Run Squad Store:
https://moremilestogo.pressio.com/shop​
More Miles branded training and racing apparel, available to order any day of the year!

Sweat Testing:
​
HDrop Wearable Sweat Sensor
https://hdroptech.com/ref/74/
For 10% off, use code: HDROPFRIENDSMOREMILEST10

Hdrop is a wearable sweat sensor that you can wear independently or together with your heart rate strap on your chest or arm. You can use it every single day if you want to, the device is rechargeable and requires no extra tools or extra cost.
Your device will measure your sweat volume (total fluid lost), electrolyte loss (sodium AND potassium loss, as well as concentration), it will also give you a recovery plan for properly rehydrating after your workout, and compare products that best match your sweat profile.
This is VERY helpful for dialing your personal hydration needs and adjusting to the season and conditions!

Fuel and Hydration Products:

Open Fuel
 https://openfuel.co/discount/WOD

20%off all products, every order, every time - use code WOD
Liquid nutrition (Ultra Fuel mix = 60g carbs, 500mg sodium), hydration, and gel mix... Open Fuel is focused on reducing waste and consumerism - helping to fuel what YOU need, for YOUR adventures, and none of the excess you don't. And, it tastes GOOD.

The Feed
https://thefeed.com/teams/more-miles-run-coaching
$40 first-year credit for new members, on-going 5% off for all members

The Feed is your one-stop-shop for all things sports nutrition. From gels and chews to hydration, protein, vitamins, and supplements - this store is designed specifically for the endurance athlete! You can purchase almost everything on their website in single-serving sizes, so you can try a large variety products and determine what works best for you, before committing to a full order. 

Summit Roasters
www.summit-roasters.com
15% off every order, every time - use code MOREMILES

Summit Roasters is locally roasted in Washington County by our very own Coach Zach! Whole bean freshness and a variety of options to choose from - power your next run with your favorite roast! Let's grind!

Athlete Health and Wellness:

Athlete Blood Test
https://www.athletebloodtest.com/
For 15% off, use code: MOREMILESTOGO

Athlete Blood Test offers a wide variety of affordable blood tests for the biomarkers that athletes value most. You can test as often as you choose/need, and results are sent with not only health parameters, but also athlete optimized zones and goals. You can also upload blood work from your doctor's office for analysis, and/or request a consultation with a registered sports dietitian for more specified guidance.
What we love most about Athlete Blood Test is the convenience and affordability to track your biometrics with your training, more often than insurance will typically cover, especially in the absence of disease. 

The Balanced Runner
https://www.tbrunner.com/
For 25% off your first month, use code: more-miles-run-coaching

Improve your running form for performance, injury prevention, and enjoyment of the activity - The Balanced Runner is a curriculum designed by Paul Mackinnon, which can be either self-analyzed and guided OR coached 1-on-1. The system is an easy to follow, implement, and understand path to improving your technique for efficiency and injury prevention. 

Nutrition and fueling can be challenging for anyone. As athletes, particularly endurance athletes, our needs are different than the average sedentary person; and it can be confusing to sort through nutrition recommendations for the general population as compared to fueling for athletic performance.
Your coach is here to help you with the basics, particularly on fuel and hydration during your workouts, long runs, and races - fueling IS part of your training.
But if you feel like you could use more guidance, especially on your daily nutrition, we highly recommend working with or learning from a Registered Sports Dietitian.

Below, you'll find a list of free resources first - podcasts are one of the best, as they are your most-current form of easy-to-digest information! Each show we recommend features registered dietitians who work specifically with endurance athletes, and share their hard earned expertise for free, for YOU!
Below that, you'll find a list with website and contact information for dietitians that we personally recommend.

Podcasts on Nutrition for Endurance Athletes:
-The Fueling Forward Podcast with Maddie Alm
(This is a personal favorite. Maddie is an elite and  former professional track and road athlete. Her episodes are direct, short, and clear - offering both specific recommendations and the "why" behind its importance.)

-The Eat for Endurance Podcast with Claire Shorenstein
(Conversations with both fellow dietitians and inspiring athletes to share common challenges, struggles, and successes through fueling; with easy to understand and implement recommendations.)

