With longer days, warmer temps and restless legs, it seems the only antidote for Jack’s fever is to go for a run—outside. A warm dose of sunshine and fresh air can be transformative after a long winter on the couch or in a stuffy gym. So before the first buds bloom, here are five tips to help work yourself back into another endorphin-filled running season.

Gear Check

Just as you check your tires seasonally, so should you check your running shoes. Spring is a great time to purchase a new pair of shoes—for both the physical and motivational benefits. Training in old or worn-out shoes is one of the most common causes of running injuries. Check the outsole for signs of wear. Take them out for a short test run: Your body and feet will let you know if the shoe is no longer providing the cushion and support you need. New shoes will help protect an early season runner just beginning to hit their stride. Putting your best foot forward with the newest technologies, not to mention colors, will keep you inspired.

A quality running shoe should last you between 300 and 500 miles or about six months. In order to know when it’s time to replace those new shoes, write the date of your first wearing on the inside of the tongue with a permanent marker. Replace your shoes approximately six months from that date.

If you store your running shorts and lightweight tops in an attic or some other inconvenient place during the winter, now’s the time to pull out a few of those pieces to wear on those especially warm spring days that surprise us early in the season. There’s nothing worse than heading out on a balmy spring day in black winter tights and a heavy fleece top—the runner’s definition of claustrophobia.

The 10% Rule

If you’ve taken most of the winter off, be sure to ease back into your training. Forget how fit you were after that fall half marathon. It’s about where you are now. Rather than running every day, mix up your program with cross-training, walking and rest days. Most coaches follow the 10% guideline, a reasonable rule of thumb for adding mileage to your weekly total. Ignoring this time-tested concept can result in early season burn-out or injury.

Set a Goal

In 2012, there were 23,000 road running events in the U.S. With those odds, there’s just got to be one with your name on it. Setting a goal to run a late spring 5K can keep you on track despite April showers. Choose a race and plan your weekly training schedule backwards from race day to the beginning of your program.  A six week plan with three days of running along with a supportive program of cross-training should get you ready for the season’s first 5K. Just don’t forget the 10% rule (see above) when planning your schedule.

Buddy-Up

Jack’s sister may be on to something with her spring fling, especially if the happy couple is running together. Recent studies show that working out with a friend releases more endorphins than going it alone, increasing your ability to go longer and harder. Besides pushing yourself more than you would on your own, a buddy system has the added benefit of keeping you both accountable to a plan. You know that 5K you’ve set your sights on?  A little friendly competition with your pal will guarantee missed workouts a thing of the past.

Lighten-Up

A winter staple of comfort food adds a number of pounds to the average American from November through March. If you’ve mac and cheesed your way through winter’s dark days, it’s time to lighten up your nutritional choices. Switching over to fresh foods—fruits, vegetables, fish and whole grains—will give you the energy to train and recover more efficiently.  At the same time, dropping a few of those “comfort” pounds will give your joints a break as you ramp-up your mileage on the roads and trails (of course, following the 10% rule!).

What’s your antidote to Spring Fever? Share your spring running tips here!

It is not unusual for athletes to measure their heart rates when at rest and when training, and there are advantages to monitoring heart rates, but it is important to have some knowledge about various intensities of training and how tracking your heart rate can be of value, or misleading.

Spring marathon season is right around the corner! Many runners are in the middle of their training but there are always those who wait until the last minute to get started. For those wondering if there is still enough time to properly prepare, the answer depends on a few things:  your running experience, current fitness, and goals. Addressing each of these should help you determine whether it’s smart to start marathon training this late in the game …

1)  How much running experience do you have?
Are you a beginner runner or have you been running for years? If you are a beginner and have yet to begin serious training, you should not plan on running a marathon this spring. Someone who is just getting into running should take their time training for a marathon. For a beginner and first time marathoner it takes 20-24 weeks to prepare properly in order to minimize risk of injuries and increase your chances for a successful experience. If you have been running for years and have run previous marathons you could safely add some long runs and marathon-specific workouts and be ready in about 8 weeks. You may not run your best time but you should be able to complete the race and stay healthy. If you fall somewhere in between, meaning you’ve run a marathon but aren’t in great shape starting the build-up, I recommend being more cautious and taking 12-16 weeks to prepare safely.

2)  What is your current fitness level?
Be honest with yourself. Have you been training pretty hard this winter? Have you run some 5k or 10k races? If this is the case you should be able to take your current fitness level and add some longer runs and workouts and be ready to run a marathon in 8-10 weeks. If you have only been running a few times a week and are not in very good shape, you should not try to ramp up training too fast. Always give yourself a solid four weeks before you introduce another big bump in training. I recommend giving yourself at least 16 weeks to prepare and that is only if you have previous running experience.

