Run Like a Pro (Even If You're Slow)

36 snips

Mar 21, 2022

Matt Fitzgerald, a sports writer and running coach, shares his insights on transforming amateur running by adopting elite strategies. He emphasizes the importance of structured training plans and balancing running intensity, advising runners to focus on time rather than distance. Fitzgerald provides guidance on building a safe running routine, exploring critical recovery practices, and mastering the right mindset to embrace discomfort for optimal performance. His practical tips aim to elevate the recreational runner's experience and success.

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ANECDOTE

Living with Pros

Matt Fitzgerald lived with pro runners to improve his running.
He significantly improved his marathon time, proving that amateur runners can benefit from pro methods.

INSIGHT

Volume Discrepancy

Pro runners prioritize finding their maximum beneficial training volume.
Amateurs often undertrain, questioning the point of increased volume due to slower pace.

ADVICE

Importance of a Running Plan

Recreational runners need a credible training plan for specific race distances.
This allows for timed progression and peak performance, unlike general fitness approaches.

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Running is a gloriously democratic and accessible sport. All you need is a pair of shoes and the will to start moving your legs. It's so seemingly simple, that you may never think to figure out how you might get better at it — you just follow what your peers may be doing (who may not know anything more than you do), or pick up tips that percolate through social media (which may not be accurate), or 100% wing it, just vaguely trying to get a little faster each time you run.

My guest says that, rather than taking a willy-nilly approach to your recreational running, you can greatly improve your performance by learning from the professionals who actually run for a living.

His name is Matt Fitzgerald and he's a sports writer, a running coach, and the co-author of Run Like a Pro (Even If You're Slow): Elite Tools and Tips for Runners at Every Level. Today on the show Matt translates the best practices of elite runners into tactics the amateur can incorporate into their training, beginning with why you need to follow a well-programmed running plan, how to find the sweet spot for your running volume — including why you actually should concentrate more on the amount of time you run rather than the miles — and the number of hours Matt recommends trying to work up to running each week if you'd like to really see what you can do as a runner. We then discuss the ratio of low intensity to high intensity workouts you should be doing, the surprisingly small emphasis pros put on running form, what the pros know about what works best for recovery, and the edge you can get through cross-training. We end our conversation with the difference in mindset that marks elite runners, including how they're probably better quitters than you are.

Run Like a Pro (Even If You're Slow)

Living with Pros

Volume Discrepancy

Importance of a Running Plan

Resources Related to the Podcast

Connect With Matt Fitzgerald