For part 1 (How I Became a Faster Runner) - Click here.

In our last post about how I became a faster runner, I ran through (pun intended) my five point plan/different running workouts which helped me go from a runner who struggled to run 1 kilometre without the need to rest to completing my first half marathon in 18 months.

Now I say 18 months because initially I never intended to complete anything more than 10k.  My reasoning was that I never wanted to run more than an hour.  That made my goal of a sub-60 minute 10k the ultimate running goal for me.

However, (and I'm sure many of you have experienced this too), but when around other runners, especially post-run coffees, you get the itch and next thing you know, you've signed up for half-marathon races left, right, and centre.

In this article I’m going to attempt to explain why and how you should increase the total training volume in running in order to perform better in your races (whatever distance they may be)!

​​This is going to be quite a technical article, aimed at running coaches and running “geeks”, but I’m going to try to keep the technical training lingo to a minimum in order to appeal to a larger audience.

​Hill running can be very low impact in comparison to flat runs on the pavement over several miles. It’s a great way to get a lot of work in for almost less time and a lot less pounding on the body. It is also a great place to watch our form in action. It’ll teach us to stay upright and to keep our feet and arms moving, and before we know it, we’ll be up and over the hill.

You arrive home, tell everyone about your newest achievement and just as the day starts winding down you remember… ​in the midst of the excitement about running your first race, you signed up for another race in just a few weeks! Uh-oh! What should you do?
 
There are a few ways to answer this question and I’ll go through a few scenarios that will hopefully apply to a wide range of runners, whether you’ve been running for a few weeks or many years.