All things training. Mostly advice and tips but maybe questions, general comments, or who knows what else.
No, this isn’t a “Why do you run?” post. I know as well as you how difficult it is to answer that question. What I would like to ask is how you prioritize your running goals.
Why do I want to ask this question? Because I got myself in trouble recently when I tried to have it all. I hurt myself simply because I was unwilling to give in on anything.
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When you’re looking to improve, where should you go first?
Given my training history, which I’ve shared very publicly over the years, you might think I’d say do more.
If you did, though, you’d be wrong. I did more, a lot more at times, but not until I focused on doing things “better”.
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Do you remember when you first started running? You could do no wrong. You got better no matter what you did, even if you know now that it wasn’t very sound training.
Now, if you’re an experienced runner, every bit of improvement takes a monumental effort.
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Back in the 1990s, a lot of runners talked about running at VO2max pace or lactate threshold pace or some other specific pace. We were told that you needed to run at that specific pace in order to get the best benefit from a workout. If you ran between these magical paces, you were putting in extra effort for no added benefit.
How right were we about those things, though?
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A couple of weeks ago, I ran my first half marathon in 14 years.
Why did I go 14 years without running a half marathon? After the race, I was thinking out loud about that while talking with some people and I think I came upon the most likely reason: I’m having trouble adjusting to getting slower.
Take a lesson from me: when your PRs are in the past, don’t do what I did. As hard as it is, accept that and keep challenging yourself.
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