Depending on where you are in the country, Old Man Winter has either moved in or is just around the corner. The temperature may be dropping but that doesn’t mean you have to stop running outside.

We’re all guilty of pulling the covers back over our heads on those blustery mornings but armed with the right mindset and gear, running in the cold can be just as rewarding as usual.

Staying warm (and comfortable) comes down to your clothing choices. If you’re used to only running during the warmer months, you’ll have to adjust a ‘tiny’ bit.

Layers

Focus on fabrics that wick moisture away from your skin and steer very clear of cotton (because it doesn’t dry easily once wet). Just remember the phrase, “Cotton is Rotten!” Even though it’s cold, you’re still going to sweat. To keep your body temperature from getting low, you need to get that sweat off of your skin.

I’m not going to get into a whole post on layering but the basics are this:

• Base Layer – Moves sweat away from your skin.
• Mid Layer – Insulates and keeps body heat from escaping.
• Outer Layer – Offers protection from the elements.

I like to start with an Under Armour compression shirt against my skin and a Nike DriFit style shirt on top of that. It’s a personal preference that I use those two shirts to make up my base layer and some are happy with just one.

That combination base layer tends to always stay the same but my next layer will depend on how cold it is. If it’s not too chilly out, I’ll wear a thin wool and polyester pullover. It’s long sleeve and does a good job of keeping me comfortable without holding onto sweat.

If it’s really cold or windy and there’s no chance of precipitation, I’ll put on a thicker fleece pullover instead. This has thumb holes which offer some protection for my hands as well as a taller neck area that I can zip up higher.

I’ll also put on a light windbreaker on top of all of this if there’s rain in the forecast. Optionally, you could go with a soft shell, as they offer a good blend of breathability and protection. Something like a hard shell will offer the most protection but they can be bulky for running and not breathe nearly as well as the other options. If it’s raining so bad that you need a hard shell, I recommend figuring out an indoor workout or just sucking it up and getting wet outside. Just run really fast (sounds legit)!

Wearing pants will be also be a personal preference. I tend to stick with shorts most of the time. Now and then I’ll wear a pair of sweat pants or fleece pants from Outdoor Research if I don’t want my legs to get wind burned.

Accessories

It’s debatable on how much body heat you actually lose through your head, some say as little as 14% and others say upwards of 40%, either way it makes sense to put a [warm] lid on it. Don’t just look for a nice knit cap but try and find something that will also stop the wind. At various times, I’ll find that my head gets a bit overheated. If you run with me in the winter, you’ll see me take my hat off during the run or sometimes just prop it up on top. Layers help to regulate your body temperature and being able to take off one layer at a time is huge.

If you find that you don’t like wearing a hat, there are a number of other options for covering your ears. Sometimes it’s those little things that make all the difference in keeping you feeling warm and cozy. Pearl Izumi makes a technical headband or you can even get single ear covers, called “ear mitts” interestingly enough.

Gloves seem to be something that everyone differs on. I didn’t like them at first while I ran, but recently I’ve used them more and more. I’ll switch between a really cheap pair of those stretchy cotton gloves and something more technical. Yes, the cheap ones are cotton, but my hands don’t sweat much and they keep me just warm enough to be comfortable. Now and then I’ll use a pair of North Face E-Tip gloves that I got as a Christmas gift last year. They have little conductive pads on the finger tips so I can use my iPhone while I’m running. If your hands tend to get cold or maybe you have blood circulation issues, you may find gloves to be helpful.

Outside Magazine just had a post about why your nose runs while cycling (or exercising in general). Sometimes it’s due to allergies but the weather could be a culprit too. Either way, it’s another good reason to wear gloves (to wipe your nose) or at least carry a hankie. A funny alternative is the “Snot Spot” but it looks to be discontinued.

Something I try not to forget is chapstick. I like the medicated kind personally as it really helps to protect my lips from getting wind burned and dry. Your mileage will vary on this though. I’ve even heard of people who put a little chapstick on their nose or cheeks if the wind is especially harsh that day.

