Running Explained

Social media has a warped idea for us of what “a normal amount of running” looks like. So here’s some real data I pulled from Strava and race surveys not highlight reels.

If you are running 2-3 days a week at 10 minute pace and finishing 5k’s you’re not behind. You are right there with most runners.

As I always like to say with running data, when we let it the data can always make us feel like we are not good enough. It can always make us feel behind and social media can constantly make us feel like we aren’t doing enough.

But take a step back and just see what normal really looks like and give yourself a pat on the back for showing up! You are doing great!

If you are ever looking for more help for your running journey look no further than Running Explained. We have 1:1 coaching, training plans for all levels that are science backed, an app, and group programs to support anything you need. Check out our link in bio and take our quiz and see how we can help you!

These are just my suggestions from someone who used to swear he’d get a cramp if he ate anything less than 2 hours before a run.

I broke these out by how much time I have before a run and what I might eat. Some days, like today, I am literally grabbing a Rice Krispie treat and walking out the door finishing it right as I start my run.

These suggestions are mostly for shorter runs as I mentioned getting ready for a 2+ hour long run usually requires some fueling from the day before.

As I run most days at around 11am it’s important for me to get some of these foods in because otherwise I feel pretty crappy as my run goes in. What I like too is a lot of them are portable. That said a pop tart is a lot better heated up vs cold!

What are your go-to foods that just help you feel good before a run and don’t bother your stomach. Share some below and let’s give runners a list of things they can try themselves before their runs!

If you are looking for support for your training look no further than Running Explained. We’ve got training plans, 1:1 coaching, strength training options, and coaching consults. Or check out our Run Club App. Hit the link in our bio and take our quiz to see all the things we can offer and happy running!

It’s almost long run time, what are you bringing in your starter pack?

These are the essentials here most of the time my entire run is planned around where I can finish so I can grab a coffee and a treat! Not to mention in summer I am going through entire containers of body glide at this point!

For me the perfect running route is a loop! Bonus points if I never run the same spot twice on a run, the perfect loop!

Whatever you bring in your long run starter pack, have a great long run tomorrow! And if you ever are looking for a running coach I am currently taking athletes so hit up the link in the bio and schedule a discovery call to see if we are a good fit!

I almost never warm up before easy runs unless I am doing some performative leg swings. My warm up is usually my first mile. That said I’ll do some strides before speed work.

Your turn, what’s a running rule you’ve heard time and time again but you would break and feel absolutely no guilt about? 👇 Give me your most unhinged responses, this is a safe space and I am here for it.

Tag a friend and let’s blow up the comments section with the running rules that we truly don’t follow.

Today we are breaking down the Norwegian Singles Method, a training method you may have heard about but want to know more. Look no further.

You may have heard about double threshold training but it’s intensity, higher mileage requirements, and the huge recovery it requires may have been too much and too intense for you to try or maintain. Well Norwegian singles is built for as a more accessible variant.

It may require 3 workouts a week(2 for beginners) but the goal is sub-threshold effort with strict speed limits so you don’t overdo it running too fast in a VO2 max workout. It includes several easy runs every week at a very easy effort and no intensity usually in your long runs. The goal is to add in more intensity 25% of weekly training but at a pace that you can recover from and handle in training. It’s not about blowing workouts out of the water it’s about consistency and building a huge aerobic engine.

I tried to cover all the details I could in here but hit our blog for even more information about Norwegian Singles as we wrote a blog earlier this year.

At the end of the day this is just one training method among many that exist. This post is just here to give you information about it, not to suggest this is how you will PR your next race. But it’s gained a ton of popularity so I just wanted to share some of the information about it.

Yes it stems from other training methods, but at the end of the day it’s something a runner could pick up and follow if they wanted to. I hope you learned some new stuff here, share it with a friend and let us know what else you’d like to hear about.

Welcome to our RunSanity Series! Where we’ll break down some running things that we want you to feel better about!

This week we are talking about pace comparison and how comparison is the thief of joy.

