This is a guest post by Jason Fitzgerald.

Jason Fitzgerald (or Fitz) is the founder of Strength Running, a 2:44 marathoner, and online running coach. He loves spending time on the trails, plotting his next training cycle, strong coffee, and cycling. Strength Running unleashes Fitz’s passion for helping runners achieve their best and prevent running injuries. You can follow Fitz on Twitter at @JasonFitz1.

Each new year is a new opportunity to evaluate what worked last year and what you can improve. This is true for everything: your family life, job, and of course, your running.

Runners often go through the motions day after day, month after month, without taking a step back and looking at their training and planning for the future. Doing so is surprisingly simple and can profoundly improve your running.

This exercise should take you about a half hour and leave you feeling inspired and ready to take over the world. Are you ready?

First, get your training log or open up your online journal. If you don’t have one (shame on you!), this will be trickier, but it can still be done. Use an estimate or guess based on the races you did last year.

We’re going to look at three important variables to improve this year.

1. Volume: How much you run impacts your fitness level and how fast you can race. Add up how much you ran in each month last year. Your goal is to increase each month by about 10–15% on average. You should almost always be striving to run a little bit more than you have in the past. It’s the most sure-fire way of getting faster for new and intermediate runners.

   You can focus on running a more consistent long run, adding a day of running to your weekly plan, or adding an extra mile or two to a few runs every week. Whatever option you choose, make sure you increase mileage gradually and include a day of complete rest or a short, easy run every week.

2. Workouts: How many workouts do you run per week? Workouts are more structured training sessions that include faster running in addition to standard runs. You should aim for 1–2 per week — few runners need more. Focus on long-term aerobic development with long runs, tempo workouts, and fartleks. You’ll get the most reward for your hard effort with these types of workouts.

   Tough interval workouts on the track should be infrequent and saved for pre-race sharpening periods. They can get you in top shape quickly, but are just icing on the cake. They also increase your risk of injury because of their intensity.

3. Races: It’s a new year — now is the time to train for a new race! Make your marathon debut, try an offbeat distance like 8k or 10 miles, or get crazy and do a Muddy Buddy or other adventure race. If you don’t race that often, it’s time to get out there and test your fitness. Running for fun and health is fun, but racing is incredibly exciting.

   A lot of runners actually race too frequently. If the distance is 10k or less, you can do 1–2 races every month. Otherwise, focus on high-quality training and getting in the best shape possible before your goal race. Your results and new personal bests will thank you!

   If you’re attempting a new race you should look for a training plan that will help you reach your goals. It’s easy to have a goal — the tough part is putting a good plan into action that will help you succeed.

Let’s make 2011 the year of milestones — more running, better running, new races, and faster personal bests! Take some time from your day and reflect and what you did last year. How can you improve your training? What worked for you?

Even thirty minutes of planning time can change your entire year — making you faster, more productive with your training time, and happier with your running. Ready to get started?

photo by mikehamm

Hi.

It’s us, your running shoes.

We’ve got a few things to tell you.

We’re tired of being blamed for all your running problems.

Shin splints? “Shoes must be getting old.” Knee problems? “I must have the wrong type of shoes.” Slow race time? “My shoes felt too heavy.”

Don’t get us wrong. We love running with you. We would never quit on you. We want you and your feet to be happy. But before you give up on us and go barefoot (who will you blame for your aches and pains then?), just hear us out.

Consider breaking up with your work shoes

No, we’re not jealous. We understand that there are other shoes in your life. We have no desire to go to boring meetings or sit under a desk all day. But come on, do you think you’re really doing your feet a favor with these?

If we’re lucky you might spend two or three hours with us, but you cram your feet into your work shoes for up to 12 hours per day, five days a week! And if you really are wearing high heels for that long, you could be doing some serious damage. In fact, recent studies have shown that high heels can shorten calf length by up to 13 percent!

And men, you’re not doing yourselves any favors either. When you jam your feet into your expensive stylish narrow dress shoes with pointy toes, you will over time deform your foot by cramming your toes together. And when your toes are all crammed together, they don’t contribute so well to your running stride.

Take your shoes off when you’re at home

Photo credit: cohdra from morguefile.com

We spend a lot of time with your feet. We listen to them much more than you do. You know what their biggest complaint is? You keep them in shoes too much.