-Fuel for the Sole with Meghann Featherstun and Believe in the Run
(Each episode focuses on one or two specific topics with recommendations and information for understanding. Q&A style hosted by "regular runners" with practical advice from one of America's favorite road-running sports dietitians.)

-Your Diet Sucks with Kylee VanHorn and Zoe Rom
(Understanding food and diet culture, history, marketing, messaging, and how to weed through the noise to find the right advice and approach for you. This pod will help you think a little deeper about the messaging you absorb.)

Registered Sports Dieticians We Recommend:
-Eat for Endurance, Claire Shorenstein
www.eatforendurance.com

-Fueling Forward, Maddie Alm
www.fuelingforward.com

-Becca McConville, Sports Nutrition Specialist (specializing in REDs - Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport)
www.beccamcconville.com 

-Mountain Sports Nutrition, Vic Johnson and Jane Maus
www.mountainsportsnutrition.com

-Fly Nutrition, Kylie Van Horn
linktr.ee/flynutrition3

-Featherstone Nutrition, Meghann Featherstun
www.featherstonenutrition.com

-Nutrition Mechanic, Dina Griffin (specific for peri and menopausal athletes)
www.nutritionmechanic.com

-Midlife Health, Val Schonberg (mid-life and perimenopausal athletes)
www.valschonberg.com

-Eating and Living Healthy, Meredith Terranova
​www.eatingandlivinghealthy.com

-The Healthy Shine Nutrition, Starla Garcia
www.thehealthyshine.com

Just like any other sport, running has its own unique lingo. For anyone new to the running community (or even some veteran runners or supporters), these terms can be quite confusing. This guide will cover some of the most common lingo used by runners. Consider this your own personal Duolingo lesson in running language.

5K: A race that is 5,000 km or 3.1 miles long.

10K: A race that is 10,000 km or 6.2 miles long.

Aerobic Exercise: Cardiovascular exercise that is typically done at a relatively low heart rate and taps into the aerobic energy system, using oxygen to produce energy and burning primarily fat stores for energy. When running, this should be done at a comfortable, sustainable, and conversational pace. Example workouts include easy runs, MAF runs, recovery runs, and most long runs.

Aid Station: Points along a race route that provide fuel or hydration for runners. These often include a sports drink and water and, for longer distance races, energy gels or other fuel.

Anaerobic Exercise: Cardiovascular exercise done at a higher intensity/heart rate than aerobic exercise. During this type of exercise, your body’s oxygen requirements are higher than what is available and the anaerobic energy system is activated, utilizing primarily carbohydrate as a fuel source. Example workouts include tempo runs, fartleks, speed intervals, and sprints.

Boston Qualifier: A race that has been approved by the Boston Athletic Association (BAA) to be used for submitting qualified times for entry into the Boston Marathon.

BQ: A Boston Marathon qualifying time. This is an official marathon time that allows someone to qualify for entering the Boston Marathon. The time requirements are updated annually and achieving a BQ does not necessarily guarantee entry into the Boston Marathon. However, this is a major achievement and common goal for many marathon runners.

Cadence: Also known as stride rate, it’s the number of steps a runner takes per minute. A higher cadence is often associated with more efficient running form, however, each runner has their own unique optimal cadence rate. It is generally accepted that a cadence over 164 steps per minute (SPM) is ideal for injury prevention.

Chafing: Skin that has been irritated by clothing, gear, or other skin from rubbing during running over longer distances.

Corral: A grouping of runners of similar paces at a race. Typically, faster runners will be in a higher corral (starting closer to the start line) with walkers and slower paces lining up toward the back. This keeps traffic flowing and prevents back-ups of runners and congestion, especially in the first mile or two of a race.

CR (Course Record): This can be defined as either: a) the fastest time in which a runner has run a particular course; or b) the fastest known time for which any runner in a given division, or overall, has run a particular course.

Cross Training: Other forms or exercise outside of running such as swimming, cycling, strength training, yoga, etc. Some forms of cross training can be extremely beneficial to your running performance, others may pose more of an injury or overtraining risk. Be sure to discuss any cross training with your coach.

DNF: Did Not Finish. This term is used when someone starts, but does not complete a race.

DNS: Did Not Start. This term is used when a runner does not start the race.

