✍️Understanding Running Volume: Hours Over Distance When planning your running training, it's crucial to focus on the TIME you spend running rather than just the distance. Our running volume tool simplifies this by showing how many HOURS you should train each week to stay injury-free and make progress toward your goals, whether it's a 5K, marathon, or ultra-marathon. Why Hours, Not Miles or Kilometers? Running effort varies greatly between individuals. For example, an experienced runner might complete 10K in 45 minutes, while a beginner could take over an hour. By using hourly metrics, we account for the effort and intensity, ensuring that training plans are tailored to your pace and fitness level. This approach helps prevent injuries and promotes steady progress. 👇Weekly Training Hours for Common Goals: - 5K-10K: 4-15 hours per week - Half Marathon (21K): 6-18 hours per week - Marathon: 8-25 hours per week - Ultra-Marathon: 10-25 hours per week What These Hours Can Include: - Obviously running 😁: Easy runs, speed work, long runs, intervals, uphill sprints - Strength Training: Bodyweight exercises, weightlifting, plyometrics, running drills - Other endurance sports : skiing, cycling , football etc Actually the gap is huge and it might be hard to find your optimal volume in the beginning. HERE is cheat sheet that I love to use that shows the weekly training hours required to achieve specific running goals while staying injury-free and making progress. 👇 💪 How many hours do you spend training weekly?

Did you think your injuries come from bad running technique or wrong shoes? Here’s a ranking of the top reasons for running injuries, from the most critical to the less obvious: ( based on sciencific data) 1. Insufficient Sleep Yes - it is. Sleep is where the magic happens! Without enough rest, your body can't recover properly, making you more prone to injuries. Studies show that athletes who sleep fewer than 8 hours are 70% more likely to get injured. Think about it . 2. Increased Training Volume Overdoing it is a fast track to injury. Pushing your mileage too high without gradual progression overloads your muscles and joints. ❗️Tip: increase your volume not more than by 10% / week 3. High Training Intensity Too much speed work or hill training without enough recovery? This can lead to overuse injuries. Balance is key. ❗️Tip: 80/20 rule 4. Inadequate Hydration Dehydration doesn’t just slow you down; it reduces muscle function and increases the risk of cramps and strains. 5. Poor Nutrition (Carbohydrate Deficiency) Your body needs fuel to perform and recover. Skimping on carbs can lead to fatigue and poor form, which often results in injuries. 6. Improper Footwear Shoes matter, but they’re not the top reason. Ensure they’re right for your running style and replace them regularly. 7. Biomechanical Issues Natural imbalances like overpronation or weak stabilizing muscles can increase your risk. Strength training and targeted exercises help. 8. Environmental Factors Hard surfaces, uneven terrain, or extreme weather conditions can add extra strain to your body. What do you think? Which of these do you think you could improve on in your training? My story personally is very connected to sleeping problems and not efficient trainings. Took years to understand this simple correlation. 😤🤷 Let’s discuss! 🤔

👇Here’s Why You Should Eat More to Run Better 👇 Are you hitting a wall with your running progress? Feeling sluggish or stuck in a plateau? The problem might not be your training—it could be your plate. Many athletes, especially runners, underestimate how much they should be eating, which can stall results and leave you feeling drained. Here is the truth: you can eat more to perform better. 👇Let’s break it down👇 1. Most Runners Under eat—Don’t Be One of Them. When you’re active, your body needs fuel—not just to power your runs but to recover and rebuild. Eating too little can lead to fatigue, slower recovery, and even muscle loss. Also, you will lower your vitamin and micronutrients intake and that offten leads to even more serious problems. If your progress has stalled, it’s time to check if you’re eating enough. 2. Muscle Burns More Than Fat. Muscle is metabolically active, meaning it burns calories even at rest. Here’s the science:1kg of muscle burns about 13 calories per day.1kg of fat burns only about 4 calories per day.The more muscle you have, the higher your resting metabolic rate. That’s why maintaining muscle mass is crucial for runners—it keeps your metabolism firing and helps you burn more calories overall. 3. Running + Daily Calorie Burn = You Need More Food Let’s do the math: Running 15km daily burns approximately 900–1200 calories (depending on pace and weight).A woman weighing 58kg with 19% body fat burns around 1600–1800 calories at rest.Add it up, and you’re looking at 2500–3000 calories just to maintain your weight and energy levels. 4. Experiment with Nutrition—Protein is Key. Calculating exact calorie needs is tricky because everyone’s body is different. The key is to experiment and monitore differences. Prioritize protein (aim for 1.6–2.2g per kg of body weight) to support muscle repair and a faster metabolism.Don’t fear carbs—they’re your body’s preferred energy source for endurance activities.The Take-away-Eating more isn’t just okay—it’s essential if you want to perform at your best. Fuel your body properly, maintain your muscle mass, and watch your running improve. So, next time you’re tempted to skimp on calories, remember: you can eat more to run better.

