarking on a marathon training journey, it can be helpful to assess your current fitness level, which includes endurance, speed, and overall running performance.

“Marathon” Matt Forsman, CEO, Head Coach, and Director of “Runspiration” for San Francisco’s Run Club SF, suggests signing up for a race ahead of the marathon — especially if it's a half or a 10K, which can offer better insights than a 5K. Or, get familiar with your heart rate zones, suggests Mechelle Lewis Freeman, Olympian, Olympic Coach, and Life Time Master Trainer. That way, you can approach your fitness efforts in a more personalized way by “working at the right intensity level and tapping into the right fuel sources for your body at the right time to achieve the specified fitness goal.”

If you’d like to track your metrics throughout your training, running watches from Garmin, Polar, Sunnto, and other companies measure pace, distance, heart rate, and more. These devices are key if you’re looking to improve your fitness, run faster, post a personal best, or qualify for the Boston Marathon.

Establish Clear Goals

Setting clear goals starts with meeting yourself where you are as a runner in this present moment. “Embrace where you are along your fitness journey,” says Lewis Freeman. “As you prepare for the fall marathon season, it’s important to set goals that support a healthy and gradual progression that allows your body to adapt to the stressors that result in development, rather than breaking down the body in a way that leads to declining performance and potential injury.”

When setting out to achieve something major, like finishing a marathon, it’s incredibly important to set realistic and measurable goals. Goals may include attaining a personal best time, completing a full marathon, or improving overall performance. In fact, Forsman says that if your goals aren’t realistic or measurable, you could set yourself up for disappointment and possibly injury.

With that said goal setting can be beneficial when maintaining motivation and focus during training. Just be sure to bring those goals back down to Earth whenever they’re starting to feel unattainable.

Structure an Effective Training Plan

There are *very few* runners who can get out of bed and run a marathon with zero training—and we highly discourage this. Most of us need to develop a structured training plan that’s tailored to our goals and individual fitness levels. And while there are several generic “free” plans online, as Forsman points out, these plans may or may not work for you.

“I think it's generally worthwhile to spend a little time and money and work with a coach to create a plan specific to your lifestyle, your current running fitness level, and current, and perhaps future, running goals,” he says. “Most coaches, including myself, try to get a solid understanding of a person's lifestyle, motivation level, current fitness level, injury history, and more when creating a training plan.”

It's also essential to incorporate different types of runs into your training, such as long runs, tempo runs, intervals (a mix of fast and slowed-down running), and recovery runs. These runs all work together to improve speed and endurance.

All of these runs prepare you for the marathon in some way, shape, or form, says Forsman. Long runs boost endurance and help you to run for longer periods of time. Fast work such as tempo or interval runs can improve your form, running economy, and mental toughness. Recovery runs are necessary for your body to heal, adapt, and get stronger. Cross-training is also important to avoid injury and simply to engage in non-running workouts.

Lewis Freeman says that this variety of runs will help you tackle different environments and situations that may arise during the marathon (i.e. hills, needing to run faster to get back on pace, etc.).

As for increasing mileage, Forsman cautions that you shouldn’t increase your mileage by more than 10 to 15 percent at a time. He says, “This means, if you're running 30 miles this week, you probably don't want to increase your mileage to much more than 34 the next week.”

Related: Training Plans

Prioritize Strength and Conditioning

Your training doesn’t begin and end on the pavement, track, or treadmill. Strength training and conditioning exercises geared toward runners can improve overall performance and prevent injuries.

“Strength training, stabilizing, core, and balancing drills are important for maintaining proper form while running,” says Forsman.

Lewis Freeman says that when you’re asking your body to execute a movement pattern repeatedly, like running, your body must become more efficient at moving that way so the muscles can grow stronger and more capable. During non-running workouts, be sure to include squats, lunges, planks, and core workouts to target those key muscle groups. She advises starting with a dynamic warm-up before your runs, as it “is critical in preparing the body to perform its best before running.”

“Personally, I love starting with dynamic stretches that address flexibility and mobility in full-body muscle groups and joints,” she says. “And you definitely want to address your hips. From there, moving on to running drills to activate and prepare the nervous system for the training demands of the day is key."

