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You may have heard the term “course-specific training” during your time as a runner. Or maybe you haven’t yet.
Either way, it’s an important concept to understand if you plan to make racing part of your running career.
In the simplest of terms, not all courses are created equal.
A flat 5K on a straight road with no twists and turns is quite different than a hilly 5K that has you zigzagging all over town.
And as you progress to longer races, like half marathons and full marathons, the specifics of the course (elevation and route) become even more significant.
Imagine if you’re training for a half marathon…the Miami Half Marathon, to be exact.
You think to yourself, Miami is relatively flat, so there’s no need to do any hill work in my training.
That’s the trap RunBetter App co-founder Nicole Mann fell into several years ago.
She had prepared for a half marathon; she just hadn’t prepared for this half marathon. Because this half marathon had some hills. Big ones.
Not knowing the specifics of the Miami Half Marathon course cost Nicole the race. She finished as the second place female and was kicking herself for not being ready for the hills.
This experience made such an impact on Nicole, she came up with the idea for the RunBetter App.
Runners need to train the specific course before race day, so they know what’s coming.
(No one wants a surprise during a race, am I right?!)
But what if it’s not possible to train the course? What if you live too far away or the weather’s bad that day or the route is closed?
That’s where the RunBetter App comes in. It lets you train courses virtually from any treadmill.
Click here to check out all the courses we have on the app. You can train for races all over the world right from your treadmill at home.
The app tells you when to adjust your treadmill’s incline according to where you are on the course.
Since you’re able to virtually train the course, nothing will be unfamiliar when it’s time to race.
No surprises = you know what’s coming.
We also offer course-specific training programs for select marathons, like Boston, Mad Marathon, and more.
So why just train for any old course when you can train for the specific course you’re going to be running?
Course-specific training is the best way for you to gain a competitive edge on race day.
Have questions about course-specific training or the RunBetter App? Email us today at [email protected].