Don't get caught up in the present: See the bigger picture...
It's easy to get lost in the details of training. Don't make that fatal mistake. Broaden your perspective.
WEEKLY WISDOM: IT’S NOT ONE DAY, IT’S MANY!
As many of you may know, it’s natural to fixate on the workouts and long runs, putting all the weight on those flashy, Strava eye-candy days in your training. The problem with this notion, however, is that the majority of your gains are from easy running, given it should account for roughly 80% of your weekly mileage. Regardless, it can become easy to forget that. To drill this into your head, read this Sweat Elite article which digs into the benefits of easy running.
Oftentimes, this internal emphasis on the workouts and long runs can result in poor decisions, putting you at risk of injury. For example, you might be feeling abnormally sore/achy in the warmup leading into a workout, but decide to workout anyway because you REALLY don’t want to miss a workout day. In your head, it’s too important to miss, and if you opted out for an easy run that must mean you’re mentally weak and should just toughen up and embrace the pain. Believe me, I am talking from experience (lol). PLOT TWIST: That is NOT a healthy mentality! Trust me, it is not worth the risk.
In that scenario, or similar ones, the smart move would be to postpone the workout to the next day and see how you feel then. If you feel good, that’s your body saying you’re ready to go. Otherwise, take two to three days easy before considering a harder effort; your body will appreciate it. On the other hand, if you have a big workout coming up that you really want to nail, it might be in your best interest to skip the workout altogether and get ready for that higher-priority session. I know these decisions may be tough to make, but postponing/skipping a workout does not mean you’ve failed and/or ruined your training block. You’re just making those tough but smart decisions that will allow you to train with consistency, the ultimate contributor to improvement.
BE LIKE PAIGE
A great example of making the right decision happened just last week with one of my athletes, Paige. Being four weeks out from her peak race, the Pittsburgh Half Marathon set for May 7, 2023, the plan for the week was the following:
Mon, 4/10: Active rest
Tue, 4/11: Easy run + 4x15s uphill strides
Wed, 4/12: Ladder workout - 400, 800, 1200, 1600, 1600, 1200, 800, 400, 200 w/ 200j bw reps and 400j after the first 1600
Thu, 4/13: Easy run
Fri, 4/14: Easy run + 4-6 strides
Sat, 4/15: In and outs workout - 5-6x(1k at 10kP, 1k at goal MP)1
Sun, 4/16: Long run of 17-18 miles
On Tuesday, I saw on Strava that she had felt pretty bad on her run. I reached out to her and asked how she felt, to which she responded she felt heavy and sore. This was likely a combination of the marathon training settling, her PT exercises, the stress of her master’s program, etc. I suggested that if she still feels off on her warmup on Wednesday, she could either skip the workout altogether or consider a revised workout on the day:
Revised workout - Option #1: 2x200 glorified strides w/ infield walks, 5-7x800 at 10kP w/ 200j, 2-3x(300,200,100) w/ 100j bw reps and 400j bw sets
Revised workout - Option #2: 8x2/1, 4x1/1, 4x30/12 continuous w/ 2’s at threshold/10kP, 1’s at 5kP, and 30’s strong
However, I emphasized that if she was just feeling flat-out garbage like on Tuesday, I’d prefer we skip the workout altogether and consider a lighter workout on Thursday or just prepare for the higher-priority Saturday session.
Thankfully, Paige was smart and knew deep down it’d be best to take Wednesday light and short, opting for an extra easy three miles. Because of this, she was able to get her body back to a good place in a few days and crush it on her Saturday workout, just as we had hoped. Now, a week later, she’s feeling great and had a very solid midweek workout (as I write this on Wednesday, April 19).
Here is what I’m trying to say, guys: Be like Paige! One missed workout won’t kill you.
If you have further questions, please ask me of course! See my contact information at the bottom of this post; I would love to help.
Next up on All Things Running… Finding the training that’s optimal for YOU: It’s different for each individual.
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If you want personalized coaching and/or training advice, I’d be happy to help. You can email me at jacobreesmontgomery@gmail.com or send me a direct message on Instagram.
10kP = 10k pace. MP = marathon pace. j = jog. You get the point. Hopefully.
8x2/1 is shorthand for 8x(2 minutes on, 1 minute off).