Justin Levine, Apple Run Coach  

 I first want to thank Rick Mitchell, the race director, for giving me the opportunity to assist this year’s Apple Run.   When he asked me to be the running coach for this year’s event it was a no brainer to hop on board.  Training for endurance sports takes time, effort, patience, guidance and support.  I will guide the runners of this event to more efficient and smart training.   I am a true believer in the saying, “Smart training is better than hard training.”  I am the president of the Visalia Triathlon Club and I am always coaching my team about smart and efficient training.  It is a very important concept to put into your head.  Most endurance athletes are “A” type individuals that will put in massive amounts of training time.  Creating a well-balanced system to keep you running strong and injury free as you prepare for specific races is crucial.   So over the next couple of months you will learn strategies and techniques to implement into your training arsenal to maximize your performance.    

Running, specifically, is a very inexpensive sport.  All you need is a good pair of running shoes and you are set to go.  But getting involved in this demanding but exhilarating sport can lead to many aches, pains and injuries if you do not focus on building functional strength to support your activity.  Canadian Physical Therapist Diane Lee is quoted saying, “You can’t run to get fit, you must be fit to run”.   This quote explains that one should focus on building stability, mobility and strength in order to run more efficiently.  Too many people just go out and run without having a plan of action.  It’s not so much about high amounts of junk miles when preparing for a race it’s about focused workouts that will get you closer to your goals.  Here are strategies that can help you get started on the “right foot” and get you running injury free and more efficient:

1. Hire a coach:  A qualified coach will assess your health and running history, your goals and your functional movement.  Then he/she will be able to design a proper running program that will progress you down the right path.
2. Foam Roll:  Rolling implemented into your daily schedule is mandatory for runners.  This is a “poor mans’ massage” and will help relieve the muscles of knots that are formed from constant training.  If you have knots bundled up in your muscles and try to run you will have a lack of blood flow and flexibility and this can lead to injury. 
3. Get strong:  You must gain functional strength specific to running in order to reap the benefits of your running program.  Studies have shown that strength training can significantly improve running times.  Functional strength for runners’ means you need to build core, hip and shoulder stability, upper and lower body strength and you must have balance.  So when you work your front side of your body, make sure to work the backside as well. 
4. Control your volume:  The basic rule to follow is to never increase your running volume by more than 10% each week.  So if you run 15 miles during week 1, then week 2 you will run 16.5 miles and so on.  If you amp up your volume too quickly you will run yourself into injury. 
5. Recover properly:  Every 4^th week of your training program should be an active recovery week.  You should drop your total volume by 40% and take an extra day off.  So if you ran 20 miles on week 3, week 4 would drop to 12 miles. 
6. Make a log:  Logging your workouts and mileage will allow you to assess your progress and make sure you are progressing properly.  Write down how you felt after a run, the distances you covered and the time it took.   

Over the next couple of months I will answer any questions regarding training, racing, strength training, recovery and nutrition.  Please feel free to email me anytime at justinlevine03@hotmail.com. 

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For more information on the Springville Apple Run, please email applerun@ocsnet.net