Fartlek: A Swedish term meaning “speed play.” It’s a form or training that mixes continuous running with intervals of different speeds and intensities. Fartleks are typically unstructured, where interval workouts have a defined structure. An example of a fartlek workout is to pick up the pace during the chorus of a song, or sprint between every other street sign.

Fastest Known Time (FKT): The fastest time on record that a runner has completed a specific course. These are often not completed during official races, but run alone during solo-efforts and may include outside support.

Glucose: The form of carbohydrate that circulates within your bloodstream and is transported to muscles that require additional fuel.

Glycogen: The form of carbohydrate that is stored within muscles and liver. This type of carbohydrate is converted to blood glucose for energy during activity.

Half Marathon: A race that is 13.1 miles long.

Heart Rate: The rate at which your heart beats during a given time period. This is typically measured in beats per minute (bpm). Common heart rates used in running include:

1. MAF Heart Rate: Maximum Aerobic Function heart rate. This is used in recovery runs and in building aerobic base. (See MAF Run).
2. Max Heart Rate (MHR): The maximum rate at which your heart can beat. This can often be measured during a max-effort workout, a race, or during a test by trained professionals. This can be highly variable and often does not fit the standard 220-age model.
3. Resting Heart Rate (RHR): The rate your heart beats at rest. When referencing this heart rate, it’s often measured when you first wake up in the morning and/or have been in a resting/lying state for at least 10 minutes.
   

Heart Rate Zones: A measurement of the degree of intensity an exercise is or should be performed at.

1. Zone 1: 55-65% MHR, recovery & easy running
2. Zone 2: 65-75% MHR, aerobic training
3. Zone 3: 75-85% MHR, tempo
4. Zone 4: 85-88% MHR, lactate threshold
5. Zone 5: 88-110% MHR, anaerobic training

Hill Repeats: Fast, hard, sprint efforts run uphill for a given time period, with a recovery jog back down, then repeated. Hill repeats (also known as hill sprints) are a great way to build strength and speed.

Intervals: Repeated segments of fast running followed by periods of rest, walking, or slower running. This type of training helps improve both speed and endurance.

Lactic Acid: Lactate Threshold (LTR): The intensity of exercise at which lactic acid starts to accumulate in the blood. Training at or near this threshold can increase your ability to process or “clear” lactic acid at higher intensities and during races. LTR is approximately 85-88% of max heart rate.

Long Runs / Long Slow Distance (LSD): Long runs are the longest run of the week and are a key part of training. The length of the long run depends on the goal and prior training history of the runner.

MAF Run: A type of recovery run done with a general heart rate of 140-age as a max heart rate, although there are some modifications to this calculation. These runs promote recovery, improves aerobic function and fat utilization, and allow you to add mileage without additional strain.

Marathon: A race that is 26.2 miles long.

Negative Splits: A run completed progressively faster through the duration of the run, where each split is faster than the one prior.

Overpronation: When the foot rolls inward excessively upon landing. This can sometimes lead to injuries and may require stability shoes or, in extreme cases, orthotics to correct. It is important to note that a certain amount of pronation is normal and is part of an optimal running form.

Overreaching: A period during intense or peak training where training is near the maximally sustainable threshold. When an athlete is overreaching, they are building fitness but may experience a greater recovery need.

Overtraining: A status where training intensity has far outweighed the athlete’s ability to recovery properly - mentally or physically. Common symptoms of overtraining are overwhelming fatigue, injury, poor muscle recovery and/or injury, and mental burnout. Athletes are no longer building fitness while overtraining. This is a key differentiator between overreaching and overtraining.

Pace: The speed at which you run, typically measured in minutes per mile.

PR (Personal Record): the fastest time a runner has achieved in a specific distance.

Quality Sessions / Quality Workouts: Key workouts that include longer or harder efforts than easy and recovery runs. These include long runs, long run workouts, speed sessions, tempo runs, and Fartleks.

Race Bib: An identifying paper given to runners who have registered for a race that displays a race number and often includes a timing chip.

Recovery Run: A slow, easy run used to recover form harder workouts, long runs, and/or races.

Speedwork: Workouts prescribed to increase fitness and speed, completed faster than normal pace. These often include interval sessions or race pace efforts.

Split: The time it takes to complete a specific distance within a run. For example, a marathon race may provide split times at the 5K, 10K, half-marathon, and 30k marks. Other races may provide mile splits.

