Students Run LA’s Post

Have you heard of or read up on the work of Dave Brailsford with the British Cycling team? He broke down everything you could possibly think of that goes into riding a bike, personal training etc. and then looked to improve it all by 1%. Of course, when you put it all together, the law of marginal gains applies and the overall increase is much great then 1%. So my question to you today is: what things can you improve by just 1% that together will have a bigger impact?

☀️With summer approaching rapidly, races are taking place all over the (mostly) northern hemisphere. 🏃You have been training for weeks or months for a particular race which always seem like some event in the distant future and now it’s finally here - race week. Now it’s time to reap the rewards of all the hard work you put in during the colder part of the year. Follow us this week to learn some of the key points in making your race perfect. https://lnkd.in/d88f5hVB #training #racing #sportsCoaching #sportsClubManagement

This past Saturday, I ran my second race of 2024. It was also my first race since turning 60. I moved up to the 60-64 age group. One of many benefits to aging, is every four years becoming the "youngest in my age group" classification. The race is part of the Knoxville Track Club's Winter Road Series. The 10 mile race has been a staple for East Tennesee for years. We added a five mile race to this year's event. I chose the five-mile race. And, with some reluctance. Last week was a long week, business wise. Travel and dealing with the challenges that we all deal with living the "entrepreneurial life". I really wanted to roll over and go back to sleep when my early morning alarm went off. Getting out of the house is often a challenge we all face at times with our goals to be active. The benefits are significant and for me, it was great to race but even better to catch up with friends. I am always glad I made the effort of taking that first step to get out of the house and get going. A majority of my training is done solo. My schedule is hectic, and I do a lot of late-night training. One of my goals for 2024 is to make time to run, ride or swim with friends. It does make a difference. If you are struggling with your plans to get more active in the new year, I encourage to find a partner to make the process more enjoyable. #running #runningmotivation #runner #runners #endurance #triathlete #triathlontraining #bylr #VarloSports #Varlo Inc #healthandwellness #agingwell #knoxville #ktc #nike #patagonia #T36Golf

Today, I did one of my favourite things: watch other people run. It was the Alresford 10k, and my OH was racing, along with some other clubmates, so I went along to support. It was one of my favourite days of late. We got there early for registration, so I went off for a 5k run while they were all sorting out their numbers. By the time I got back, they'd found themselves a nice little dugout near the finish and enjoying a bit of pre-race camaraderie. After they all set off, I got myself a sausage bap and coffee as my post-run snack! Then I found myself a nice quiet space to cheer them home. Some of them had a bad day, and some of them had a good day - that's the way running goes. And, as far as goodie bags go, this one was pretty unique, with a buff, some watercress, a banana, and a cookie from the local cafe - pretty spot on in my opinion in terms of local and traditional products. (Although I do always like to have a medal!). I definitely prefer supporting, rather than running the races myself, for various different reasons and whilst I didn't hear any positive reasons to do this one next year (too hot, too hilly, no earphones), it was a great day out from a spectating point of view. How has your weekend been? Do you like a medal, or do you support the more sustainable approach? #Runner #Run #running #runningcommunity #RunningGoals #racing

Today, I did one of my favourite things: watch other people run. It was the Alresford 10k, and my OH was racing, along with some other clubmates, so I went along to support. It was one of my favourite days of late. We got there early for registration, so I went off for a 5k run while they were all sorting out their numbers. By the time I got back, they'd found themselves a nice little dugout near the finish and enjoying a bit of pre-race camaraderie. After they all set off, I got myself a sausage bap and coffee as my post-run snack! Then I found myself a nice quiet space to cheer them home. Some of them had a bad day, and some of them had a good day - that's the way running goes. And, as far as goodie bags go, this one was pretty unique, with a buff, some watercress, a banana, and a cookie from the local cafe - pretty spot on in my opinion in terms of local and traditional products. (Although I do always like to have a medal!). I definitely prefer supporting, rather than running the races myself, for various different reasons and whilst I didn't hear any positive reasons to do this one next year (too hot, too hilly, no earphones), it was a great day out from a spectating point of view. How has your weekend been? Do you like a medal, or do you support the more sustainable approach? #Runner #Run #running #runningcommunity #RunningGoals #racing

