Strategies for extending your running route

Posted by Steve on February 22, 2012 in Running Plan | 0 comments

As you progress through stage one of the beginners running plan, a few things are going to affect how much ground you cover.

So you are likely to speed up your pace a little over the first 5 weeks, which will make a small difference.

But the biggest factors in the amount of distance you will cover each session are is the overall time out there and the amount spent running during your session.

Remembering that you’ll need to leave plenty of space for warm up and warm down around your main session too.

It is surprising by how much your distances are going to increase. Have a look at this:

Assuming you’re running at more or less that same pace as I was, by session 16, you’ll be covering more than twice the distance you were when you started and more and more of that distance will be spent running.

Note the GOAL line is where you’ll be once you are running continuously at the end of Stage Two with a total run approaching 5k. Awesome eh?

So you now it really pays to have a no nonsense route (or routes) worked out that you can easily extend and mix up.

Ideas for Extending Your Route

You’ve already been coping with variations in length of your route so far, or least you’ve needed to cover more distance and coped with that somehow.

Maybe just by going back in for a cup of tea early? that wouldn’t be ideal. Hmm. Well, that is what we want to avoid.

Seriously though, how have you been doing?

Has it been easy or a struggle to find the extra distance when you have needed it, without getting bored or demotivated?

If you’ve done something that works for you then please share it in a comment at the bottom of the post.

I’m going to go over a few different strategies here. All based around the fact that I just want to be able to head out of my front door and run. I don’t want to have to get somewhere else to run.

For me, that is one of the best things to build into a beginners running route.

Maybe its different for you but that’s my way of making it as easy as possible to get out on a run. No excuses!

So in the doodle above; I have marked out my basic route in black, starting and finishing at my front door. Straight forward enough.

It’s about 3km, so suited it me fine for the first few weeks, with only some minor tweaks. Later on though later on its necessary to plan in some extensions.

#1 Reaching further out

This is my favourite strategy, as it keeps the route fresh. Zero repetition. That helps with motivation for me big time.

There is just something about heading out and running a single loop back to base, its the difference between “going for a run” and just “training”. I always feel really positive coming back in from these so I do them whenever I can.

If you are running in an urban area its a matter of taking in a few more block or streets. If you are closer to the countryside then maybe taking in another field or footpath but in my experience it can be is harder to extend your route my short distances that way, just becuase of the lay of the land.

However you decide how to extend your route, remember this strategy commits you to a longer run. If you are feeling sluggish or feel you might run out of steam on a particular day, you might want to avoid it.

There is little more demotivating that an extended walk home after a disappointing session, so this can backfire.

On days when I don’t want to commit that extra distance, I go for strategy #2.

#2 build in a lap

This is easier to commit to as you are covering ground that you are already familiar with.

Still covering the same ground on one run does feel a bit like deja vu, for you and anyone you happen to pass a couple of times.

I find it is best to build any laps in halfway around my route, then it feels a bit more natural.

I have tired doing a lap towards the end of my route but most of the time, when I have planned to do that, I have ended up ducking out and just heading home without doing the extra distance.

Maybe you’ve got more will power than me but if not try and keep your laps away from your end point.

If your route is in an urban area, this is dead easy to do. Just loop back a few streets or if you pass a park do a lap there.

If your route is a bit more rural then its down to finding a new footpath but at least you are on familiar ground.

#3 run the grid

Ok. I have to admit to doing this a few times myself and despite how it looks, motivation wise it isn’t too bad.

Maybe it is the fun factor that does it, it is a bit ridiculous but its not too far away from track running when you think about it.

I’ve only ever done this on the urban part of my route as looping back and forth around streets is easy. I am not sure how to do this out in the countryside.

It is perfect for when you are well around your route and suddenly realise that you need to fit more distance in and is better than adding a lap at that point.

#4 find a new route

Which is a bit of a cop out I know, but perhaps you would be better off planning a new route right from your front door but in another direction?

In my case, me all the other directions involve more traffic and less countryside so I have avoided it but maybe your dream running route is right around the corner and you don’t know yet? its worth a try.

In the end…

Perhaps a bit of a wacky idea for a post but hey, I think about these things.

I have found that making the right route choices can keep me motivated and help me go the distance in my session.

If you have any other tactics or favourite ways to mix up and extend your route why not share and add a comment below?

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