Strides: Short bursts of increased speed worked into a regular run, typically run for several very short intervals (such as 10 or 20 seconds). These work to increase leg mobility and lengthen strides without overtaxing the cardiovascular system and creating additional strain. These may be run during a routine week of training in one or more easy runs, and often are included prior to race day to keep legs fresh.

Taper: A reduction in the volume and/or intensity of training before a race to ensure peak performance on race day. The common timeframe for a taper is anywhere from 1-3 weeks before a goal race.

Tempo Run: A run completed at a sustainably hard effort that is less than a sprint, but harder than easy running. Paces for tempo runs will often be prescribed by your coach.

Timing Chip: A small tracking device, often taped to the back of a race bib, that records your time during the race. Time may be recorded only at the finish line, at both the start and finish line, or with splits along the way.

Ultramarathon: Any race distance longer than a marathon; over 26.2 miles.

VO2 Max: The maximum amount of oxygen your body can utilize during intense exercise. Historically, it has been thought that a higher VO2 Max correlated to better running performance, however, this is now being researched and debated.

Zone 2 Run: Running done at approximately 65-75% of your maximum heart rate. This type of run builds aerobic fitness, increases fat metabolization, and allows the addition of mileage with low risk of overtraining or injury risk. Exercising in this heart rate zone has also been proven to increase longevity and health span, vascularity within muscles, as well as the number of mitochondria within muscles. 

While there are absolutely elements of strength, power, and aerobic endurance to be trained, running hills and trails also requires an element of SKILL.
There are a lot of instant-adjustments in form and awareness that can be made to create instant-improvement in your hill and trail running prowess! Here's a short list of quick tips for each:

Hills:
1. Form and posture are top priority.
See the video in the link provided for an instant comparison in common/poor uphill form vs. proper/efficient uphill form for both running and walking.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/5QTxBswTrbzHn8uv5
The most common mistakes I see in uphill form are looking down at the feet and short-changing the back of the stride. Both make it HARDER to get up the hill!
Looking at your feet collapses your chest (more difficult breathing) and rounds your posture. While a shortened stride prevents the full activation of both glutes and hamstrings - your powerhouse muscles!
Instead, focus on looking forward, IN to the hill, to keep posture strong and aligned. Then, pay attention to fully extending your leg at the back of your stride for a full-power push off!
In the video, I only adjusted my form and posture, while maintaining the same speed. But, I NEEDED to increase the speed. As soon as I adjusted the form, the current speed was instantly too slow, and I was actually pushing the belt underneath me. 

2. Use your arms!
On uphills, especially when walking/hiking, keep your hands up and pump your arms - this creates better form and momentum!
On downhills, unpin your arms from your sides - use them to help you balance and stabilize! Think "airplane mode", throwing your elbows and hands out wide to shift your center of gravity as the ground changes beneath you. (Bonus points if you make airplane noises while sailing downhill!)

3. Maintain your cadence, that is, the rate at which your feet strike the ground. Too often we focus on the changes in PACE and effort - pace drops at the same time effort increases. That's how it's SUPPOSED to be, but it can be disheartening. Focus instead on maintaining the same metronome in your feet between flats, ups, and downs. This keeps your brain and your body in consistency-mode, instead of the panic or stress of changing effort, terrain, or pace.

Trails:
1. Look up!
Ok, not at the sky - BUT, you want to focus your gaze at the ground that's 6-10 feet in front of you, rather than immediately beneath you - YES, even (especially) on technical trail.
It is common to feel unsteady or uncertain on technical terrain, and look directly down to carefully place our feet. BUT, your brain doesn't quite work that way - your brain wants reaction time. When you focus on whats COMING, you give your brain that 1-2 seconds to see the terrain and adjust for it. Eye-foot coordination, if you will. This keeps you moving more smoothly and consistently, while looking down will slow your response time and keep you in a choppy-step state.

2. Lift your feet - specifically at the back of your stride.
As mentioned above, your brain is prepared for whats in front of you, lifting your feet at the front of your stride is typically not a problem. 90% of the time when you trip and fall, it's on something BEHIND you - your toe catches on a rock at the back of your stride, then your leg doesn't swing forward to land as you expect it to you, and suddenly you're down.
Lift your toes off the ground at the back of your stride to clear the terrain your brain and eyes have already passed. Think "pull" when lifting your feet.

