Training

This article was originally posted by Ryan at the original HillRunner.com Blogs.

Where are the training plans on HillRunner.com?

I get asked this frequently. My answer? I hate pre-canned training plans and will never place one on HillRunner.com.

Ok, hate is a strong word. Maybe I don’t “hate” them. I just strongly dislike them. Never is a long time. I guess I can’t completely rule out the possibility. But don’t count on it.

Why do I so strongly dislike pre-canned plans? Because those plans assume everyone will benefit from the same things. In short, they assume we’re cookie cutter people. We’re not.

So what do I like better? I like building around a core set of principles, then adjusting to the strengths, weaknesses, and needs of the individual runner.

What does this mean in practice?

Start with core principles. If you’re going to run a marathon, you need some good long runs. For any distance race, you need a base of aerobic conditioning. You need some running at or very near race pace. You need to run faster than race pace at times. You need to run slower than race pace at times.

Don’t tie yourself to any one philosophy. Lydiard had very good ideas. Igloi had very good ideas. Coe had very good ideas. Daniels has very good ideas. The Hanson brothers have very good ideas. I could go on and on. All of these people and many others did things a little differently but they all had very good ideas and applied them in very thoughtful ways. Also, if you get to know how they worked with runners, they adjusted their core ideas to fit the needs of the runners.

Adjust according to your individual needs. Personally, I respond very well to long runs and tempo runs. I need some shorter interval work to run my best but too much burns me out. So I do a lot of long and tempo runs and use intervals sparingly. Others are just the opposite and may need a more steady dose of intervals with fewer long and tempo runs. Some people need a big base of weekly mileage to run well, others are at their best with lower volume. The key is to figure out what the best balance of variables is for you. That does mean some trial and error is necessary. Some mistakes will be made. Learn from them, improve, and move on.

In the end, there are no plans on HillRunner.com because there is no plan I can write that will be the best possible for everyone reading it. Instead, my goal is to give you the tools you need to come up with your own plan.

This article was originally posted by Ryan at the original HillRunner.com Blogs.

Recently, I wrote about running practice races. This is incredibly important for many reasons. One of the reasons: taking chances.

Wait, what? Aren’t we supposed to be practicing how to do things the right way? Aren’t we supposed to be practicing what we want to do at our goal race? I don’t want to take chances and risk all my hard work!

You’re right. We do want to do those things with practice races. Sometimes, though, we want to try something new. Is there a better way? Am I really capable of more than I’m giving myself credit for? Sometimes, the only way to know is to roll the dice and find out in a race and it’s better to do so in a practice race than a goal race, just in case things don’t work out.

Of course, this is easier to do in a 5K than in a marathon. If you, for example, start a little faster than you are capable of in a 5K, you’ll crash in the last mile and have a rough 1/2 mile or so. If you start a little faster than you are capable of in a marathon, you might have a rough 10K. So you do have to pick and choose your times to take chances but you should give yourself the opportunity at times at least to challenge yourself, take chances, and see what happens.

You might just learn that there is a better way you can then take advantage of in your goal race.

Photo credit: _D102406-elite women runners by Jim Plumb, on Flickr

This article was originally posted by Ryan at the original HillRunner.com Blogs.

We all have hard and easy days in our training plans, right? We all have workout days, long run days, and those other days we just call easy days. Some call them junk miles but they are anything but junk miles. We know they aid our recovery from those hard days while helping to build the aerobic fitness that we all know is so important for racing any distance from the mile up.

But do you include at least an occasional max recovery day? You should, especially if you’re an every day runner.

What is a max recovery day? It’s something I like to do at least once a week as an every day runner myself. It’s essentially a day when you take it even more easy than a normal easy day. You can plan these days but I think they work even better when you just start running, feel low on energy or find yourself with heavy legs, and decide to keep the pace extra easy because you need the recovery.

So how do you do a max recovery day? First, I like to cut the distance of the run a bit. Not because I’m looking to spend less time running but because I want to go slower without spending more time on my feet. Personally, I usually aim for about an hour running on most days. For me right now, that’s usually about 8 miles. On a max recovery day, I’ll say I’m going 7 miles and still expect to be around an hour. Then you just run slow.

By running even slower than usual, you get a little extra recovery while sacrificing very little in regards to aerobic development. Most important, that little extra recovery will leave you feeling fresh and recharged for your next hard day.

So next time you’re dragging more than usual, consider trying a max recovery day. You’ll be surprised how much of a difference slowing one run down can make in leaving you feeling fresh, recharged, and ready to go the next day.

This article was originally posted by Ryan at the original HillRunner.com Blogs.

Saturday, I ran a race. I wasn’t really race ready. I feel like my general fitness is pretty good right now but I haven’t done enough race specific workouts for my race fitness to be ready.

So why did I do this race? Because I needed some practice before my important races.

Racing is different than even the hardest workouts. While workouts are good opportunities to practice the skills we will bring to racing, no workout takes you to the place a race will. As a result, there are simply some things that can’t be practiced any time other than on a race day.

From how to handle lining up pre-race to how you respond when someone near you does something unexpected to knowing when you can kick with all you have without fear of running out of gas before the finish line and so many things in between, the only real way to develop the skills needed for race day is to get real world practice.

So sign up for a few races. If you have a goal race planned for this fall, sign up for a few summer races. Even if you’re not in peak shape for those summer races, you will gain experience that will allow you to perform even better when the goal race comes around in the fall.

This article was originally posted by Ryan at the original HillRunner.com Blogs.

“It’s hard showing up day after day. It’s worth it but it’s hard.” – Jon Marcus

I was recently listening to the Magness and Marcus podcast and I heard that quote from Jon Marcus. I was already thinking of writing about this topic and that quote just clicked with me because it’s so true and so important to running.

I often find myself saying the biggest key to success in distance running is consistency. How do you be consistent? Well, obviously you have to stay healthy so your training isn’t sidelined by injury. However, in my opinion, the biggest factor is just showing up.

On those days your motivation is lagging but you know you have work to do, you get it done.

On those days when the weather sucks and you just want to stay inside, you get out the door.

On those days when the treadmill is the only good option and you hate treadmills, you get on it anyway.

It’s not easy to show up day after day, week after week, month after month. But being hard is part of what makes it so worthwhile. When you reach your goal that others were telling you was impossible, you know how you got there.

Which brings me to another quote, which seems to be commonly attributed to Jerry Rice. “Today I will do what other won’t, so tomorrow I can accomplish what others can’t.”

Photo credit: Loneliest by Andrew Murray, on Flickr