Running with Regnier

Not sure why your running pace isn't improving? It could be because you are lacking one of the "BIG 6" basic principles of running fast:

1. Run most of your runs SLOWER than your goal pace (i.e. for a goal of a 45 min 10km, easy runs means 5:45- 6 mins/km)

2. Run 1 (maaaybe 2) runs FASTER than your goal pace in 2, 3 or 4 min intervals

3. Strength train - hamstrings, glutes, calfs, core, shoulders to the point of exhaustion

4. Cut out the naked carbs. Aim for 1.2 - 1.7g/km/ day of protein, and add it to all meals and snacks

5. Drink enough water for light coloured urine

6. Sleep7-9 hours/ night

The main issue here is that most people have done MOST of these things at ONE point, but usually not all at the same time... or have hit all 6 points, but inconsitently.

Why is it important to hit ALL 6? They are all connected:

1. Running "slow runs" too fast inhibits recovery between workouts, decreases your ability to run your intervals fast enough and increases risk of injury due to overtraining

2. Running speed workouts too slow results in reduced cardiovascular adaptations for faster running

3. Strength training is the foundation which will allow your body to be able to handle high intensity intervals without injury (since most running injuries are the result of a weak muscle not doing it's job)

4. Protein is fundamental to muscle recovery between workouts and building strength

5. Both water AND sleep affect every aspect of training, recovery and performance

For me right now, my "areas of opportunity" are increasing water consumption ( #5) and increasing protein ingestion during all meals and snacks ( #4)

Where are your "areas of opportunity" in the BIG 6??

One MAJOR component of strength training that runners 🏃🏼‍♀️ often miss is upper body training 💪🏼

If you are new to upper body training, don't be surprised if your shoulders are feeling sore after the first few weeks. This is perfectly normal and a massage can be really supportive in releasing some of that tension from your training
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(p.s. I just had my shoulders worked on at and I always feel so much better coming out of there)
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▪️Why is upper body strength so important? Because weakness/ instability in this area will result in "power leaks" (i.e. excess movement that wastes your energy and decreasing your running economy)

▪️In addition to power leaks, your upper body also contributes to your posture. The weaker your upper body is, the faster your shoulders are going to hunch over, which not only a less efficient way to run, but also limits your ability to breath.

▪️So what's the solution? Biceps and triceps curls? Not exactly. The best running specific exercises that will contribute to improved posture focus on ALL the muscles around that shoulder joint.

▪️The first exercise that typically comes to mind when trying to improve posture are rows. I LOVE rows. I highly recommend them. But don't make the mistake of only doing row's and assume that's enough to support your running. Rows are a "pulling" motion, so some sort of "pushing" motion makes a great super set (an easy one is push-ups)

▪️But "pushing" and "pulling" forward and backward is just one plane of motion. What about pushing up and pulling down? An example of these could be a shoulder press and straight arm pull down.

▪️The tricky thing about your shoulder is that there are SO many different movements a shoulder can do - and it's important to make sure you are training all the muscles around that shoulder if you want to build a strong and robust shoulder (and to reduce the risk of shoulder/ back pain as you age)

👀 If you want to read more on this topic, you can pop over to my blog and read the "Upper Body/ Core Strength and Running Performance" article 📚