100 Days to Mo

With 100 days to go, lululemon Ambassador Matty Abel shares his tips on how to set yourself up for success in the lead up to Movember.

Are you lacing up this November to ‘Move for Movember’?

To support you with your preparation and training, Matty Abel, lululemon Ambassador, Sydney-based running coach and Founder of the Viper’s Run Club, shares his tips for building an effective run program.

Strength Training

One of the most underrated supplementary training modalities for runners - strength training. Working strength into your run training program has the ability to increase our running speed and distance by; 1) prolonging our bodies time to fatigue, 2) increasing ground force and 3) reducing the risk of injury. lululemon Ambassador and run physiotherapist Alex Bell breaks down the benefits of Strength Training for Runners.

Volume

The volume of our running completed each week should be progressive and periodised to help avoid injury. You can track your volume in the form of time or mileage which will vary for trail and road runners, different running levels, etc.

It is also suggested to break a run program into 3 or 4 week training blocks with a very easy week to follow, allowing the body to adapt to the previous training stimulus.

An example of volume increasing is going from 3 x 5km runs per week to 3 x 6km runs per week. If we saw someone making the jump from 3 x 5km runs per week to 3 x 10km runs per week, this is a ‘red flag’ for potential injury. It is suggested to progressively increase your volume from 5km, 6km, 8km and then 10km as an example, to avoid injury.

Intensity

Our running intensity comes in the forms of easy, moderate or hard running. First, we need to create a body to support speed work, which can be done through strength training and easy running. What most don’t realise is that easy running actually makes us faster.

I like to use a car analogy here - a small car will only go as fast as the engine, however, a formula 1 car will go a lot faster due to its engine capacity being bigger. Easy running builds the formula 1 engine but it takes patience and consistency. A well periodised program should have a varied amount of running including a mix of easy running (aerobic), tempo running, hill running, threshold running and interval running.

Cadence

Cadence is king when it comes to running but gone are the old 180 step a minute days. What we now understand is that people with longer limbs will have a slightly lower cadence compared to someone who has shorter limbs. Cadence will also vary pending your pace - run faster and your cadence should increase, run slower and your cadence will be a little lower. I strongly suggest getting your running assess to find out what your ideal cadence is for your height and running pace.

Accountability

With running, consistency is key to success. Without accountability, it’s easy for the consistency to fall by the wayside. Enlist social support to keep you accountable and in-turn create habits. This might come in the form of a run coach or social running group. Nowadays, running groups are a dime a dozen and could turn into one of the best things in your life!

The Right Gear

Having the right gear can make or break your run! As mentioned earlier, a running assessment is recommended for runners and here they should be able to recommend a shoe that is suited to you. There are two styles of shoes, one softer runner for your easier / longer runs and one harder for faster running.

Run comfort comes next - there is nothing worse than running in gear that chafs or gets heavy whilst you run. My favourite gear to run in are the surge 4” shortest and a fast & free short sleeve.

Sign up early to Move for Movember at Movember.com and your support will change the face of men’s health. Commit to running or walking 60kms over the month - that’s 60km for the 60 men we lose to suicide every hour across the world.

100 Days to Mo - time to get training!