One last bit to mention is that there’s a myth to running in the cold. Some believe that the cold air will hurt your lungs, but from what I’ve found, it’s simply a myth. While the air outside is cold, it’s warmed to your body temperature by the time it reaches your lungs. You may notice your throat feeling a bit irritated, but that can be remedied by covering your mouth with a balaclava or a Buff. I like to run with a lozenge or gum in my mouth to keep it from getting dry and sore.

Motivation

It’s hard to get motivated to run in the cold and even more so with the time change and it getting darker earlier. How do you get motivated to run? Well, this will be different for all people but ultimately, you have to enjoy it. Don’t think of running (or working out) to be a chore, do it for fun!

• Get your running clothes out and ready. I’m much more likely to get out there if everything is laid before me.
• Hassle a friend to run with you until they give in. Misery loves company.
• Load up your iPod (or music player) with some motivating music or even some podcasts. Running while listening to a podcast or audiobook helps keep me distracted from the cold.
• Run for a cause. When you sync your runs with RunKeeper or Nike+ and Earndit, you earn credits that you can redeem for real world items.
• Read about running. There’s something about running blogs that make me want to get out and run myself. I find inspiration in the stories of others.
• On my worst days, I’ll get out for at least 30 minutes. That’s the length of most TV shows. Surely you can skip one TV show for a run.
• Don’t focus on pace, just enjoy yourself. Throw in a few breaks and take in the scenery.

Do you have some useful techniques on getting motivated for a run? I’m sure we’d all love to hear them! Share your tips and tricks in the comments below.

I’m not a professional runner by any stretch of the imagination but I do thoroughly enjoy lacing up my shoes and getting some run time in. I find running to be a great stress reliever in addition to the obvious health benefits.

With technology today, most people become obsessed with their stats when they really should be running more like a dog. Dogs are simple. They don’t care when they run. It could be night or day, rain or shine. They are just happy to run.

That said, it is still a good idea to keep track of your running so you can measure growth and performance. There are a number of apps and websites out there that enable you to get more out of your running but won’t distract you from enjoying the great outdoors.

RunKeeper & Nike+ GPS

• RunKeeper iOS – Free
• RunKeeper Android – Free
• Nike+ GPS iOS – $1.99
• Nike+ GPS Android [Unlikely because of contract with Apple.]

These are smart phone apps that use GPS to track your location and speed. These produce useful little graphs of your runs that you can share with others or just record and use as a for yourself. The ability to add friends is fun. You can keep track of how each of you are doing and even challenge one another to a race.

These two apps are in competition which each other and do similar things so you’ll have to try for yourself and see if you have a preference. RunKeeper has a very grass roots startup feel to it and Nike just feels much bigger. Actually, RunKeeper was first to the “game” and first to make their product free but the Nike team has certainly kept working to advance their app.

My Favorite Features

RunKeeper

If you pay for RunKeeper Elite, you can broadcast your run live to your profile page so anyone can track your progress. This would be great for races or even if running alone so you feel more secure with someone watching over you.

Nike+ GPS

The “Cheer Me On” feature. When you start running, you can tell the app to alert your Facebook friends by updating your status. Once a friend comments or likes that post, the sound of cheering and cowbells comes over your headphones. It’s actually very cool and worth checking out.

Earndit

• Website

The idea is simple. Exercise and get rewarded. Incentivizing your workouts is a great way to stay motivated and go the extra mile, literally. Once you sign up for an account, you can link your fitness accounts (RunKeeper, BodyMedia Fit, FitBit, Foursquare, Nike+, Garmin Connect) so that every time you run or workout, you’ll get points based on that activity and duration.

Their list of rewards has really gained some vendors in the past few months and it’s worth checking out. Most of them don’t require much on your part, just redeem your points and reap the rewards. The best part is that it’s completely free so there’s no reason not to sign up.

Fun Run Trainer Pro

• iOS only – Free and $2.99

If you are unfortunate enough to be forced to run on a treadmill, don’t worry, there is still an app for you. It allows you to run famous races like the Boston, New York, and London Marathons and any number of other popular locations.

