1)    Stay loose as you run. Think to keep your hands open and light. Tension in your body will slow you down. Do the same with your mind – for the longer runs; don’t be afraid to let it wander a little. A loose mind will help keep your body that way.

2)    Warm everything up before you run – all the muscles & joints from head to toe. This will help you with #6. And don’t forget to warm down – mobilize and stretch as part of your cool down – this will aid you in your recovery.

3)    Keep a log of your running. Just like you should be doing with your workouts, keep track of your running – distances, times, etc.

4)    Know and understand your pace. We will sometimes talk about the intensity level you should be at when you are doing something – here is a good guide to figure out where you are and where you should be: Level 1 – Walk at a pace you could continue indefinitely, Level 2 – Very Light a slightly faster walk, Level 3 – Light more than a walk but not quite a jog, Level 4 – Fairly Light a jog. At Levels 1-4 you can carry on a conversation with full sentences. Level 5 – Somewhat Hard you are starting to move and it takes conscious effort to maintain the pace, Level 6 – Fairly Hard  breathing starts to get a little harder to maintain, Level 7 – Hard you need to work to maintain the pace over a longer distance. At levels 5-7 you can still speak but not in complete sentences – just a word or two here or there. Level 8 – Very Hard not quite max effort but getting close – from here up you can’t speak, Level 9 – Extremely Hard just short of max effort – difficult to breathe, cannot maintain pace for long, Level 10 – Max Effort the best you can do giving everything you have – nothing left in the tank.

5)    Be patient. Do I really need to explain this one?