3)  What is your goal for the marathon?
Are you training to finish the race or do you want to set a new personal best? Depending on which of these you want to accomplish it will most likely take different amounts of training. If you’ve run marathons in the past and are in decent shape, you could train for 6-8 weeks and go finish the race.  If you want to try and run your fastest time and are starting out in good shape, you should be able to do this in 12-16 weeks. I would stick to the shorter time frame if you have already logged at least 20-30 miles per week for several weeks and the longer time frame if this is one of your first marathons and you do not have as much of a base. If you are a beginner though and your goal is just to finish you still want to take 20-24 weeks to properly prepare for the reasons I’ve outlined above.

If you are still thinking about running a marathon this spring season ask yourself the above questions and see how many weeks of preparation are necessary to be ready to toe the line. Don’t worry if you need more time, there are great marathons all year ’round, so pick one in the summer or fall and start training!

Ann Alyanak is a private coach for The Run SMART Project. She was 7th overall at the 2008 Olympic Trials where she ran her PR of 2:34.

Slow Down!

Gear Up!

Don't Fear the Treadmill.

1. Have some fun this holiday season!  Allow yourself the permission to relax. It's good to give your body and mind the occasional break and you can justify the social season with knowing that January 1st marks a clean start.

2. January 1st, 2013: Cold turkey, baby! Rip that band-aid off fast and hard. There is no such thing as “weaning” yourself into good habits; you just need to make a clear, decisive move towards achieving your new goals. For this reason, be strict with yourself in January: No more desserts, no more extra drinks, and roll back that clock to a reasonable bedtime again.

3. Commit to a race. No more wishy-washy “I think I will sign up” kind of attitude. Do it. And if you really need the extra incentive choose a totally awesome destination race to justify a holiday. You might not feel you have time and money for a holiday in Hawaii this winter, but if you have to go for a race, well that’s a different story! Chances are your partner and friends will also be on board with this approach.

4. You’ve got your race, now get a plan!  Map out some goals, chart how you need to get there, and if possible, get professional advice. Even for very experienced runners, a new perspective and approach can do wonders to re-invigorate your training. Customize one of legendary coach Jack Daniels’ Training Plans.

5. Use a smartphone app or online service to track your training and provide motivation.  It will act as a digital log for all your workouts and clue you into important factors like the exact distance of each run and your pace per mile. Saucony’s RUN4GOOD app is a great one to try, since it tracks your training and counts your miles toward charitable donations, which is a huge motivating factor for many runners.

6. Remember that every cell in your body is replaceable!  A friend once told me that every cell in the body regenerates every 6 months, although I think biologists might disagree. Nevertheless, I like to think of diet and weight management in terms of health and nutrition. The better you fuel your body, the better it will feel and perform. Take January as an opportunity to build strong, clean cells. And remember, do not buy fuel for your body where you buy fuel for your car!

7. Find a training group!  While some people thrive in their own mental space, it is nice to mix things up. My preference is to find a large group to run with or a particularly chatty friend so I can be entertained as long as possible with minimal contribution.  The time goes by quickly and you avoid side stitches from uneven breathing if you are the group entertainer.

8. Accountability. Maybe a word generally reserved for work, but meeting a group, a clinic, a friend or a coach really helps keep your running on track. Bonus points if you can work an arrangement whereby they come to you, minimizing an opportunity of calling off a workout due to “tiredness” or “headaches” when the snow is blowing hard and the mercury is low.

9. Beat the cold!  If you’re in a colder climate, prepare with the right gear and incorporate treadmill running. Check out our article, Winter Training Tips, on the Run S.M.A.R.T. blog for more info.

10. 90% Committed/10% Flexible.  Life happens and can thwart even your best plans. Kids get sick, work gets hectic, winter flu hits home. Do not be too hard on yourself if you are not able to follow your plan to a T. If you have a bad day or week, allow yourself the opportunity to look forward positively and not dwell on the lost time. Keep your long terms goal as the overarching motivation to be your best self and bring out your best running year yet!

With the holidays upon us, it’s not unusual for a person to take up some regular exercise in hopes of managing or losing weight, and running is probably one of the easiest, if not most available, type of exercise that is well designed for such a thing.  Question is how much weight do you lose by running?