3. Ditch the sunglasses.
What? Yep, in the woods when you're moving between sun and shade, sunglasses will actually make it harder for your eyes to adjust and to see anything in the shade when your face is in the sun. If running in the morning or evening when the sun is lower in the sky, wear a hat or visor to keep the direct-light off your eyes but maintain that better shade/sun transition. (This effects light-eyed folks more than dark-eyed!)

4. Walking is acceptable.
Trail running is not all running. When the terrain feels too technical (tricky) for your brain or body to keep up, WALK or slow down to navigate without rushing. Same for big climbs.
But do power-hike, use the principles above to maintain strong forward progress even when you can't run - use your arms, extended your legs fully.

Being aware of these few tips can make a significant and instant impact on your hill and trail abilities - but I'm sure it's not all-inclusive. What else would you add? Feel free to add a comment directly on this post!

Click here for our Training in the Heat Youtube chat.
Summer training is HARD, Squad! I can't count how many conversations I have per week (including with myself) about the effects of the weather on performance and training. Heat, humidity, and UV index all play a role in how your body feels and performs - and the reality is, your body has to work harder in the summer to cool itself down than it does it cooler weather!

When you move, your muscles generate heat. In cool weather, that's a great thing - we can run safely and efficiently in single-digit temperatures and be just fine! But that heat really works against us when we're also battling warm outdoor conditions.
In order to cool, your body pulls bloodflow away from your muscles and toward the surface of your skin to help release heat. It also works to produce sweat, as an evaporative cooling technique (that works best in drier air and with air flow to allow it to evaporate). I'll avoid taking a deep dive into the physiology - but the air temperature and dew point have a very real and significant effect.
It's not YOU. It's not your FITNESS. The effects of the weather are real and measurable!

You should notice that while I do still enter pace goals in your training log, I'm also entering an "effort range". The weather changes every day and throughout the day, so the IDEAL way to train through the summer is to focus on EFFORT, instead of the pace numbers. Quite often at this time of year, pushing to hit an exact pace, within your normal fitness, could be over-reaching the purpose of the workout.

To help give you a sense of what to expect from your workout on a given day, we can take a look at the current "heat score" before you go run. We calculate this as:
Air Temperature + Dew Point = Heat Score
And from there, you can get an idea of how to adjust your pacing for the conditions.

100 or less:   no pace adjustment
101 to 110:   0% to 0.5% pace adjustment
111 to 120:   0.5% to 1.0% pace adjustment
121 to 130:   1.0% to 2.0% pace adjustment
131 to 140:   2.0% to 3.0% pace adjustment
141 to 150:   3.0% to 4.5% pace adjustment
151 to 160:   4.5% to 6.0% pace adjustment
161 to 170:   6.0% to 8.0% pace adjustment
171 to 180:   8.0% to 10.0% pace adjustment
Above 180:   hard running not recommended

The charts below are credited to Mark Hadley, and can be saved to help quick-calculate heat score and pace adjustment.

You can see that under the worst, runnable, conditions - you're looking at almost a minute per mile slower for the SAME effort. Again - I think it's REALLY important to not get bogged down with the number calculations - use these as a reference rather than an absolute. Every person is different, based on size, body composition, fitness, acclimation, hydration, and fueling. For that reason, it really is ideal to focus on EFFORT instead, and stay honest to the effort range prescribed! Don't push an 85% effort to 99% just to hit the pace! That's how we overtrain, overreach, or get ourselves into danger.

Trust that you ARE gaining fitness, and on the first cool day, you're going to see it. Fall PRs are made in the summer - trust the process. Trust that your body knows what it's doing to stay healthy and safe. And remember to STAY HYDRATED with ELECTROLYTES, look for shade, run in the coolest parts of the day, and use water and ice to keep your body temperature down.

