Race Your Way to Fitness: How to Effectively Build Racing Into Your Training Program

Run to the Top Podcast | The Ultimate Guide to Running

RunnersConnect: Coaching Community, Running Experts, Inspiring Runners, No Fluff Blog

Run, Sports, Runners, Health, Fitness, Marathons, Training, Running, Health & Fitness, Runningpodcast, Marathon

4.6 • 931 Ratings

🗓️ 12 February 2025

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

There’s no better preparation for race day than another race but the key is understanding how to schedule your races so that it enhances your training rather than getting in the way.

We’ll cover racing topics today that include:

What separates a goal race from a tuneup race or other races in training
How racing more can make you better prepared for your goal race
How to pick the right race that fits in your training
Whether you need to taper when racing in the middle of a training block
How far apart your races should be from other races or hard workouts
Why you might not want to give your full effort at every race

If you want to know how to make racing a more regular part of your training routine then make sure you listen to today’s show.

Tune-up Racing Blog: How to Incorporate Tune-Up Races into Your Training - Runners Connect

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Transcript

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0:00.0	any of those things, I just wanted to just be like, let's just, let's just see what we can do.
0:05.8	I noticed, like, in training, one of the things I struggle with is holding myself back a little
0:09.8	bit, but in races, I can, that's when you can experiment, and that's when you can, like, really
0:14.8	test the fitness.
0:16.9	I think that one of the most fun parts of the sport is racing, so why not just do it more
0:21.1	often?
0:22.1	Okay, hear me out.
0:23.7	You're probably not going to PR by doing a marathon or ultra every weekend, but adding
0:27.8	shorter races and maybe even some longer ones into your training can be a fantastic substitute
0:32.2	for workouts.
0:33.8	Plus, get the added benefit of being surrounded by other runners and cheering crowds.
0:38.9	Having drinks provided to you and getting a shiny medal at the finish line is really
0:41.6	just the cherry on top.
0:43.7	The tricky thing though is that it's easy to get carried away and burn yourself out if
0:47.0	you race too much.
0:49.0	Coach Andy and I will walk you through on the show how to strategically use races and training
0:52.8	to build fitness for your goal race without interfering with your key training sessions. This includes how often to race,
0:59.1	how to schedule races into your training, and how to execute a workout within your race,
1:03.1	so that you don't overcook it and leave yourself tired or even injured. If you don't have
1:07.7	performance goals, then go crazy and enter as many races as you want.
1:11.4	Running is meant to be fun.
1:13.3	And if you want to be in peak shape for your A goal race, the good news is that you can still race a ton and get really fit doing it.
	...

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