I have never been one to try and keep up with what everyone else is doing as far as training goes. This doesn’t mean I haven’t tried a lot of methods or suggestions at one time or another. Sure, I have a huge running library, read the latest publications to get new ideas or combine new and old theories and have had several different coaches. But the plan has always been done in advance and has had a reason and a purpose behind it with always the same goal… run faster than I did before. The point is, unless you are coming up to a roadblock with your training or you feel you may be lacking some element in your training that keeps getting you injured on your current program, stick to the plan and don’t change anything until you have completed your event. After the season was over you can then think about what happened that year. Personally I would first review my races and see if the results were consistent and how they compared to previous times especially if they were run on the same course in the same weather conditions. The fatigue index “dot” graph played an important part so I could see at a glance how I was feeling and (good or bad) check out why? I would especially review the injury section of my journal and see if there was a pattern according to the types of workouts I was doing and see which injuries were persistent and what I did to solve them and if the exercises performed during rehabilitation were effective.
Most often the cause of issues was found with drills. I was rather lazy about them and it showed in my performances. If I was diligent about them and did them regularly, I noticed a greater improvement than if I just did them 6 weeks before my race. (Often let them go until about 6 weeks before my race and always wished I had started them earlier.) They also increased my recovery rate after races and after tough workouts when I may have been a tad over-zealous. If I didn’t do them at all I would notice little or no improvement even though I would be running more miles than the previous season. I also had little niggles after races such as lower back issues that seemed to take longer to heal. I never truly caught on that if my body was stronger all around, my running progression was greater and I would feel better. I also noticed more injury when I did not warm up enough or properly or was lacking in some form of core routine. This is why I’m rather militant about a proper warm-up and cool-down with and especially using good technique.
I’ve been trying to get people to warm-up longer especially before track workouts. This has been instrumental in getting the muscles somewhat more warmed up so that when strides are performed, the runners are not as tensed up. They start out slower and in a more relaxed manner and therefore get a more controlled and faster acceleration and get a more relaxed look to them as they are working up to “flying” mode. A long slow warm-up followed by strides almost fully prepares the runner for what he/she is about to ask of their body. Sometimes it is necessary for an individual to work on specific areas that need greater attention (such as hamstrings) and therefore some stretching is also required even after a good warm-up run. If strides are performed correctly, I have found lesser necessity to include stretching as part of the warm-up routine, but keep in mind, that’s an individual decision which may only work for me and not everyone else. The test is, if at the end of your workout you are beginning to get stiffer rather than looser, then you are most likely pushing the paces and straining (not training) and you are simply not quite prepared in the strength department to perform what was planned. There’s no shame in that. You first and foremost have to train at your pace and volume and not that of your neighbour.
As a coach you see many different people do to try and make the workout “easier” for themselves. The only problem with that is, easier usually means taking short-cuts. Short-cuts usually mean reducing the basics. It’s very rare that a music teacher gets kids who say, “Sorry Lorne, I didn’t get a chance to work on the piece you gave me last week. I spent most of my time working on scales, chords, drills, arpeggios and breathing exercises.” It just doesn’t happen. Generally the kids either don’t practice because they were “too busy” or they just played the songs they liked and called that practicing. The same goes for most runners. They want to get at the heart of the workout and run “fast”, but they neglect a good warm-up and cool-down. A couple of weeks later, after a particularly tough interval session or longer tempo run, they begin having difficulty with some little niggle that’s on the verge of becoming an issue. The point here is that the warm-up sets the tone for the workout. I can’t think of one time in over 45 years of running where I had a great warm-up and a lousy workout. I’ve had a few really flying warm-ups that lead into injury and couldn’t figure out why until Phil Ellis told me this year during a discussion on training. But generally if you have a bad warm-up, you should consider holding back a bit in your training. This is especially true as we head towards race day. This doesn’t mean “go hypochondriac” over every little niggle, but it does refer to listening to your body.
I briefly mentioned above that a great warm-up could be a precursor or indicator to a possible injury. I also used the word “flying” several times here too. Permit me to explain. There are some workouts that feel like you are faster than you have ever been before. You have true difficulty holding back and you are setting personal bests on intervals with the feeling of little effort. This is the time to go for an easy run. Physiologically I can’t explain it, but for some reason the body is working in over-drive. Many people can relate to one day having an abundance of energy first thing in the morning and they get more done than usual and work around the house at night and still have energy to stay up a little later than usual only to be sick the next day. What is that? Maybe you can tell me. This would certainly explain a few things. But the point here is to acknowledge that something within may be different. Either stick to the plan or go easy, but don’t neglect your warm-up. If the program says to do jog a mile and a half… don’t shorten it. If your cool-down is a mile and a half and you are part way through your workout and you are feeling a bit uncomfortable, it’s better to go into cool-down than it is to force your body into something it is just not ready for on the day.
Most of us in our running group are from around the same era … when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. We grew up in the “No pain, no gain” years and thought of pain as weakness and not a warning sign that we were pushing too hard. We were told if we were tired, we were just being lazy. One of the worst programs we run through our heads is that “More is better”. And we were programmed too well in most cases because this programming has lead to much frustration in a lot of different parts of our lives, but that’s another story.
From a coaching stance it’s difficult to erase pre-existent programming in athletes unless you are willing to spend tons of time with each and every individual. With a group our size with over 150 in the Half-Marathon/Marathon Program and another 100 people in the Learn-To-Run Programs, this would be full-time therapy sessions in some cases. All as we can do is present an idea (in this case a running schedule) and tell people if you stick to the plan, you will be successful. But, who do you trust? First and foremost you have to be in tune with yourself. Only you know and can feel what’s happening inside of you on all levels. Learn the signs of what your body is telling you and make sure to take notes and review them. You will start to see patterns and become more aware of, “If I do this… this happens”. Keeping a running journal of your training is very important. The more information in there, the easier it will be to track the conditions which lead to the best results.
One of my least favourite statements, “It works for me.” More time than not, “works” is pre-programming and comfort and has little to do with actual athletic improvement. Julius Ceasar said, “Know thyself.” I wonder what his marathon time was?
Have a great running week.
Russ and Lorne
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