You just input what your pace is set to and a faux satellite view will change, moving your position as it really would in a real run. This may or may not help take your mind off of running on a treadmill though. In my test, it appeared to make running on the “dreadmill” only slightly more bearable.

Get Your Run On!

These are just some of the tools you can use to get more out of your running. I like these in particular because they are mostly passive and don’t require attention during the run. What are your favorite running tips, apps, or websites?

Bonus

Some people run with headphones while others like the noise of the city or woods to be their soundtrack. I find myself going back and forth between the two.

I have two basic playlists I’ll turn to depending on what I want to accomplish. A longer run with no real goal will merit film scores or soft reflective music while a shorter and intense speed workout will call for some hardcore, aggressive tunes.

What do my playlists look like? Here’s a sample…

Reflective

• Your Hand In Mine – Explosions In The Sky
• On Forgetting – Jeff Pianki
• Holocene – Bon Iver
• Death Is the Road to Awe – The Fountain

Intense

• Believe – Breaking Benjamin
• Ante Up – Mash Out Posse
• Cochise – Audioslave
• Chop Suey – System of a Down

My list may be quite eccentric but that’s because it’s mine. Make yours exactly how you see fit. Experiment and see if you don’t enjoy your running more. There’s really no wrong way. Share your favorite running tips, apps and websites in the comments below.

Lately I’ve been going on Ruck Runs to build myself up for the GORUCK Challenges I’ll be doing in Oklahoma and Dallas this year, followed by the GORUCK Ascent in September with Mike.

While I haven’t done many Ruck Runs since leaving the Navy, I still use the construction techniques I was taught at BUD/s to make different weighted “pills” to run with in my pack/ruck.

Pills you say? Yep, that was how we used to refer to the taped up sandbags we’d run with during Second Phase in BUD/s. Primarily because the taped sandbags resemble pills and there’s the whole “take your pills” chant that you’d tell yourself when it was time to go for the Ruck Runs.

Ruck Running

At BUD/s your class inevitably winds up getting a nice “fresh” instructor to lead the Ruck Runs for all the fatigued students and they always suck. I did find they became more tolerable the more we did and the fact they were on sand definitely helps your knees. Soft Sand Running is worse than hard packed, but they’re both better than tearing up your knees on concrete.

I mention this as a warning to those that are out there training with a weighted pack. The added weight will put more stress on your knees, legs, ligaments, tendons, etc.; you should try to stick to grass/dirt whenever possible. When I run distance with weight, it’s been through residential areas and I try to stick to grassy medians or dirt if it’s around.

How to Make a Pill

It’s a fairly simple process, but I’ve made a video of the process below nonetheless. All you need is a bag of Play Sand, commonly available in 50 lb. bags at your local hardware store, a sandbag, 100 mph tape or Duct Tape and a scale. Sandbags can also be found at your local hardware store too, but can be tricky to find.

The construction is just having a buddy hold a sandbag while you dump in the amount of sand necessary (more on that below) and fold over the sandbag. Next, tape it all up because sand does leak from sandbags and over time half of it will wind up in the bottom of your ruck or pack. Once taped your essentially done, unless you want to accessorize your pill with an ITS sticker!

Why Run with Weight?

There’s a couple of schools of thought on this and the one that I subscribe to is what I’ve talked about before in the article titled “Can you Physically Save Yourself?” I want to know that there’s nothing my body isn’t capable of and if that’s running with weight on my back, then so be it. I want to be prepared and continue to challenge myself.

Can you damage your knees by running with weight? You bet, regular running technically “damages” your knees too. You can save yourself from more weight-bearing injuries if you follow a few simple tips. First, get a ruck or pack with an upper compartment like the radio pocket in US Issue Alice Packs. The radio pocket is what we used to put our pills into at BUD/s, as it’s perfect to help keep the weight high up on your shoulders. Keeping the weight high is the second tip, it will allow for the most even distribution across your body when running.

