Consistency

Last week, I ran a little over 74 miles. That makes 2023 the 30th consecutive year that I’ve had at least one week of 70 or more miles.

Especially for someone who doesn’t like the idea of chasing numbers, why does this matter?

Because, to me, those numbers represent the consistency over decades I’ve had with my training. 70 has never been a stretch. Sure, it’s a much more significant number these days than it was 20 years ago but I’m consistently running 50-65 miles a week so it’s not “out there”. It’s just a little more than I’m already doing at some points.

To me, this number and the fact that I’ve never had to really reach beyond my normal capabilities to get it says something about my consistent training. Why does that matter to me and how have I achieved that consistency? That’s what I’d like to explore now.

Why does consistency matter?

When people find out about my running background, they usually ask me how I did it. How did a guy who couldn’t break 4 minutes in the 800 when he started competitive running progress to several years later run a 4:32 mile? How did a guy who never broke 17 minutes in the 5K in high school even with excellent coaching run 15:43 in college, along with a 32:48 10K? How did he go on to run sub-17 for 21 consecutive years?

The answer is consistency. It didn’t require heroic efforts or some secret formula. What it did require is a lot of good work over many days, weeks, months and even years.

In fact, if you think about it, consistency IS the secret formula. Not a magic “Instagram workout” or the great supplement or cross training program you read in last month’s issue of a running magazine or newsletter. Just a lot of good, consistent work.

How to get that consistency?

So how do you do that? How do you stay consistent for months, even years, in order to get the benefits?

First, I have to say that the level of consistency I’ve accomplished does require a certain amount of luck. I haven’t (yet) slipped on a patch of ice and broken a leg or been in a car accident that was bad enough to cause issues that would keep me away from or even limit my running. I realize there are a million things that could go wrong and ruin all the best planning. However, there are still things we can do to manage what is within our control.

I believe there are two key things you need to focus on in order to keep consistent: motivation and health. If you can stay motivated and avoid injury, you can keep going for a long time.

Motivation

So how do we maintain motivation? I have a couple thoughts on this. First, you need to keep your training sustainable so you’re not draining the motivation. Second, you need to at least have some motivation that comes from a different place than times and race results.

Sustainable training

What does sustainable training look like? Well, it varies. It depends on your capacity, which can vary greatly over time. What I would say is that it’s not pushing up against your capacity for significant periods of time. I would argue that at least 90% of the time, you don’t want to be going at more than 80% of your capacity and you very rarely, if ever, want to get to 100% except on race day.

You also want to keep it fun. If you’re having fun, you’ll want to keep doing it. Now, fun can come in a lot of forms. I watched my daughter’s cross country team this past fall have a ton of fun and I still see and hear stories of them having fun over the off season. This is the kind of fun you would expect to see a group of teenagers having: joking, singing, dancing, various teenage antics. It’s great to see!

That’s not quite what a guy in his mid 40s like me might do to have fun, though. For me, it’s fun to see friends at races. It’s fun to get out and interact with nature. It’s fun to challenge myself in different ways. Maybe these things are fun for teenagers but they are also things that are fun for an “old guy” (to channel my daughter). They are what keep me engaged and enjoying the journey.

The “right” type of motivation

Who’s to say what the “right” type of motivation is? Well, not me. That’s why I put that in quotes. However, certain types of motivation are more sustainable than others.

Shooting for a specific time or place result in a specific race can be fantastic motivation. I definitely use this type of goal as motivation and would encourage you to do so also. But what happens after the race is over? Where does the motivation go? Whether or not the goal has been achieved, there can be a letdown. Even if you pick another race and set another goal, this can sometimes lead to a motivational roller coaster.

However, there is another type of motivation that I would encourage you to channel. Call it process oriented, call it mastery, call it whatever you want. What it is about is setting goals that may seem a little less specific but are always in play. Set some goals to try to find a better way, to get the most out of yourself or out of the time and energy you can commit to running. Simply set goals to learn or try something new. These are goals that can be continued for a long time.

To be honest, I think a healthy balance of both of these types of goals/motivations is best. I also like having running serve different purposes, which can also extend motivation. For example, I still care very deeply about being competitive. However, I also value the physical and mental health benefits I get from running. A healthier body, a more balanced mind.

Health

Speaking of health, how do we avoid injury? Well, again, I have a few thoughts but this really comes down to two primary thoughts: sustainable training and “prehab”.

Sustainable training

I already mentioned sustainable training above but it shows up here again because, by training at or below 80% capacity at least 90% of the time, you’re not pushing your body to its very limit, where one small thing pushes you over the edge into injury.

To avoid injury and burnout, I actually recommend saving 100% efforts for race day. Some people like “see God” or “go to the well” workouts as they are often called. I’m not one of them. Occasionally venture to 90% or maybe a little more but I like to always save the all out effort for race day. It’s worth venturing beyond 80% effort occasionally but it’s risky to go all out.

Prehab

This is a relatively new term that I’ve really only heard used in the last several years. Before that, I’ve heard it called a few other things but it really comes down to the same thing: taking care of your body before injuries happen.

What kind of prehab you need will depend a lot on your specific circumstances but figure out what you need. Pay attention to what’s bothering you or what you have a history with, then take care of those issues. For example, I had a bad stretch in December where I twisted my ankle several times in a fairly short period of time. I adjusted my training a bit but I also increased my ankle mobility work to get the ankle back to its normal range of motion and then worked on strength and balance to return it to normal.

Keep in mind that prehab can mean many things and should happen as much as possible before problems show up. I do active/isolated stretching at least twice a day almost every day and have felt much better since starting that routine. I have been getting consistent in my strength training. I routinely use “The Stick”, I have a foam roller and a couple massage balls for when I feel some stiffness, soreness or other indications of potential problems.

The key is to take care of yourself all the time and put a little extra attention toward potential problems.