Running the Bases

If you are a competitive runner, base building will help you increase your overall mileage. This, in turn, can help lead to faster race times and better paces during your other runs. If you are running just to stay in shape and burn fat, base building will help you cover more distance. This, in turn, will lead to burning more calories and therefore more fat. It may also improve your body's ability to burn fat, so if you find the extra weight is being stubborn, base building might help break your plateau.

It's interesting to note that the calories you burn during a run are more related to the distance you cover than the speed you cover it in. It seems counter-intuitive, but the fact remains that if you cover the same distance in a shorter period of time, your effort increases but the time doing the activity decreases. These two factors balance each other. Base building leads to longer runs and therefore can burn more calories overall.

So, what exactly is base building?

Base building is using your heart rate to pace long, slow runs. There is no special equipment required. While a heart rate monitor may make it easier to measure your heart rate, you can just as easily check your pulse at regular intervals by feeling your wrist or the side of your throat. It doesn't matter how you find out your heart rate, but what does matter is where your heart rate stays.

Many coaches will use equations to try to determine your "target heart rate." My experience is that the actual results vary from person to person. You might have a faster resting heart rate or be more out of shape than the next person, so your "heart rate zone" won't be the same. Most calculators simply take into account age and possibly your heart rate at rest, but not your level of fitness.

The first step for base building is to determine your target heart rate for working out. This is easy. Go on a short jog. If possible, do this run with a training partner. Your goal is to maintain as brisk a pace as possible without falling out of breath. You should be able to carry on a comfortable conversation. If you find yourself huffing and puffing when trying to speak, slow down. It doesn't matter if you have to go a snail's pace because the goal is to find the pace at which you are still comfortable enough to talk. When you have been running for about fifteen minutes and are sure you are at a comfortable pace, stop and take your heart rate. This is the base building heart rate.

The next step is to use this heart rate as a guide for future runs. The key to base building is one long run each week. Try to schedule this run so that you have a day of rest (from running) both before and after the run. Then, each week, add a little time to the run. Don't focus on distance - the run is simply about time. Start out with an easy goal based on your skill level. If you're used to short runs of only 20 minutes, start out with a slightly longer run of 30 minutes. Jog in one direction for 15 minutes and then return back. If you fall short, walk for the remainder of the run.

During your long runs, take extra care not to exceed your target heart rate. If you come across a hill, you may need to slow down and even walk to lower your heart rate. Your goal is not distance or pace, but simply to spend the prescribed amount of time at or below the target heart rate. Even if you are on flat ground and find your heart rate creeping up, slow down and make sure you can always carry on a conversation or if you have a heart rate monitor check to see that you are within your zone. Walking is allowed at any time if required to slow your heart rate!

The next week you would go from 30 minutes to 35, then to 40, and so forth. You may schedule some "back off" runs in between - for example, if you work your way to a 50 minute run, you might back off to a 40 minute run the next week and then build your way back up.

So what's the point of base building? By keeping your heart rate low and focusing on distance, you allow your body to adapt in a very specific way. A few of the benefits from base building include:

• You train your body to use fat as a primary fuel source as that is the main source available on longer runs

• Your body begins to increase the number of myoglobin and mitochondria structures in your cells - these organelles help you improve your cardiovascular fitness by improving your body's ability to use fat and oxygen as energy

• Your endocrine system goes through its own adaptations to the longer runs

• Your resting heart rate may slow as your heart becomes more efficient at pumping blood

Even if your goal is simply to lose weight, base building can help you improve the efficiency of your shorter runs. Spend a few months on base building then return to shorter, faster, more intense runs. You should find that your pace improves and you can cover more distance in less time, which will equate to more calories burned. While base building is most effective when you avoid faster runs and weight training during the same period, it can be combined with other forms of exercise.

This is an easy and effective way to improve your overall level of fitness. Regardless of your goals, base building can help create a solid fitness foundation. It is also lower impact to your body than faster running and can help train your body to burn fat more efficiently. Practice this routine over a three month period and find out what building a solid base can do for you!