Run Faster by Running Less
By: Felicia Atkinson
Tags: Running Tips, Fitness, Lifestyle, Health, Sports

It might sound crazy — but it works.

Photo by Brian Erickson on Unsplash

I believed for years that the more you run, the faster you become. It seemed simple enough to me and so I trained vigorously, running more miles than I could physically handle. I was wearing my body down and believed that I was enhancing my physical fitness, when in reality, I was doing my body a disservice and tearing it apart.

I have realized in the past few years that running more does not necessarily mean you will become faster and improve your endurance. Often times, running higher mileage results in you slowing down and regressing.

Here’s why.

Your body can only handle so much. Running high mileage continuously with few breaks puts immense strain on your knees. It strains not only your physical health, but your mental health as well. You can become pretty stagnant by doing the same thing over and over again, and it’s not always a good thing.

High mileage typically leads to injuries.

If you increase your mileage too soon you will become injured and regress. Even if you’re in peak shape and begin to increase your mileage, if you’re pushing your body past its limits, you will only hurt yourself in the long-term.

Almost all of my teammates had a stress fracture at least once in their running careers. Some had multiple stress fractures. Their training was halted for multiple weeks and most of them did not run as well once they returned to running.

Once you’re injured, its too late to make a change. Take precautions to limit your chances of injuring yourself.

Overworking yourself is never a good idea. While it’s important to work hard and train hard, there’s a thin line that you mustn’t cross.

Take rest days where you do no exercise at all. Your body must have time to heal.

Rest days aren’t your enemy-they’re your friend. I used to be the type of person who hated rest days, for fear of ruining my training from the week prior. I mistakenly believed that rest days were not beneficial for runners at all.

I was wrong.

I cannot stress how important rest days are. They are more valuable than you might realize. They help prevent injuries. Rest days allow your body to recover from the constant stress and trauma you put yourself through.

Enjoy your rest days and relax. They will help you — not hurt you.

Incorporate cross-training into your training regimen for better results.

Instead of increasing your mileage, incorporate cross-training. Cross-training is zero impact, which means that you won’t be putting stress on your body like you would for running.

Cross-training is an incredible additive for athletes because you are able to increase your fitness without increasing the chance of injuring yourself.

Try biking or swimming. They might not be identical to running, but they work different muscle groups and will strengthen your cardiovascular fitness.

I prefer swimming because it relaxes me and aides my body in the recovery process.

Strength train in addition to running so you don’t plateau.

Strength training is something that a lot of runners in particular tend to slack on and not take too seriously. I had this mindset years ago, and I wish that someone would have told me how important it was. I didn’t think that runners needed to strength train. I only thought that runners needed to run.

That couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Runners need to strength train just like any athlete. In order to increase your speed and endurance, you must have the proper strength to be able to improve yourself as an athlete. You might not need to work on your arms as much as a basketball player per se, but it’s to your advantage to incorporate strength training into your training regimen.

You won’t get faster by running eighty miles a week. However, you will get faster by easing up on your mileage and incorporating strength training, cross-training, and taking necessary rest days.

Running is a process, so buckle up and enjoy the ride.