Utilize Recovery and Injury Prevention Strategies

Even though you might be itching to get out there and log more miles, it’s necessary to integrate recovery into your routine. These recovery techniques include rest days, foam rolling, stretching, and adequate sleep, all of which help you avoid overtraining and reduce the risk of injuries.

If you’re going after it a bit too hard and you haven’t been doing enough of these recovery techniques, your body will let you know. "There are a few 'yellow flags' in my experience,” says Forsman. “It's normal for a run or two to feel not so great periodically. But if every run feels off for a week or so, this could be a sign you're doing too much.”

He adds that if your sleep patterns are disrupted or poor, this could be a sign of overtraining. “If you experience night sweats...if you feel flat or fatigued despite getting decent sleep, this could indicate you're overtraining as well.”

Additionally, Lewis Freeman says that mental fatigue or burnout, muscle soreness, dehydration, and restlessness can signal the need for a slow-down. “Some may feel a lack of motivation to keep training,” she says. If this sounds like you, take your training back a few steps, take an extra rest day, or even temporarily pause your training until you feel better.

Optimize Your Nutrition for Running

Another must-have aspect of training that doesn’t involve running? A well-balanced diet will support your training and enhance your performance.

Forsman says that nutrition requirements can vary depending on the distance and duration of each run. If a run is in excess of two hours, he generally recommends pre-run fueling about an hour to an hour and a half before the run which includes carbs, a little protein, and some fat. His go-to for this is half a bagel with some peanut or almond butter, or a banana and a small cup of Greek yogurt.

When it comes to pre-run fueling, “It's important to experiment with a few options and see what works best for you,” says Forsman. See if your pre-run snack helps your overall performance and doesn’t make you feel queasy while running.

Since marathon training runs are longer than most everyday runs, nutrition should also come with you during your runs, particularly your long ones. Forsman suggests taking in some type of fuel every 45 to 60 minutes, such as a bar or gel.

After the run, Forsman recommends eating something with a 4:1 carbohydrate-to-protein ratio. “This 'magic formula' has been proven by sports scientists to expedite the recovery process,” he says, adding that chocolate milk has this ratio, making it a perfect post-run drink.

When it comes to hydration, Forsman typically advises taking in fluids (ideally, a mix of water and electrolytes) every 15 to 20 minutes during a run or drinking according to thirst.

Focus On Mental Preparation and Motivation

As you likely know, running isn’t just about physical fitness. It’s also about the mental hurdles you’ll need to face along the way. Forsman says that training for a marathon can be a grind. It can help to complete a couple of “shorter” races during training so that you can cross off some smaller milestones and stay motivated.

Forsman is also a “big believer in visualization.” He says, “My best strategy for 'visualizing success’ is to do just that—visualize. During some of my tough training runs when I'm feeling fatigued, I'll actively visualize myself at the end of a race fighting through fatigue to get to the finish line. I visualize myself maintaining form and staying strong despite adversity. I visualize myself executing my pacing strategy and nailing my splits mile over mile over mile.”

Forsman also tries to make things as “small” as possible when he’s feeling mentally and/or physically challenged. That’s when he breaks things down into just the mile in front of him instead of all the miles that remain. But if a mile even feels like too much, he’ll focus on the next bush, stop sign, or gas station to keep moving forward.

Another trick that works for Forsman? Mantras. He shares, “When I'm tired and the negative self-talk starts to invade my headspace, I'll turn to a mantra that's always resonated for me: 'Focus and Relax.' Simply repeating this over and over in my head often helps me focus, relax, and stay the course.”

Touching upon this idea, Lewis Freeman says that you should have some encouraging words ready so that when you find yourself in a hard place, you’re equipped to get yourself out of it. Try to land on a mantra that works for you ahead of your race.

Related: These Are the Things You Absolutely Should Not Do on Race Day

While these tips might all seem a bit overwhelming at the moment, know that it’s helpful to implement these suggested techniques gradually, while seeking professional guidance if necessary.

No matter what fall marathon season holds for you, you can rest easy knowing that introducing some, or even all, of these tips into your routine can make you a better runner.

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