Base Training

Why is it always so hard for me?? is a question some runners ask themselves. It could be hard for a lot of reasons. If you are working to your potential, it?s going to be hard because you are challenging yourself. If you workout with people who are faster than you, it?s going to be hard because they are pushing you to higher levels. If you workout with people who are slower than you it?s going to be hard because your stride changes, the number of times your feet hit the ground increases and the time doing the activity increases. Some runners also find the transition in weather may make their running feel more difficult than usual.
Does that mean it should always be hard? No. As a matter of fact if you are one of those runners who believes in ?no pain, no gain?, or believe that all the stars have to be aligned, or you have to be holding your mouth in the right position to have the perfect workout, you need to reassess your program. The good majority of your workouts should be done at an easy pace, allowing for active recovery and adaptation. Running at a moderate pace, less than 70% of your maximum heart rate allows for the body to tap into fat stores for fuel and to gradually increase the body?s ability to exchange oxygen at the cellular level thereby increasing your aerobic fitness. This is called base training and it is an important starting point for every season because it makes running easier!
Initially when you begin a workout program, every session may feel difficult, or at least not easy. This in part is due to the new stresses you are placing on your heart, lungs, muscles and other soft tissues. As your body adapts and strengthens, you will be able to work at the same pace and it will feel easier.
A base run should feel easy, like you could keep going forever. Theoretically it is easier to accomplish a base run solo as you don?t have someone to set the pace, however many runners have a hard time running this ?slow?. To keep yourself honest on these days, run with a slower partner, ensuring you don?t press the pace past their abilities. Wear a HR monitor and if you can set a zone alarm, set it and pay attention to the beeps. You can also take walk breaks at set periods of time to break the pace. If you run with someone faster then you, it is a good idea to save those runs for your speed work day.
The first eight to 12 weeks of your season should consist mostly of base training. At this point although it is important to add in speed work and long runs, you should maintain some base training days that provide active recovery. Although some runs may feel harder than others, it is also inexplicably worthwhile. Keep up the good work.