How comparing your pace to someone else’s highlight reel is just Runsanity because it’ll only bring you down.

Here we want to be seeing our own progress we want to be looking back at how far we’ve come over the last 3,6 or even 12 months. To look back and see our progress because everyone is different and to compare to someone else is not an even comparison.

So before you start putting yourself down and getting down about your run instead let’s see our consistency, our effort and our progress because that’s what matters.

If you like this post send it to a friend or share it so others can also find this message! Let’s spread that support to one another so less people will continue to put themselves down.

It’s the summer edition of all of our favorite you’re a runner things. I sometimes feel like this list could go on and on but this is our funny summer shortened version with some lovely photos from Jaci Schuerholz

What would you are that we left off?

MY WEATHER APP SAYS IT’S 109° 🥵🌡️🔥
And you’re thinking, “Can I still run today... and not combust?”
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Maybe. But only if you understand what your body’s up against...and how to spot when it’s starting to overheat.
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⚠️HEAT EXHAUSTION
Your body’s working hard to cool itself down... but it’s starting to fall behind (not great!)
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🚩 Warning signs:
– Heavy sweating
– Dizziness
– Headache
– Weakness or nausea
– Cool, clammy skin
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💧What to do: Stop. Get out of the sun. Cool down. Rehydrate with fluids + electrolytes, not just water.
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🚨HEAT STROKE
This is where things go from “I’m not feeling great” to full emergency (this is baaaaad)
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🚩 Red flags:
– No sweating
– Hot, red, or damp skin
– Confusion or disorientation
– Slurred speech
– Rapid heart rate (at rest)
– Collapse/loss of consciousness
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🚑 What to do: CALL 911. Cool the body as fast as possible—ice, cold water, fans, shade.
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Remember:
Running in extreme heat means your heart rate climbs fast, even at “easy” paces. That high heart rate = high internal stress. This isn’t about being tough - it’s about being smart!

Be careful out there and be smart. The heat wave will eventually pass and you can get back to normal training again.

If you need any help with your training head to the link in our bio and check out our Where to Start Quiz and see all the ways we can help you!!!

It’s the story of my running career. The single thing that I felt made the biggest difference from my early success to my return. It’s how at age 37/38 I broke every PR I had from 5k to Marathon.

A single conversation with my coach at the time and a reminder to just run and stop letting the numbers control me. And it wasn’t easy at first.

I’ve spent most of my running career living my life a Quarter mile at a time on the track. I was so in touch with my splits every 100 meters I was calculating whether I was on pace, too fast or too slow. It was fun doing math but was exhausting to my potential. I needed to disconnect from this.

I moved to time based workouts done on the roads. I shifted away from checking my pace during the intervals and more or just looking after they were done and then soon not even hitting the split button. An unknown feeling of how fast a rep was, just knowing I worked hard!

Every-time I disconnected a little more from my old self I felt stronger and stopped doubting myself more. My body found the ability to run fast and it helped convince me I could do it without being hyper obsessed on the numbers.

Eventually I found a happy medium of getting feedback from my splits but not letting them cause me anxiety or pressure. Not letting them cause me to feel like an imposter!

So I share this story as a hope that you can find a way to get out of your own head at times and stop doubting yourself! Because you can do hard things, sometimes it just requires us to have a mindset shift.

Adding some variety to your running is one of the most important things you can do as you progress as a runner.

Every run should have a purpose. Whether it’s a recovery run, a workout, a long run, a run with strides or just an easy run they all are doing something different for you. And they are all part of a week of training that helps you progress.

Once you start going from just every run at the same pace to every run having a purpose behind that’s when the magic happens.

A lot of runners start by just doing moderate runs every day and that’s ok and will work for a while but the next step is always going to be when we lean on periodization to start breaking out our training into blocks and to start adding variety into a single week.

If you are ever looking for help with your running hit the link in our bio and see all the ways we can help. There is a quiz in there and countless freebies that are available for you right now. And a blog that continues to talk about the stuff that will help you the most.