We all know how powerful social networks like Strava can be for staying motivated, tracking progress, and connecting with other runners. But have you ever noticed how demotivated you feel when your run isn’t recorded? Or worse, when your run stops tracking mid-training, and suddenly, finishing feels pointless? There’s been a lot of discussion about how social networks impact mental health, and Strava is no exception. A recent study (link) highlights how Strava users often feel motivated to train and connect with other runners, but it also reveals a darker side. Many users experience anxiety about their performance—pace, distance, or even how their runs are perceived by others. One of the most interesting findings was how professional or semi-professional runners use the app. They’re more likely to hide data they consider “undesirable” or add excuses (like running with a slower partner) to justify what they see as “bad” workouts. This shows how deeply Strava can influence our perception of success and failure. Remember, your Strava profile is just a curated snapshot of your training—not a complete picture of your progress or worth as a runner. It’s okay to have off days, slow runs, or even runs that don’t get recorded. What matters is showing up for yourself, whether or not the app is watching. If you’ve never tried it, I highly recommend !👇 ( try it on your easy day run ) ✔️Leave the gadgets at home. Just for one run, ditch the watch or phone. ✔️Focus on how you feel. Pay attention to your breathing, your stride, and your surroundings. ✔️Let go of expectations. This run isn’t about pace or distance—it’s about enjoying the process. 😌 Reflect afterward. How did it feel to run without tracking? Did you notice anything new about your body or mindset? If you’re interested, I can also share some specific training tips on how to do tempo or interval sessions without controlling pace—and still be able to analyze the data afterward.

Hello everyone! With this post I would like to share a little bit of my running story and maybe inspire someone or even dispel some prejudices about one's own running abilities. I was a very active kid, spending every single day on my block playing football in the summer and hockey with a tennis ball and no skates in the winter. This was probably the most important thing in terms of building a physical base and training my heart muscle. However, at the age of 16, after finishing primary school, my life took a turn for the worse. Slowly but surely, I became addicted to alcohol and nicotine, partying weekend after weekend throughout the years with no care for my health. At some point I tried stronger substances, which in my opinion left a permanent mark on my health. The lifestyle of "reckless fun" became an unchanging reality for me. From time to time I have tried to pull myself together, giving up these bad habits for a month or two, even doing some sport like jogging and weight training. But then I kept coming back to the worst choices of my life, as if I was proving to myself that everything was all right and I am still in good shape. I was always torn between accepting my weakness and hopelessness and trying to prove the opposite. Well, it seems that my secret desire, hidden in the depths of my mind, had to come out eventually. By the time I met Ariadna, I really wanted to finally change everything in my life. By then I had almost stopped drinking, with a maximum of one party a quarter. I only smoked cigarettes occasionally with a friend or colleague. By then, she had started running again after a long break, but still lacked consistency. That's where our meeting played a big role. When we started running together, she saw great potential in me. Man, it was so hard to get back on track. Surprisingly, after more than a decade of endless intoxication, my body was working pretty well. I fought like never before. Countless times I thought "OK, now I am going to black out and God knows if I will wake up". But it never happened. Of course, my body did not handle such a life change flawlessly. I alternated between real running workouts for a couple of months and total rest when the pain in my legs became unbearable. When you are not doing any sport, your legs are the first to dry out. Add to that a sitting lifestyle and drugs, and imagine yourself running after 10 years like this.