In the last blog post, I asked if bigger workouts are always better. Today, I would like to explore a related topic.
For every run you do, I hope you have an answer to one simple question: how is this run making you better?
If you don’t know the answer to that question, you don’t know why you are doing that run. If you don’t know why you are doing that run, how do you know how to best execute that run?
If you’re coming up with your own training plan, you might have to do some research to figure out the benefits of each and every run you do. If you’re following a training plan or being coached, you should be able to ask and the person coaching or otherwise guiding you should have the answer.
In fact, one of the things I tell all runners I coach when we first start out is that I want them to ask me if they don’t know why we are doing something. When I’m working with someone new, I do my best to explain the goal of each type of run so they know what we are trying to accomplish and, if I fell short on that task, I want to know so I can do better and so they know what the goal of the run is.
I’ve even played around with the idea of changing what I call some runs. For example, not all “easy” runs are intended to accomplish the same purpose. Some are supposed to be an easy run that both works on aerobic development and allows for adequate recovery. Others are very specifically about active recovery. If you get some aerobic development, great. However, they are not focused on that. They are focused on staying at a very low intensity and maximizing recovery. So why not name the run that way? One run is an “easy run” with a dual focus on aerobic development and recovery. Another is specifically a “recovery run”, focusing primarily on active recovery and we’re just taking any aerobic development we get as a side benefit.
How is this run making you better? There should be an answer to that question for every run you do. If you don’t know the answer, you should be figuring it out and keeping that in mind during the run. That will not just leave you more informed, it will help you know how to best execute the plan for the greatest benefit.