You also want to watch the weight you run with and just like running you don’t want to increase more than 10% in distance per week. This also applies to the weight; don’t increase the weight you’re running with more than 10% a week. In Mike’s write-up on his GORUCK Challenge, he mentioned that his pack weighed about 16 lbs. which is why I made a 15 lb. pill to train with. In Second Phase our BUD/s Ruck Runs would always be with a 35 lb. pill stuffed in the radio pockets our Alice Packs. A buddy of mine in the Teams let me know that 1st Phase is now integrating Ruck Runs with 35 lb. pills too.

Here’s some additional tips for proper form from Navy SEAL and Endurance Athlete David Goggins:

How about Ruck Marches and not Runs?

If you’re not comfortable running with weight, there’s also tremendous cardiovascular benefit with Ruck Marches, or simply a fast paced walk with a weighted ruck/pack. Essentially this is like backpacking too.

My friend and Air Force PJ Nate Morrison has written a great book called Military Fitness: A Manual of Special Physical Training. In it he goes into Ruck Marches and some guidelines on where to start which are listed here:

Begin with 20% of your bodyweight. Stay with that weight for 2-3 weeks. Accomplish 2-3 ruck marches a week on days you are not running. The set distance is 5 miles. Every three weeks increase your weight but maintain your distance of five miles. Just like running you have to build one quality at a time. You can’t run fast AND far at the same time. You get your distance down first, then you work on speed. In rucking, you get your weight bearing capacity down first for a set distance, then increase the distance, then the speed if necessary. If you push yourself properly (fast enough so talking is possible but a bit labored) you should have the speed you need at the end.

Progression is as follows:

• Week 1-3: 20% bodyweight x5 miles
• Week 4-6: 25% x5 miles
• Week 7-9: 30% x5 miles
• Week 10-12: 40% x5 miles (do not exceed 40% of BW, for me at 175lbs this is 70lbs)
• Week 13-14: 40% x6 miles
• Week 15-16: 40% x7 miles
• Week 17-18: 40% x8 miles
• Week 19-20: 40% x10 miles
• Week 21-22: 40% x12 miles
• Week 23-24: 40% x15 miles

Tips:

• Use a large ALICE pack, smartwool expedition socks, and Danner Acadia boots or the old basic training boots and take care of your feet!
• Notice that this is 6 months of training but it should be a solid injury free six months with plenty of time for your nervous system, bones, ligaments, tendons, and muscles to adapt properly.
• Do Kettlebell work on days you do not ruck and calisthenics on the days you do ruck.
• Swim 1-2 times a week and pay close attention to your sleep and recovery.

Notes

Hopefully this article has given you a little exposure to running and marching with weight and the benefits behind it. You’ll also be amazed at the difference after running with weight and running afterwards without any weight. This can also help your regular running, much the same way weighted pullups can help train your regular pullups.

Please do your own research before running with weight and do what feels right for you. There’s definitely a certain amount of suck you have to endure running with weight, but be smart about it and don’t try to push through your body giving you warning signs. Oh, and of course the old disclaimer applies… consult your doctor before beginning. I really hate that disclaimer!

Preparing for BUD/S or not, running on soft sand is an excellent way to train and exercise. Students at BUD/S will run on the soft sand (SS) on a daily basis, which is very different than harder sand or surfaces.

Whether on a conditioning run, the O-course, running up and over the berm, boats-on-heads, logs, or just running to chow, many BUD/S students overlook the difficulty that SS presents and how common of an occurrence it is in almost every evolution they will face.

Technique

Like most evolutions at BUD/S, soft sand running is a three part test of fitness, mental toughness, and technique. Students often try to apply their regular, hard surface running techniques to SS only to find themselves spinning their wheels. This is evident by the fact that some of the strongest and fastest runners in the class often find themselves in the middle of the pack as soon as they hit the SS. While preparing for BUD/S, consider implementing the following tips to your training.

