As you set your goals for the New Year, consider planning beyond your next race or even your next season and choosing an ambitious long-term target. Read the full article in Runner’s World.
training
Work Your Happiness Muscles
Find out how moving more improves your whole life. Plus, learn the perks of building stronger breathing muscles, the perils of fitness-related food labels, and where to put your activity tracker for the most accurate results, in this month’s Fitness Scoop. Read the full page in Women’s Health (pdf).
The Biggest Fitness Myths
As quickly as exercise scientists work to banish them, new fitness misconceptions rear their ugly heads. Meanwhile, other untried and untrue myths just won’t go away. Here, we round up a few of the most common fitness falsehoods, and ask researchers and other experts to help correct the record. Read the full slideshow on OutsideOnline.com.
Can Too Much Exercise Hurt You?
Each March, more than 15,000 cross-country skiers race 56 miles across the Swedish countryside. The winner claims a prize worth about $10,000—and a higher risk of irregular heartbeat, according to a new study in the European Heart Journal. Read the full article in Men’s Health News.
How to Train for a Relay Race
Most of the time, running is an individual sport. But the increasing popularity of relay races means more runners are learning how to get into that team spirit. Half-marathons and marathons often offer a relay option in which participants typically run one leg of three to seven miles. Relay-specific single-day or overnight events, like the nationwide series of Ragnar relays, require runners to trade off multiple legs of varying lengths, anywhere from three to 16 miles. Here’s how to tackle training for a relay so that you can run strong and also have fun. Read the full article in Runner’s World.
Run Faster on Any Terrain
Ramp up your running routine. Speedy intervals improve your performance whether you do them uphill or on level ground, finds a new study in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research. Read the full article in Men’s Health News.
Get a Running Start
Running usually elicits a love-it-or-hate-it response. Some women couldn’t imagine doing it unless they were chased, while others eagerly sign up for race after race. But since it’s one of the most efficient, accessible workouts, hitting the road (or treadmill or trail) could be your key to scoring a healthy heart and a lean body. Follow this easy guide–full of expert secrets and tips–to ensure you get the very most out of it. Read the full article in Women’s Health (pdf).
Train on Different Surfaces to Avoid Injury and Boost Performance
Most runners log their miles on neighborhood streets. But roads shouldn’t be your only training ground. “Running on different surfaces changes up the scenery, workout, and effort, giving road runners an often-needed break,” says Jennifer Novak, a running and multisport coach at Kona Fitness in New Orleans. Read the full article in Runner’s World.
Run Faster with High Intensity Interval Training
If you want to run fast, the saying goes, you’ve got to run fast. To stoke speed, most runners do traditional speedwork: aiming for near race pace over distances of 400 meters or more, with recovery periods equal to the length of the repeat (or slightly less). Or you can get fast even faster with supershort, superfast efforts, sometimes referred to as high intensity interval training (HIIT). Read the full article in Runner’s World.
Set Realistic Goals in the New Year
Whether you’re looking to run a new race distance, achieve a personal best, or just stay injury-free, accurately gauging your current fitness level will help you set challenging but reasonable goals. Read the full article in Runner’s World.