PR Pursuit: Broadening Your Aperture

The possibility of running a personal best sits pretty high up on the list of accomplishments that gets a runner excited. The great news is that, as long as we’re flexible in our definitions, a PR is a goal that we can all reasonably strive to attain. Of course, that “as long as we’re flexible” is a pretty big caveat, but let me demonstrate what I mean.

Imagine a runner – let’s call her Julia. She was a Division I runner in college, and competed in multiple Olympic Trials races in her 20s and 30s. Now, 20 years and 3 kids later, she can’t run a mile at the pace she used to run for 10k. If she holds herself to the standards of those long-ago PRs, her previous accomplishments can actually rob her of some excitement and motivation in pursuing her best.

If she holds herself to the standards of those long-ago PRs, her previous accomplishments can actually rob her of some excitement and motivation in pursuing her best.

On the other hand, imagine that Julia has maintained some fitness over the years, and has now re-connected with her competitive side. Strictly speaking, the PRs of her previous era are out of reach, but she can reasonably set new PRs in this novel era of her running life. You can do the same. Entering a new age division? Age group PRs! Did you experience a prolonged injury, illness, etc. that set you back for a long time? Post-injury PRs!

While this may feel like a contrivance, your brain can still get very excited about the prospect of performing your best in new and novel circumstances. People do this all the time by running a new (and often longer) distances than they have ever done – the marathoner who moves up to the ultra-distance events, or on the other hand the road runner who decides to race a mile for the first time.

Now that you’ve broadened your aperture on what a PR can be, it’s time to get prepared. As a coach, having that goal on the horizon serves three important purposes:

It provides direction and purpose to your training. Rather than just going out for a run with the vague idea of “getting in better shape,” you set out with a specific aim for the type of fitness you want to build, and the timeline in which you want to get it done.

It increases your motivation to get the work done, and to do your best to execute the workouts for their desired purpose. With a specific pace in mind and a race on the calendar, you have an objective target that you are working towards. With each workout completed according to plan, you can feel yourself moving one step closer to the goal.

It requires you to take honest stock of yourself, and your commitment to the goal. When you have that somewhat lofty goal out ahead of you, the decisions you make in terms of recovery (i.e., sleep and nutrition) will impact your ability to perform the training you need to do. All of the lifestyle choices come into relief when you are pushing yourself to a new level of fitness. Yes, you can push yourself through a workout or two with inadequate sleep, but you can’t do it over and over again without paying the price. While you don’t need to be “perfect” (whatever that is) in your commitment to the goal, you have to stay generally on track with your training and recovery, or your body will pretty quickly let you know you’ve strayed off course.

The nuts and bolts of how to prepare for that PR effort will vary as widely as the individuals pursuing them. Generally speaking, if you give yourself a reasonable amount of time to get ready, train with a good mix of general fitness and race-specific preparation, and find a training routine that is challenging, but sustainable, you will be on track to set that PR in the months ahead. You may find that most of the fun is in the process of trying to get there.

PR Pursuit: Tips to Go Farther and Faster

Throughout July, the TCM Motion Experts are sharing advice from their areas of expertise focused especially for more experienced runners aiming to go farther or faster with their running.

If you're a new runner looking for information tailored to your situation, check out our Running 101 content from earlier in the year, here. Subscribe to The Connection, where this article appeared originally, here.

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Chris Lundstrom, PhD, is a running coach and exercise scientist who specializes in endurance exercise performance. He is one of the team of Motion Experts TCM has gathered to help its subscribers and participants get the most out of their running. He coaches the Minnesota Distance Elite team and their squad of national class runners, including Olympian Dakotah Lindwurm. He teaches in the School of Kinesiology at the University of Minnesota, and also works with novice and high school runners. Follow and support MDE on their website: minnesotadistanceelite.com and on Instagram: @minnesotadistanceelite.