Don’t Break the Ice

Just like at the beginning of the winter when you’re testing the pond to see if she’ll hold the weight of you and your hockey buddies, you don’t go stomping around do you? No, you shuffle around gingerly until you realize it is solidly frozen. SS is never solidly frozen. Keep this imagery in your head when running in the soft stuff, as SS will react very similarly to thin ice-it will swallow you up if your strides are too hard or heavy.

Do It Often

There’s no magic bullet to running on SS. Like any skill, it requires practice. Prior to BUD/S, practice SS running as much as you possibly can. If you do not have access to SS, ice and snow make acceptable alternatives, as it is difficult to get traction on these surfaces as well. Running in SS in different types of boots, running shoes, and barefoot will also strengthen your feet, decrease your chances of injury, and get you used to running in different types of adverse conditions so that you can find your stride quicker when it counts.

Take Small Strides

There are two major problems with larger strides on SS: 1. It will bury your heel in the sand and 2. It puts the center of your weight behind your lead knee, which automatically puts the brakes on until you get your weight centered above and in front of your knee. Seasoned Triathletes and elite endurance runners measure their “cadence” to keep their strides and momentum more efficient, which is the equivalent of using a low gear on a mountain bike while climbing a steep hill.

To measure your cadence, count every time your right foot hits the ground over the course of a minute. A faster cadence, such as 90 per minute, will naturally keep you from heel striking and will keep your weight in front so that your movements are all focused on forward trajectory.

Glide Across the Sand

Try gliding across the sand almost like you would on ice. On SS you obviously can’t drag your feet like you do on ice, so you want to lift your feet and knees up just enough to clear the sand and to bring them back down as softly as possible. This minimizes your vertical displacement (bouncing up and down), disturbs the sand the least, and provides for the minimum amount of slippage. The more you disturb the sand, the more energy you’re using to move sand instead of yourself. Over the course of a one-hour conditioning run for example, this will be a considerable amount of savings in energy.

Land Flat-Footed

A freshly pinned Navy SEAL who was one of the top SS runners in BUD/S Class 276 contributes that one should “try to land more flat-footed so your foot doesn’t roll from back to front when you push off (of the sand). You lose a lot of energy that way and you don’t go anywhere.” Landing on the balls of your feet will naturally help you keep your weight in front.

Relax Non-Essential Muscles

This not only holds true for SS running, but running in general. Relax your hands, arms, shoulders, and chest when running. The less energy you expend in using muscles that have no effect on your running efficiency, the more energy you’ll have to put towards your breath, core, and lower body.

Get up Front Fast…and Stay There

Despite the team mentality of BUD/S, when lining up prior to the SS run it is important to put yourself in a good position to get up front as fast as you can. The lead instructor can sometimes pause a few minutes into the run to punish everybody except for the fastest 10-15 guys by sending them to the surf zone for a “wet and sandy”, essentially ending all hope for their success at the end of the run relative to the guys who get to stay dry and “comfortable”.

Try to figure out which direction the run will be going beforehand by looking at which way the ambulances and support vehicles are usually facing, instructor body language, etc. There will be jostling, there will be nudging, there will be some heated words-you can’t help it in a class of 200+ guys crammed into a little ball. Its all part of the fun.

The implications of not being up front at the beginning, middle, and end of the SS conditioning runs are possibly the greatest of any regular evolution in First Phase. People often say that BUD/S is a marathon, which is very true, with the exception of the SS Conditioning Runs. Treat it like its your last run. The punishment for not being in the winner’s circle on SS runs are by far the most severe and taxing on the body than any other evolution.

Winners at BUD/S stay fresher.

Editor’s Note: Please join us in welcoming Ian Root as an ITS Contributor. Ian is former Navy, the owner of Strikemark Sniper Targets and an ITS Tactical Plank Owner.

Links

http://www.rungearrun.com/resources/cadence.php

http://www.livestrong.com/video/2719-do-soft-sand-running/

Let me start off by throwing in a caveat, I’m not an elite runner.

I never ran in high school or college, nor am I truly any type of physiologist or scientist.

