Progress often presents itself in the margins of a training log: You finish a quality workout feeling strong instead of spent. The final interval of a workout comes with control rather than desperation. An easy run actually feels…easy.
Subtle signals like these can tempt you to speed up every run. But before you change your targets, you need to establish a clear pattern of progress. For example, your body may adapt to a hard workout within seven to 14 days, but noticeable pace and performance gains often take eight to 12 weeks, Laura Norris, an RRCA-certified run coach and exercise scientist, previously told Runner’s World.
But taking note of progress ahead of those longer-term speed gains acts as the ultimate motivator and can help inform even smarter training. So coaches share the signs you’re progressing your fitness and when to push the pace without sacrificing recovery. The first sign you’re improving is when a familiar workout stops feeling like a desperate fight to get through.
Your breathing never gets out of control, you hit your targets without straining for each split, and your form stays strong rather than falling apart. Use this signal as a testament to smart training, rather than a directive to push pace even faster. Jon Mott, a three-time U.S.
Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier and founding coach of Runnersfix, previously told Runner’s World that he wants runners to complete two or three speed sessions week after week—and recover well from them—before changing their pace targets. The opposite signal matters, too. If a prescribed tempo pace suddenly feels like a race effort, don’t force it.
This mismatch can point toward overtraining or inadequate recovery, Sam Renikoff, an RRCA- and USATF-certified run coach, previously told Runner’s World. Fitness doesn’t only show up during a hard effort. It also shows up in the days after.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
