Southampton - If you want to shed a few winter pounds, tone your legs for the beach or put some distance between you and reality for a while, a good running program should be at the top of your list. Running provides great benefits for burning calories and conditioning the cardiovascular, muscular and skeletal systems. Running is also great for those days when a little mental conditioning is needed.

Developing a running program is not the same as having the urge and going for a run when the weather breaks. A well thought out running program that builds over time, addresses deficiencies and continually challenges, makes all the difference and can make this the year that you improve your running and actually get great results.

The first step is to decide what you want from your running. If you honestly just want to run around the same block at the same pace whenever it's convenient, have at it - enjoy. However, if you want to be a better runner this just won't do. If you want to be faster or go longer or have fewer injuries, your program needs to be a bit more sophisticated.

If you're out of shape or de-conditioned you will see rapid progress with any running because anything is better than nothing. Once you are consistently running the challenge is to make continual progress and to become a better runner. There are a myriad of running philosophies and mileage building programs available to anyone willing to investigate but RRCA (Road Runners Club of America) certified Running Coach Amanda Bross is the type of professional who helps clients build a well rounded program addressing distance, speed, recovery and injury avoidance.

Amanda recommends increasing mileage roughly 10 percent each week as you work to build distance. This incremental approach allows your body to make gradual changes and avoid overuse injuries. This is by far the most common technique used by athletes of all levels to run longer; where many programs fall short is in training to run stronger.

To address the speed issue Amanda recommends incorporating one or two interval runs into your weeklong program. This is a style of running where you intermittently run faster for short distances to build the cardiovascular system and actually train the body's oxygen delivery system to be more efficient and more powerful. These shorter bursts also give your physical structure time to adjust to longer strides, more aggressive foot strikes and more meaningful upper body involvement. Interval workouts train you to be a better runner rather than continuing to run as you always have.

The phase of training most often ignored or undervalued is the recovery phase. Different from the rest phase, recovery involves runs of moderate length and intensity interspersed between taxing interval training and distance runs. This 'active recovery' allows you to keep your weekly mileage up while encouraging and conditioning your body to burn off and metabolize lactic acid and other muscular waist products.

The human body is built to run and we do it better than any other animal on the planet, but we each start the day with our personal landscape ahead of us. Different goals, different body types, different levels of physical fitness, different injuries, different schedules, we are each unique. You want to do your first 10K while your neighbor aspires to the NY City marathon, and yet there is a common ground. If you train and prepare as you always have, you will get the same result that you always have. If you want to excel and improve and reach new heights your training and preparation must follow suit. Train hard and train smart.