Two weeks ago, I ran 65 miles. Last week, I ran 50 miles. Which week was better?
Trick question. I didn’t give you enough information.
Now, which week was better?
Still not a simple question without all kinds of context. Even with context, I have trouble saying one week was better than the other. Both build upon each other to produce good training.
Anyway, why am I asking these questions? Because it’s too easy to get caught up in numbers and label something as better or worse simply based on numbers we see on Strava, Garmin Connect or wherever else we see our numbers.
The true value in your training lies in much more than simple numbers. The true value lies in the combination of the work you’re doing, which the numbers only capture a partial picture of, as well as the context of your training. In other words, the perfect training 5 months out from a goal race will look different than the perfect training 1 month out from that same race.
As for me, the more I think about it, the more I think that neither week was better than the other. The two weeks combined provided a big training stimulus and helped me move in a positive direction. They worked together to do something that I wouldn’t have accomplished without both of those very different weeks.