We can do this, Winter will be here before we know it!​

I think an important part of achieving success is understanding the methods behind the process - knowing the "why", instead of just going through the motions. Understanding the anatomy of your training cycle and training year is at the top of that list.
I recently made a video detailing the broader picture of periodization and a full training year. This article is focused on the structure of a single training block - meaning your build up from your last goal-race and recovery cycle to your next goal race. While you can, and should, plan multiple races in a season - typically we're choosing one event as your goal-race and the primary focus of your training.
A training block, or season, can last anywhere from 9-12 weeks for half marathon distances or less - or 20-25 weeks for marathon or longer. The duration of your training cycle depends on your current fitness and experience, as well as your goal for the race and the time available to us. There is no one-size-fits-all plan, that's why you have a coach - to help design the right plan for YOU and your experience, fitness, and goals!

​We begin your training cycle with a "base training" phase. Our primary goal during this phase is to establish a consistent stress/rest routine on your body as well as a schedule. This doesn't mean you're just running the same thing every day - in your base training, we build your total running volume, but also include a good variety of strides, hills, and short speed workouts. We generally start with a focus on work that builds your fitness, but isn't necessarily specific to your goal race.
​
As we progress, you will see increases in both total mileage AND time at intensity - sometimes building both together and sometimes building one OR the other in a given week. (Again, this is individual to the athlete.)
​The "10% Rule" is a well-known concept for building volume - BUT, it's actually outdated and not useful for 99% of runners. For an example - a beginning runner may start with 7-8 miles per week across 2-4 workouts per week. Adding one single mile in the next week would go above the "10% rule". Similarly, a more experienced runner who is moving from a recovery block into base training, or building throughout base training, is generally capable of building volume more quickly, safely. Rather than focus on an arbitrary number rule, we focus on how YOUR body is responding to YOUR training, your history and durability, and build in accordance with YOUR fitness.

It's also important to note that a training cycle is NEVER a continuous build. We include regular recovery DAYS and WEEKS, even in your base training, to make sure your body is able to adapt to the workload. PROGRESS does not come from building work upon work upon work. PROGRESS is a CYCLE of stress+rest. Every stimulus (workout) creates intentional-damage on your musculoskeletal system; when this damage HEALS, you've built a strong, faster, more durable product. We call this the "supercompensation effect". But if you only add stress upon stress upon stress, without the recovery, your body will only break down over time. If you don't give your body the recovery it needs, it will force you to - via overtraining syndrome, illness, or injury.
​It's common, especially early in a training cycle, for athletes to view a recovery week as a punishment - thinking the mileage and intensity steps down because they aren't doing enough. In fact it's the opposite - it's a reward for productive training, and an assurance that your training STAYS productive.

As we progress through your cycle, the workouts and the overall load becomes gradually more specific to your goal. Your peak training phase (generally 6-10 weeks out from your goal event) contains the most race-specific work. In addition to workouts that test and mimic race pacing, this is also an important time to seek out running routes that are most similar to the terrain and variation of your goal race. It's also the best time to be practicing race-specific fueling and hydration. Keep these things in mind - so that we aren't only training your muscles, but your stomach, your metabolic systems, and your routines. Ideally, when you get to race day, you're already fully comfortable in your pre-run prep and hydration/fueling needs.

The second to last phase is your taper - the 1-4 weeks (depending on the race, training intensity, and athlete) prior to your goal race where total training load gradually decreases, and rest and a recovery time increases. In this time, mileage will go down - and while we want to MAINTAIN intensity to maintain fitness, your TIME at intensity will decrease.

Race day - we all know what this is. One single day where we expect and hope that all of the work you've put in will align at exactly the right time for a peak performance. There is a LOT that you can do to control the atmosphere here (such as practicing those routines for sleep, fueling on and off the run, hydration, apparel and shoes, as well as tapering appropriately), and there's a LOT that you can't control (weather being at the forefront). It's important to remember that in this entire 9-25 week cycle, your race is ONE single day among them. Heck maybe it's only even an hour, or a couple hours, out of all of that time. It's not the absolute measure of your fitness and progress. And it's not a measure of your worth or value.
Personal Records (PRs) are just that, the fastest you have EVER run a particular distance in your LIFE. They are not common, you won't hit a PR every time, no matter how perfectly you train - and they're even more rare the longer that you've been running.
Please always, always, always remember that running is about the journey, not the result. When you MISS your goal on one day, you have NOT lost or wasted all of the fitness that you gained in 180 days leading up the one day. Your fitness builds week to week, month to month, cycle to cycle, AND most importantly, year to year.

