Jennifer Heiner is a New Jersey-based professional who formerly served as the retail director of a high end running specialty store, where she was responsible for a variety of tasks, including inventory control, hiring associates, and more. During her time with the organization, Jennifer Heiner also helped host a variety of races. Before becoming involved with the running company, Ms. Heiner was involved with a variety of other firms, including Basking Ridge Animal Hospital, where she served as a client services coordinator. During this time, she helped maintain a busy team while also managing a variety of events at the hospital. Before starting her career, Ms. Heiner studied at Lehigh University, where she graduated with a bachelor of science in business administration and majored in marketing and economics. Throughout her career, she has also been involved in a variety of professional organizations, including the two major New York City running clubs and organizations. There, Jennifer works with runners and volunteers alike in a customer service role to ensure that their experience at races is the best it can possibly be.
An avid runner herself, Jennifer Heiner has been tasked with helping draft training tips for runners participating in some of the aforementioned organizations’ races. Here are some highlights and things to keep in mind when training for a race, whether it is a Half Marathon or a full 26.2.
Did you know? Runners need strength training too! As a runner, strength training helps your body better deal with the stresses of running. Your muscles will be able to perform longer before getting fatigued, which means you can go for more miles. All it takes is two or three 15- to 20-minute strength-training sessions a week to build more muscle mass and also aids in the following:
Helps the muscles become strong and hence less prone to injuries
Builds muscle coordination and balance
Builds bone strength
Body weight strength training helps in building endurance and form.
Builds neuromuscular coordination and power
Increases running efficiency
Prevents muscle loss and osteoporosis
Posterior and kinetic chain development
Don't hesitate to connect with a trainer or coach if you go to a gym for good strength training tips for runners, or work with a PT if you have some nagging issues that you want to strength and correct before race day.
"For every finish-line tape a runner breaks — complete with the cheers of the crowd and the clicking of hundreds of cameras — there are the hours of hard and often lonely work that rarely gets talked about." — Grete Waitz
Grete Waitz was a former world record holder from Norway, and was the first woman in history to run a marathon in under two and a half hours. Her method and mantra for training is helpful to all runners, whether we are novices or have toed the line at many races.
She always stated it was important to:
Have an ultimate goal.
Set up realistic goals and be flexible.
Don’t increase the amount of your training or change your training schedule too fast. Your body needs time to adapt.
Don’t change what works for you.
Follow the principle of hard/easy training.
By embarking on this training program leading up to the NYCRUNS Brooklyn Half Marathon, you are setting goals for yourself, methodically increasing your training, and are hopefully also figuring out what does or doesn't work for you. As the training cycle presses on and your long runs get longer and your speedwork gets faster, just remember to stick to the plan, and you'll arrive at the start line in Brooklyn ready to crush your next half marathon!