The answer is that a person of average weight will burn about 100 calories per mile (more if you are heavy and fewer if a light weight), so you burn off about 1 pound of fat for every 35-40 miles of running. This is true if you don’t start eating more because you start running more.  In other words, maintaining a good diet, associated with a stable body weight, and you will lose about one pound of unneeded body fat for each 35 to 40 miles that you run (if you have some to lose). However, you may not always lose weight when losing fat because of an increase in muscle mass that comes with work.

One fact is well worth keeping in mind, however, and that is that attempting to lose weight when you don’t have any unnecessary body tissue to lose, is not healthy and can lead to loss of useful body tissue, including muscle that is used for exercise.  Therefore, it is recommended that you don’t go on any specific weight-loss routine without the support of your doctor.

Let’s say that it is recommended for you to lose some weight and you are taking on some regular running in an attempt to accomplish this goal.  It’s not going to happen quickly just by running, but it is a great approach over time. 35 to 40 miles of running for each lost pound may not encourage many beginners to start running.  However, look at it as a long-term project rather than a short-term one.  Just think, if you run only 1 mile every day of the year (or 7 miles each week) you would run 365 miles and that comes out to 36,500 calories (10 pounds of fat lost or prevented from being added on).

For those who want to speed up the weight-loss process, without running mega miles, the way to best accomplish this is to cut back on excess calories by a few hundred each day.  Four hundred fewer calories eaten each day, along with 3 to 4 miles of running, averaged each day, will result in a negative caloric value of 7000-8000 in about 10 days, and that is equal to 2 pounds of fat.

It is also possible to calculate the speed of running that is associated with a change in body mass.  It turns out that losing 1 pound of unnecessary body fat will reduce the time associated with running a marathon by 40 to 90 seconds, depending on how fast you are.

And don’t feel you have to only run when you go out to exercise. We once divided 32 sedentary females, between the ages of 20 and 40, into 3 training groups – (1) walk-only group, (2) run/walk group, and (3) run-only group.  All exercised 3 days each week, and time spent exercising was increased every 3rd week for the 12-week program. Pre- and post-training data were collected and the group that improved fitness the most was run/walk, not steady runners.  We realized that when a beginner is faced with continuous running, it is at a very slow pace, but when there are alternate bouts of running and walking, the participant finds faster running to be more acceptable because of the regular bouts of walking recovery.

Give it a try; eat well and be consistent with a training program. You may find the health benefits to be of considerable value, in the long run.

How do you use running or walking to keep weight off?

1. Footwear -  Depending on the type of trails you’ll be on, consider durability, traction and protection. If you’ve decided that you enjoy trail running after your first few attempts, purchase a trail-specific running shoe. Here are trail running shoes for Men and Women from Saucony.

2. Apparel - As mentioned above, one of the greatest things about trail running is that it can bring you to scenic and sometimes remote places. However, if you’re alone this means that whatever occurs regarding weather you’re the only one you’ll be able to count on. A lightweight jacket that is packable, breathable and water and/or resistant is always handy depending on the time of year.

3. Nutrition - Handheld water bottles or hydration packs are a great idea as well as packing a few gels or an energy bar in case you’re out there longer than expected.

1. Be Aware Of Footing - Remember zoning out and daydreaming on that road loop around your neighborhood? Not going to happen on the trails. Scan ahead and be ready to think fast. You’ll be constantly responding to rocks, roots, turns, changes in grades and anything else waiting for you around the bend. When you reach those scenic spots that you want to take in - stop. Many ankles have rolled by trying to enjoy a picturesque view without slowing down. Watch your footing while you’re still moving!

2. Advance Gradually - Trail running will use muscles that you’ve likely never used before and you’ll likely be sore in new places too. The good news is that all those muscles will get stronger if you stick with it and progress gradually. Start slowly by adding in one trail run a week for at least four weeks before adding in more to allow your body time to adapt to the new stress.

3. Consider Routes Carefully - The word “trail” can mean lots of things. What is great for hiking or mountain biking may not be ideal for running. What looks like four miles on a map may take you the same amount of time as a 10 miler on the roads. Lastly, many of these places are isolated; let others know exactly where you’re going.

4. Run By Time And Effort - 9-minutes per mile pace on the road could translate to 12-minutes per mile on the trail with the same amount of effort spent. Remember, you’re not just moving in a straight line, your steps are lateral, up and to the side, zig zagging to get through a stream, and negotiating those rocks and roots. If you’re a stickler for what the watch says you’ll need to work on letting that go on the trail. Just remember that a slower pace might still amount to the same effort on the roads.