You should take your shoes off every chance you get. It’s good for your shoes, and it’s even better for your feet. Walking around the house without shoes develops your foot and calf muscles while helping your feet breathe.

Here’s something you should try. When you walk around the house, can you hear the china rattle? Do the people on the floor below you hear THUD THUD THUD with every step you take? You probably don’t even notice it. Pay attention to how hard your feet hit the floor when you walk without shoes — and then try to walk silently. You don’t need to walk on tiptoes to walk silently. Just put your feet down more gently and make sure your heel doesn’t strike first. In fact, this is the way humans were meant to walk. Landing on the ball of your foot instead of your heel improves your balance and your form. You can do this at home every time you take a step, and your feet, shins, and knees will thank you.

Running shoes can’t save you from bad form

You’ve heard the conventional wisdom. Do you overpronate? Get a motion control shoe. Do you underpronate? Get a cushioned shoe. Do you have knee problems? Get fitted for orthotics. In fact, it seems there’s a shoe or an insert for every possible gait problem.

But is it really the shoes? Recent studies using control groups have actually “…found almost no correlation at all between wearing the proper running shoes and avoiding injury.” In fact, runners who used the “correct” type of shoe in the studies actually had a higher incidence of injuries than runner who didn’t.

So how do you make sense of this data? Here’s our take on it. When you use your running shoes to compensate for bad form, you actually train your feet and legs to run worse. If you buy cushioned shoes because you’re a heel striker, the shoes make it OK to heel strike and over time your heel strikes harder and harder. If you buy motion control shoes because you pronate, the shoes do all the work for you so the muscles that would normally keep your feet from pronating get even weaker and your over pronation gets even worse.

So what can you do?

Don’t fix your shoes, fix your form

Yes, you can probably fix your form by running barefoot — but we don’t think you need to. We think you can improve your form and reduce injuries and problems by simply following these two pieces of advice:

• Go natural — By this we mean get off the pavement. Run on grass. Run up hills. Run on trails. Run anywhere that the surface isn’t flat. Uneven terrain will force you to run with a more responsive gait. In time, this will develop all those muscles that have atrophied from years and years of motion control and flat pavement. It will be hard at first, and you should start slow. But in time you’ll notice the difference. Besides, isn’t pavement getting boring for you? We would sure like a change of scenery!

• Shorten your stride — We think that you are heel striking, and suffering from shin splints, knee problems, and other maladies because your stride is too long. When your feet land in front of you, you are overextending your joints and muscles. Also, when your feet land in front of you, the only way they can land is on the heel. The heel is not made for gently absorbing shock — it transfers the shock right up your legs and through your body.If you shorten your stride so that your feet land underneath you, you’ll find that you will dramatically reduce the impact on your heels. You’ll move more quickly onto the balls of your feet, and you’ll have a better push off to start the next stride. To help yourself achieve this form, lean forward slightly as you run. Of course, shorter strides mean less distance covered, so you’ll need to increase your turnover. Over time it will start to feel more natural, and the reduced impact will translate into less training time lost to injury.

So can we be friends again? Take care of your feet when you’re not running, and they’ll take care you when you are. Pay attention to improving your form by shortening your stride, and you’ll reduce the impact of each step on your body. And finally, take it slow. Add distance gradually when you train and listen to your body.

Let’s go for a run!

I was talking to two single friends at work who were comparing notes with each other on their P90X fitness plan. They were going on and on about how much of their time it takes up, how much grocery shopping they need to do to prepare the prescribed menus, and how complicated the workouts are with pushups (many variations), pullups (many more variations), kenpo x, yoga x, plyometrics, x stretch.….

Fitness doesn’t have to be that complicated!

I have a family. We barely have time to eat dinner together some days. I don’t have time for P90X or whatever else the latest fitness craze is. I also don’t have time to balance tempo runs, speed intervals, hill intervals, and complicated running programs which require me to measure VO2Max, Max Heartrate, Target Heartrate, Lactate Threshold, and who knows what else so that I can reach my new PR. I haven’t had a PR since 1997.

