If you spend much time on running social media, you’ll see a million different ideas for what the key to improvement in running is. So I might as well tap into that sentiment and offer my thoughts on what the key to improvement is.
(The truth, of course, is that improvement involves many variables but I do believe most, if not all, of those variables rely on this one thing to be in place first.)
Consistency
That’s it. If you can train consistently, with at least a little careful planning and structure built into that consistent training, you will get better.
Running is not rocket science. If you put in the work consistently, you will at least come close to your potential. If you’re inconsistent, you’re going to limit your potential improvement.
But how do you maintain consistency? Well, you need motivation. Having races on your calendar with goals for those races can help with that but we each need to find our own motivation. You need to carve out the time in your day to get the training in. Plus, there is one other variable that I think is the real key to consistency for almost all runners
The biggest key to consistency
If you want to be a consistent runner, you need to be able to train at any time. That means you need to stay healthy. You need to avoid injuries.
Now, running is a physically demanding sport. Injuries are going to happen. It’s part of the process. However, depending on who you believe, it seems like somewhere between 40% and 80% of all runners deal with an injury that takes them completely out of running for at least a full week in any given year.
Think about that. In my opinion, that shouldn’t be happening. Runners as a whole are doing something very wrong if somewhere between 2 and 4 out of every 5 runners is dealing with an injury serious enough to keep them completely away from running for at least a week in any given year.
This is why, with the runners I coach, my #1 goal is always injury avoidance. Again, running is a physically demanding sport so you can’t guarantee injury free running. However, there are things that can be done.
Here are a few of the things I stress with the runners I coach.
- Regular rest: Rest is not a naughty word. From making sure there are truly easy days, if not off days, built into the schedule to planning down (or “cutback” as I learned the terminology long ago) weeks to taking some time to rest after a racing season, rest matters.
- Responding to the little things: Of course, there are little aches that come with running. However, with experience, we get to know what is normal and will go away in short order and what is not normal. Take those not normal things seriously. If we are being honest with ourselves, we usually know what is a potential problem. When you encounter these potential problems, act immediately. Back off. Even take an unplanned day off or two. Remember, a day or two off for a small problem is much better than weeks or even months off because we let it turn into something bigger.
- Running/life balance: There are high school and collegiate coaches who plan an easy week of running during midterms or finals weeks. I think this is a great reminder for all of us. When stress in one part of life is high, that affects how much stress you can take in other parts of life. It may seem strange to think that stress at work or on the home front might affect our running capacity but it’s a very real thing. If stress is building up somewhere, back off the training.
So that’s it. Take good care of your body, prioritize staying in the game, and reap the rewards.