RECOVERY is the last phase of the training cycle, and it is KEY for that cycle to cycle and year to year long term progress. In this phase, we include more total rest and less total volume and intensity. This is a key opportunity for your body to heal, and your BRAIN to rest. You will, and you absolutely SHOULD, lose some fitness.
Peak-fitness is NOT a permanent state. It's a peak. You can plan recovery, or your body will ultimately force you to (again, via overtraining, illness, or injury).
It's important to note that while you do lose SOME fitness, it's minor. You're not losing everything you've built in the full training cycle. When we begin your next base-training phase, we're beginning from a higher point than where we began your LAST base training phase. We're raising your floor from cycle to cycle, and ultimately raising the ceiling from peak to peak.
Ideally, we want to be planning your goal-race schedule at least one year in advance, so that we can make sure you're getting an adequate recovery block between training cycles, and not grouping goal-races too close together - stifling your peak potential.

Progress is a long term commitment, and ideally for this reason, I hope to have long-term coach/athlete relationships. We get better acquainted with each and every training cycle in terms of what your brain and body can and can't handle, and lessons learned and applied. Remember that we are a team. This is a relationship, not a dictatorship, and you play a valuable role in your planning! Ask questions and share opinions so that together we can work toward your next best!

Speeding Up by Slowing Down
Yes, you read that right. 
It's time to SLOW DOWN and develop your aerobic system, to improve your Maximum Aerobic Function. Training your aerobic system allows your body to improve efficiency (teaching it to move at faster speeds with less effort over time), burn fats for fuel, recruit more muscle fibers, improve form, reduce stress, and even improve immunity.
As runners, we have the mentality that the workout has to hurt to work; and certainly there is a time and a place for hard, anaerobic work; but not now. We MUST develop your aerobic base FIRST. This will improve your running economy, making you a BETTER runner, which is why we're all here, right?
So bear with me. These runs are not as exciting as 400m repeats and progressive race pace tempos. You might be bored. But there is so much value in the low and slow. (I will do a more detailed Q&A on the science here, but THIS post is designed to be a  quick "How-To" guide to get us started.)
If you're here, you saw a box in your training log marked "MAF Test", and are wondering what the heck that is. This is how we will track your aerobic development and other biofeedback markers as your training progresses.

How to:
1. Choose the flattest course available to you for the prescribed distance (a track works best if possible). Be sure this is a course you can return to for your test every month, it's important to keep variables as consistent as possible.

2. Get a heart rate monitor. If you have a Garmin, you should have a wrist-based monitor, or you can purchase a chest strap to sync with your watch. If purchasing a monitor isn't feasible for you, we're going to be using nose-breathing to monitor effort. (Scroll past #3 if you don't have a monitor.)

3. Use the guidelines below to determine your heart rate zone. *If you completed your season goal-race within the past 4 weeks, use guideline B. *If your goal race was more than 4 weeks ago, use guideline C. *Do NOT use guideline D unless I have specifically instructed you to do so.

4. Go run. Complete your prescribed distance, on your designated course. Keep your eyes religiously on your heart rate, and stay at your prescribed rate. Your test does not count, and will need to be repeated if you are above that heart rate. You are not running by your own perceived effort, you are running by the RULES of your heart rate or nose-breathing effort.
*If you do not have a heart rate monitor, you will be closing your lips, and running at an effort that allows you to breathe through your nose ONLY. (Yes, you read that correctly.)

5. Do NOT care about your pace. Do NOT be discouraged. This is a test. If you have not trained this way before, it is likely that your PACE at this effort will be several MINUTES slower than what you think your easy pace is. That's part of the point. Breaking down the "no pain, no gain" philosophy and determining where your true effort lies. The good news: if you are diligent, and patient, it will get better. A lot better.

6. Log as much data as possible for me in your log. Your heart rate, your perceived effort, details about your course, the weather, and anything else you can tell me. Don't leave your notes blank PLEASE. 

**Side Note: THIS is the method by which we train your body to fuel with fats. Your body has plenty of excess fat stores it wants to burn. You hold FAR more (like thousands of times more) potential energy as fat, than as glycogen. It is only at lower heart rates that your body metabolizes fat for fuel. Anything above your prescribed MAF heart rate is transitioning toward ANaerobic function, which is glycogen-fueled.