Training Advice

Training Plans.

There are millions of training plans for purchase online or at bookstores.  But there are also tons of free programs online.  I’ve listed just a few.

  • Hal Higdon offers free online plans for marathons and half marathons, ranging from novice to advanced.
  • Cool Running has training plans for full or half marathons, plus lots of advice.

Helpful gadgets.

Whether this is your first long distance race or you’ve been running for years, there are tons of tools out there to make the next race your best.  Listed below are some of my favorites as well as tools suggested by seasoned runners.

  • My Asics is a free program that helps you reach your goals by tracking progress, providing free training programs, and logging runs with a free app.
  • Map your run before you go, or find out how far you really went, with MilerMeter.
  • Strava provides similar tracking abilities as My Asics, but includes biking options and performance challenges.
  • Runkeeper is another app to track your runs that also counts calories burned.
  • On mapmyrun you can save your own favorite routes or find popular routes in your area.  This site is particularly helpful if you have to get in a training run in a new location.

Wisdom you should consider.

Not finishing a race is one of the worst feelings there is.  It is almost as bad as falling victim to an injury weeks before your big race.  The following advice will help you avoid these mishaps and others.

  • Active.com provides endless articles on how to improve your performance and avoid or overcome injuries.
  • Learn how to identify the perfect shoe or running watch at The Running Advisor.
  • Runner’s World has various articles online ranging from the perfect diet to cold weather workouts.