Goals
Training as an Olympic runner involves more than physical conditioning. Along with being fit and healthy, runners in training must set realistic goals. Not only can a person's emotional outlook affect the ways in which a runner responds to and copes with stress, it has a lot to do with whether a runner believes that he can win. While there is no doubt that runners need strong legs and arms, a positive attitude is another essential quality runners training for the Olympics must have in order to successfully compete. A runner has to develop confidence in her abilities while learning to perform as a member of a team rather than as an individual.
Workouts
Resistance training required to build muscle and strength has many benefits. One advantage of this kind of exercise is that a runner either can focus on a particular muscle group that needs strengthening, or he can use resistance training to condition the whole body. When training your body to run long distances, you should concentrate first on how far you can run rather than how fast. Speed workouts can come later. The goal of a long distance runner is to train the body to keep moving even when fatigue sets in. At the same time, a runner should not ignore obvious signs of pain or feelings of tiredness. Even though you are aiming to increase your endurance by running longer, you don't want to push so hard that you get injured. Try increasing the total distance that you run each week by gradually adding one mile each time you run for up to ten miles. Once you can run ten miles, increase your runs by two miles each time if you think you can handle it. Take some days in between more intense training workouts to recover by running fewer miles.
Do not presume that you have to train seven days a week to be a successful athlete. Many athletes have found that they can train adequately by running three or four days each week. In fact, a study conducted at the University of Northern Iowa showed that runners who trained four days each week performed just as well as those who practiced nearly every day. They also ran more miles. Some runners also find it helpful to keep a log to record the number of miles, time and pace they run, as well as how they feel afterward.
Pace
While high intensity workouts should be of shorter duration, running any distance faster than your normal pace increases stamina. Some runners find that training intensely for two days, and then slowing up for two days to recover works well for them. Running fewer miles in between training seems to help, too. Another general rule to follow is not trying to increase intensity and distance both at the same time. Start out by running at a slower pace for the first few miles, and then begin to pick up your pace by a few seconds each mile. Once you get halfway through the run, do the reverse and slow down your pace. When you feel ready, pick up the pace again.
Nutrition
It takes a lot of energy to propel the body forward. For this reason, runners burn extra calories. Adequate iron intake keeps a runner from getting tired, as iron produces the hemoglobin in the red blood cells needed to carry oxygen from the lungs to the muscles. Unfortunately, runners frequently suffer low iron because the mineral is lost when they sweat. That's where eating a healthful diet comes in. Include lean beef, pork, lamb, dark meat from poultry, and seafood like oysters, clams, salmon and tuna in your diet. Spinach, broccoli and asparagus are other foods rich in iron. Drink orange juice for vitamin C needed to increase iron absorption in the body. Enough calcium should be part of a regular diet as well. Whether you go low fat or no fat, be sure to get 40 percent of the daily-recommended requirement for calcium. Dairy products are fortified with vitamin D, which also aids in calcium absorption. If you are training to increase the distance that you run, your body is going to need increased amounts of vitamin E. The key is to consume carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats needed for energy. Don't forget to drink plenty of liquids before, during and after a run to rehydrate.
Staying Fit
When running long distances, it may be helpful to take some walk breaks to reduce fatigue. You need only walk for a minute or two every few miles to help you recover your speed and reduce the risk of injury. Although an average long run probably should not exceed more than three hours, if continuous training begins to cause you problems, either slack off the training for a few weeks or consider a cross training program for a time. Even running on a treadmill will allow you to focus on practicing your running pace. While the value of using a treadmill as a serious training tool is often underestimated, you can simulate changes in outdoor running terrain by increasing or decreasing speed and incline every quarter mile or so. You can also monitor your heart rate for signs that you might be over training.
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