Level Up: Week 8

Evolve

Welcome to Week 8 of the RP Level Up Challenge. This free program is designed to boost your running, no matter your current level. This week’s theme: Evolution. 

Eight weeks ago you decided to make changes to your running routine. Whether that meant starting – and sticking – with a running program or breaking out of ingrained patterns, you put in the work. Hopefully you’ve got something fun planned on the calendar this week where you can celebrate your accomplishments with friends and family. 

It would be a shame to let this moment pass without taking a few moments this week to go deeper into your experiences. The purpose of the program was to illustrate that for your running practice to grow and evolve, you need to continue growing and evolving as a runner.

Are you the same runner you were when we began this program, or have you improved? 

Improvement can take many forms. From metrics like distance, time, and pace we can take stock of where we were, where we are, and where we’d like to go. The inherent promise of a training program is that as progress gets made, limits expand and perceptions change.

Have yours? 

While running offers a rich trove of data we can use to judge our progress, improvement doesn’t have to show up on paper for it to be valid. When you build a new habit or connect with a new route, you’re adding something valuable to your running experience.

What have you added to yours? 

In the end, building a running practice that stands the test of time requires waking up day after day with the intention of getting just a little bit better than the day before. There are no shortcuts or hacks. Patience and curiosity are crucial. Possessing a willingness to evolve and adapt will help make this seemingly mundane process of running day after day (after day) feel fresh and exciting. 

Level 1 Challenge: What now? 

After eight solid weeks of consistent running you may have noticed some positive changes taking place in your life. Now is the time to ask yourself whether you’d like to continue making running a priority, or whether it’s time to do something different. Only you can answer that question. 

If you answer in the affirmative, what does continuing to run look like in your world? Are you ready to take the next step and follow a more focused training program, or would you like to continue with the status quo? 

There’s nothing wrong with running 3-4 times a week with no particular purpose other than as a means of staying active. Just be mindful of avoiding repetitive patterns. Congrats, by the way. You’re a runner now. On behalf of the other runners, welcome to the club. Your membership package is in the mail.*

*(There isn’t one. Sorry. Being a runner is all in your mind.) 

Level 2 Challenge: Keep on growing 

Of all the levels, you guys probably had the biggest challenge with the fewest tangible rewards. Everyone celebrates those who make running a new habit. Few notice the effort it takes to make tweaks and adjustments to established routines once running becomes a regular part of your life. 

Your challenge going forward is making an effort to continue making progress. All it takes is adding new routes, adjusting mileage, and making sure to rev the aerobic engine every once in a while. And if you see a hill, run up the damn thing. 

You were already a runner – whether you acknowledge it or not – but now there’s no doubt. Are you ready to go beyond your current level, or are you content with what you’re doing? Either way, you’ve taken an incredible step toward building a running practice that stands the test of time. Keep going. 

Level 3 Challenge: Let’s goooo!

Having tasted the fruits of going fast and pushing your limits, do you have a hunger for more? Here comes the hard part. Your challenge is figuring out how to incorporate regular doses of speed work (aka workouts) into your running repertoire. 

This is easier said than done because adding workouts to your running can be a dangerous game. Do too much and you’ll wind up getting injured. Beyond the potential for overuse, there are questions of when, where, and what that need to be sussed out well in advance. 

You can do this on your own by consulting books, articles, and training manuals. Or, you can work with someone who knows what they’re doing to help bring your running to the next level. Winging it at this point is not advisable. 

When you put all of this training together in a progressive and logical manner, trust me, there’s no limit to how far running can take you in the future. When it comes to leveling up your running, there’s always another peak on the horizon just waiting to be explored.