It takes a while to get comfortable with the idea of scaling back training volume. Ironically, having the self-discipline to train hard over 12-16 weeks is easier than having the self-discipline to reduce weekly mileage 2-3 weeks prior to race day.

There’s a small element of truth in the saying that “long slow distance runs make long slow runners.” So, to keep yourself on your toes, it’s probably not a bad idea to throw in a little “speed play”.

In the 1970′s, Jack Daniels, a former competitive athlete and running coach, founded the training philosophy that suggested that it’s possible to raise our capacity to train at more intense levels through our body’s ability to adapt over time.

To become a faster runner, there’s really only two things you have to account for: the length of your stride and your turnover, or “stride rate”. Speed comes naturally when you combine these two factors, but the difficult part is finding the perfect combination of the two that’s economical.

Group runs have a way of affecting the way we pace ourselves. We often only push ourselves up to a certain point when we run alone, only to find in a group dynamic that we can usually do better.

Music is pretty amazing. You plug yourself in and your perceived effort when it comes to doing any type of activity changes. But “hacking” your run with music requires a little work. You need to figure out your ideal training levels translated into Beats Per Minute (BPM).