I have however, over the past few years, taken a bigger interest in running, combined it with my longstanding interest in learning about human performance, and believe that I have learned a few things along the way that I can share.

Not everything that I’ve learned has come from pure trial and error. I learned once that if you want to succeed faster at something, find a role model who has done what you want to achieve.

That being said, a great deal of what I’ve learned in the past year has come from the help of a running coach, who I will freely give credit to in this article.

I am not a pure runner and I have other training goals such as weight lifting, PT and swimming (which I am not currently doing due to deployment).

Like any triathlete or multi-sport athlete, I have to balance different training disciplines, and it takes some planning.

When back in the civilian world, I also like to enjoy my social life and lets face it, there are just some other things that take precedence in life.

The First Step

The first step is outlining some basic training principles. These are not hard and fast principles, but they have worked for me and perhaps will help you in outlining your weekly training. The great thing about principles is that they provide flexibility in training organization.

One fairly accepted training principal for running is the need to include three key-days throughout the week. These three days typically include a day of intervals, a tempo run and a long run.

If you are able to, easy runs in between these days will only help to build volume, enhance aerobic capacity and when necessary and done right, actually facilitate recovery.

Lets look at a way to lay out a weekly training plan based on these principles:

• Monday – Long Run
• Wednesday – Intervals
• Saturday – Tempo Run or a Race
• In the case of a Sat race, it’s advisable to cut the amount of speed work on the preceding interval day by up to half, but keep the overall mileage the same

Just three days a week and you’re covering the development of a number of physiological aspects in running development. Again, if you seek further development of your running, just run easy days in between for further progress.

You can easily change your running days to adjust to a changing schedule too. For example, schedule a Sunday long run, use Tuesday for your interval day, and Friday for the tempo run.

For the multi-sport athlete, simply add in your strength training, etc. on Mon/Wed/Sat for example.

A Step Further

If your training goals include taking it a step further, even more flexibility in training organization is needed.

This really hit me last fall as I was beginning to train for a selection program. I needed to get in more swim time along with PT/strength training, but I didn’t want to let my running volume or performance slip.

The Monday long run was just a bit too much and fitting everything in became very stressful. I didn’t want to do it on Sunday, because I like to have some fun on Saturday nights, and you know the saying about all work and no play.

My three key days were now becoming too much of a strain. It was the stress of worrying about whether or not I would be able to get in all of my training, or worrying about whether something might come up.

Lets face it, distractions and life in general “happens,” and I wanted to try to eliminate this worry as much as possible.

A Great Idea

While reading an article on The Run Zone, my running coach Tom Schwartz’s Web site, I came upon the idea of two “Big Workouts” per week. At first I wasn’t certain if I was interpreting it right, but after picking his brain, I realized I was reading it right.

Schwartz explained that his friend Mike only did two Big Workouts per week. These included warm-up, speed-work and cool-downs and were approximately 15 miles of total running. All his other training days were easy five mile runs.

Suddenly I saw the advantage, by shifting the extra running volume from what used to be my stand-alone long run day, I only had to schedule two “Big Workouts,” or quality sessions.

The greatest thing I received in return was even more flexibility in planning my training. It all seemed to fit into the larger scheme of the psychology of why many of us train.

I believe that many of us like to train to be prepared for a little bit of everything. Why not have a training program that’s also prepared for a little bit of everything.

To refocus, it was the flexibility I gained without the drop in overall mileage that really helped. I was able to adjust my schedule on the fly during the week with much less stress (Training can be a stress even when you are not in the process of actually training.)

The Schedule

I found I was able to get in those Big Workouts on a Tuesday/Saturday, Tuesday/Friday or Wednesday/Saturday, with easy running days in between.

Perhaps the only caveat you’ll see in the recommended scheduling is allowing two full days sandwiched in between those Big Workout days. This schedule, for my goals, has been huge for me.

Since I deployed, although my mileage is down some, the same principles have helped me maintain my running fitness despite the dynamic and tiring schedule I’m currently on.