Calories in <= Calories out

The formula for fitness is easy. Make sure you burn as many or more calories than you consume. Keep the calories you consume as healthful as possible. Make the calories you burn as enjoyable as possible. That’s the long term solution to health and fitness — and it’s a lifelong commitment, not the latest exercise or diet fad promising to get you lean and trim (or buff, or strong, or fast…) in 90 days.

Now if you’re an elite athlete, it’s different. Maybe that’s what it is. Maybe we all want to be elite. Maybe if we train like the elite athletes do, maybe if we follow the complicated and rigid training programs, maybe if we make our workouts more scientific, then maybe we too can be elite someday or at least be able able to move forward a few feet in the pack at the starting line because now we’re in a different pace group.

Or maybe we’ll just create more stress for ourselves, not enjoy running as much, and not enjoy as much time with our families as we otherwise could.

Keep running simple and enjoyable

I’m a big fan of Leo Babauta’s Zen Habits. He knows how to keep things simple. Sometimes de-cluttering and simplifying helps us to rediscover the joy and wonder in activities that at best we have started to take for granted, and at worst have become a chore and a burden. Leo has a great post on simple fitness on his site. Check it out, and leave a comment below to share your thoughts.

And then for your next workout forget about all the complicated stuff. Lace up your shoes, leave your watch and heart rate monitor at home, and just run for the fun of it. You’ll be glad you did.

Downhill skiing and snowboarding

Skiing and snowboarding are both great for working leg muscles that don’t usually get much attention when you run. You may not feel particularly winded after a run down the slopes, but you are definitely working those leg muscles — especially your thighs! Make sure you take your family along with you and enjoy the slopes together. Just because you’re a better skier than your kids doesn’t mean you can’t ski with them. Unlike running, which is constant forward motion, downhill skiing tends to be bursts of activity with rests in-between. So if you make it down a part of the slope before your kids, take a break. Watch them come down after you, or enjoy the scenery. Family days out on the slopes are guaranteed to be fun, and you’re building memories for your kids that they will always treasure.

Cross-country skiing

Cross country, or Nordic, skiing is a favorite among distance runners. You’ll definitely get your heart rate up and will enjoy a very vigorous workout, especially if you’ve got a few uphill slopes to battle through. If you’re new to cross-country skiing, make sure that you don’t dress as warmly as you would for downhill skiing. You won’t be sitting still on a lift freezing, so you can wear much lighter layers. In fact, I would recommend dressing like you would for a run — just make sure you have waterproof pants or leggings. Beginners should start out on a flat course. The downhills take some getting used to, so you’ll want to get comfortable on your skis before attempting them. You can also bring your family for an outing together! Just make sure to take rest stops to let the slower family members catch up. Remember, when you’re trying to have fun as a family while doing something healthy — you don’t want to leave your kids or your spouse behind! Save the Olympic effort for when you’re out solo.

Snowshoeing

http://www.flickr.com/photos/iwona_kellie/

Snowshoeing is a fabulous way to keep running no matter how deep the snow gets! And, no, I don’t mean on those wooden and string things that you see in the movies. Running snowshoes are lightweight, streamlined, and built for speed. (OK, maybe not for speed…)

You’ll find that you will need to modify your gait a little so you don’t stumble over your snowshoes. It may feel clumsy at first, but you’ll get the hang of it quickly. You’ll also want to make sure you have the right gear — heavy or clunky snowshoes can be very frustrating.

This snowshoeing article from active.com has some great information to get you started.

Sledding

Photo credit: phaewilk from morguefile.com

Of course the most family-friendly way to cross train is sledding! You’ve probably never viewed sledding as cross-training (and may not have even tried it since you were a kid), but if you get out there with your kids and spend a few hours trudging uphill after each thrilling ride down, then you’ll really be feeling it the next day. Besides, your kids will get a kick out of seeing Dad or Mom try to fit on one of those little plastic discs, slide down the hill, and wipe out in a cloud of white powder. If you’re at a loss for nearby sledding, look for a golf course. They usually have lots of hills and rolling terrain, even in areas that are largely flat.

By including your family in these fun winter activities, not only will you get a good cross-training workout but you will also help your family stay fit while all having fun together. And when you’re done, you can all share some hot chocolate while laughing about Dad’s huge wipe-out!