Building Your Running Plan | Race for the Cure - Elite

As we all prepare for the 9th Annual Race for a Cure 5k / 10k at Mansfield High School on 11/30, we wanted to share a few recommendations to help you avoid injury while training and improve your running performance on race day!
With the race less than three weeks away, here are some good reminders to help you stay healthy and prepare to run your PR on November 30th:

Your running volume should increase by no greater than 10% per week. So if you ran 10 miles last week, keep your total volume under 11 miles this week to avoid an over-use injury.
Strength training will make you FASTER. Runners often skip the weight room to avoid “bulking up” or claim they don’t have time to add a strength training day. In reality, exchanging a run for a strength training day will actually IMPROVE running economy and performance.
Always perform a dynamic warm-up before a run to help improve joint mobility and get your body ready for greater exertion. Check out Elite’s recent blog post on performing a comprehensive dynamic warm-up
Get enough sleep! Sleep deprivation is a huge injury risk factor as it is critical for optimal recovery. Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night to make sure you are ready to tackle the next day’s workout.
Only change one variable at a time while training. For example, build volume first, then add speed and then add incline. Adding too many variables to your training program at once can increase injury risk.
Proper nutrition is critical for building muscle, recovery, injury prevention, and energy availability. Make sure you are getting enough protein, vegetables, and healthy fats to be properly fueled to perform at your best!

Check out this sample weekly training plan and see if you are on the right track to run your best race:

Now that you’ve got your training plan in place, it’s time to try a race! If you haven’t already signed up for the 9th Annual Mansfield Race for a Cure 5k/ 10k on Saturday, November 30th, join your fellow Elite teammates in supporting the Hearts for Hope Foundation and sign up here!