Excited to share that I placed 2nd in my age group and 6th overall in my third half marathon! 🤩 Now, for the questions people really want to know the answers to: -How did I do compared to my other races? I was about 5 minutes faster, which doesn’t sound like a lot but felt like a big improvement 😅 -What was my gameplan for the race? Start fast, end faster (I can confidently say I did NOT do this and I definitely slowed down in my later miles) 😬 -Why do I have neon green compression shorts? To blind my competitors 😎 In all seriousness, I was a bit nervous before the race as I had a goal time I was aiming for. While I missed that goal time by about 45 seconds, it has shown me that my goal is achievable, so I plan to rest, re-group, and try to beat my goal next year! Incredibly grateful to my brother Brandon Lewke who agreed to run the race as well and my dad Reynold Lewke who was kind enough to help me train and cheer me on during the race.  It is always so interesting to me how much faster people run on race day than we do in our practice runs which shows that we often are capable of more than we think we are. 😊 What's an area of your life in which your perspective has changed recently? 🤔 PS: Also next time I’m going to try to run with less bulky headphones and see if I can save a few minutes with that approach 😁 #running #mondaymotivation #brand30

“All too often, we look at what someone else is doing on their highlight reel with their training, and then we look at ours and become discouraged. You have to remember that we’re each coming at our training from a different angle.” ~ Jen Kates, C.P.T., founder of Shift Human Performance #TheLeanStoic #LeanStoicFitness #Bicycling #Training #Cyclist #Frequency https://lnkd.in/eU5xANC6

Reach•For•The•Mountain A staple hashtag of mine by design. A year ago I began training for the Grand Teton Half Marathon. I’ve completed over 10 of these races but this one was different. Elevation was a factor I didn’t have to consider previously and I didn’t fully calculate how much of an impact it would come into play until I was in the midst of the course. Training at 1100 ft and racing at a range between 6800-8000ft are two entirely different things. While on a long run on a Saturday, a text from my running coach came through my headphones. “From Benson: Reach For The Mountain Teri”. Perfectly timed on a hot Saturday at mile 7. This became my mantra so to speak. I even printed it on my hydration vest so runners around me could read the message as well. The weekend came and went - I saw a real moose! Moose Double achieved: 5k Friday, 13.1 Saturday 🏅🫎🏅 - Goal Achieved I say all of this because we all have a “mountain”. The mountain may look different from one another, but it exists. We may need to rest, we may need to reset, we may need to refocus…but we MUST keep reaching. #neverquit #keepmovingforward #running #IGNITEYOURPASSION #TURNINGCEILINGSINTOFLOORS #REACHFORTHEMOUNTAIN #NEVERSETTLE #LEVELUP #AML #AMLCOMPLIANCE #FINCRIME #FINANCIALCRIMEFIGHTER #1team1mission

FINDING MARGINAL GAINS Last weekend I ran the Derby Ramathon- a 13 mile race around my home city and managed to beat my half marathon PB by just 1 second… Just 1 second I hear you ask? But what this masks is the progress I’ve made in the same race over the past 3-years: 2022- 1 hour 47 2023- 1 hour 39 2024 - 1 hour 37 My year on year difference was 90seconds (which in running terms is huge) and I put this down to the marginal gains I have made to my preparations since last year. 1. Started training 6 times per week and mixed up my training across hill sprints, speed work and weights. 2. Nutrition- cut out all processed foods from my diet and learnt to eat well in days leading up to race day. 3. Made a race plan- set a goal, worked out the average pace I needed and trained at that pace for weeks. 4. Quit drinking alcohol last August so quality of sleep is better and greater energy levels. 5. Determination - as you can see in the lovely image below captured by the race photographer, pushing yourself to the absolute limits is not fun, but once you accept being comfortable with being uncomfortable, it gets you through to the end. Overall I don’t run to get PB’s, I run to make progress. My mantra is if I’m getting another year older, but running a little bit quicker, that can’t be a bad thing. #running #derby #ramathon

Get ready to run. How to prepare for the Run United race (or your next road race).