My Big Workouts are typically 12 miles total with warm-up/cool-down and three mile easy-runs on days in between. Before deploying, I was typically logging 13.5 miles total for the Big Workouts and five miles easy on the days in between.

One thing to note in the proposed scheduling is that there are only two “fast” or quality sessions. Some people refer to days of running as “hard/easy,” but I prefer to think fast/easy.

Realizations

The more I have read and learned, combined with personal experience and Schwartz’s recommendation, three fast-days per week are not necessarily required to progress.

This is also something that I noticed years back when I was first learning about running. I thought that if two interval days per week were good, that three must be better. That was not necessarily the case.

I remember a conversation with one of the first runners I idolized, after meeting him a few years back.

He had other physical pursuits/goals and believed in low-volume running, but he also instinctually based his training on an interval day, hill intervals, and a long run (Now at age 52, this guy still runs in the mid-18s for a 5K).

The common denominator again was two fast sessions per week. Keep in mind that even though they are “fast” runs or “fast” workouts, as I prefer to think, they are physiologically “harder” on the body and should be recognized as such.

As a side note, my use of the word “fast” is based upon the realization that I like running “fast,” not “hard.” It’s a mental trick, but it helps me relax when running “fast” and I tend to enjoy it more.

Adjustable Shelving

Another benefit to this type of scheduling is if you dread long steady-state runs, the Big Workouts are your long runs, but the speed work contained in them breaks up the monotony.

I can’t speak for everyone, but I usually enjoy a long run more when I know I will get to do some fast running. However, if you are human, there will be days where you might find that you need a rest, and a long, easier steady-state run will provide that.

I’m aware that this might not be an optimal schedule for everyone, but as my coach has mentioned a number of times on his Web site, a person can go from this base schedule and then add in as much extra easier-running as one can handle or cares to handle, to help raise performance.

The extra mileage, should you pursue it, could come from doubling up on your runs in a day, or lengthening the easy-day runs. In visualizing the big overall picture, just think of your week as an adjustable shelving unit.

The Big Workouts are the main shelves that you can take in and out, and rearrange when need be. But they also provide the framework on which to base the rest of your training around.

For a multi-sport athlete, such as a triathlete, when you have to account for the lower-body stresses from cycling workouts, just make one of the Big Workout days a long easy run to accommodate a hard bike session (I can’t take complete ownership of this idea as I believe I’d read that Triathlete Peter Reid arranged his training in a similar manner).

Tuesday was a running interval session for Reid and Friday was a fast/hard bike session. The point here, if I remember correctly, is that he was only putting in a total of two quality lower-body based sessions per week.

For the athlete that likes to run and strength train, you will have to decide which sport you wish to focus on most. If running is your main sport, but you want to continue to lift and train your lower body, it might be advisable to do your lower-body weight training on the same days that you do your fast running (perhaps a few hours after).

This will allow more recovery time in terms of days in between those quality sessions.

Closing Remarks

The schedule I’ve progressed to might not be the most optimal of training schedules, but it has been said that “success leaves clues,” and when I read that a 31 minute 10K runner was able to make progress using the principals of two Big Workouts that was enough proof for me.

Sometimes all it takes for a program to be successful, is belief in your program. It not only fits my needs for flexibility and enjoyment, but also allows for continued progression.

This isn’t intended to be a shameless plug, but it is a shameless mention of my coach, Tom Schwartz, and his experience. I would highly recommend you check out his Web site, TheRunZone.com.

There are a number of things that I didn’t cover, but in the context of the overall picture, I’m trying to keep in mind the 80/20 principle. The Big Workouts and filler runs in between are your 20 percent, which will give you 80 percent of your development and success (and quite possibly more than that, but we’re not touching on stretching, nutrition, recovery, etc.)

In the mean time, whether you’re training, running or working towards another mental and physical pursuit, perhaps this will help inspire you.

Keep searching and thinking outside the box so you can enjoy your training, your other pursuits and your life.

Boxer is currently deployed with the U.S. Navy and is a frequent contributor to ITS Tactical.