I just got the February Runner's World in the mail and one of the first articles that caught my attention was about "less is more" training programs. Most of you probably read it (The Slow Road, click here to read it if you haven't), so in a nutshell, the experts are advising less training in order to achieve more. I like what the author says about the most common mistake runners make - set up a high goal and give themselves very little time to achieve it. End result? Injuries! I won't go into much more details about the article but do want to tell you about my "take home message". It's the best advise I've ever read. Elite and recreational running coach Greg McMillan asks people to think where do they want to be next year. That concept, that single question will make you train safer. In fact, he recommends giving yourself at least 1 year to train for big races. Rather than focusing on immediate satisfaction and ramp up speed or mileage, take it easier but do it better over the course of 12 months. It makes a lot of sense but it goes against what I are used to (work harder to get better results or no pain no gain, etc). I find following this slower approach a challenge on its own and I know a lot of runners who will agree with me.
Another great point was about training while living your (real) life. According to the author, ALL training programs are made assuming your are "100 percent, 100 percent of the time". This means that these programs do not take into consideration work, family, stress, colds, flues, injuries, etc... It is up to the RUNNER to factor in those other responsibilities and decrease effort and mileage on weeks when life is taking over. I like that, I will definitely follow it. It means I have to change my thinking a bit as my favourite time to run is when I am stressed at work... I can still do that, just that I have to go for a shorter (or slower) run or even a power walk if I want to let steam off. So, yes, I like this approach. I will do that from now on :)
As for today, a 5K (5.5 with warm up/cool down). A bit faster than my last run, no pain, all good! Yay!
Question for all of you (my new thing now is to ask daily questions :) : What is your training program? Slow and steady or fast and agressive?
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I couldn't agree with Mr. McMillan more. I'm a late bloomer so to speak as I ran short distances for years (almost a decade) before finally ramping up to 1/2 then whole marathon. So a really good base was there. I got waaay faster as soon as I cracked open the Run Less Run Faster book and FIRST has always been my plan for all marathons. I do 3 quality runs/week. I've never been disappointed.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great article and perfectly timed :)
ReplyDeleteLife definitely gets in the way sometimes! I am definitely taking it slow. Actually quit any training program and am just working on fitting in consistent running with my life!
ReplyDeleteAfter my first marathon I went from four runs a week to three runs a week. This seemed much better suited to my body.
ReplyDeleteIt's good advice, especially if you are relatively new to running and have all this excess energy to expend. People plan big races up to a year out (partly because they sell out within days of registration opening) or lots of races within a short time span and do not fully consider the commitment, nor even what their life will be like a few months or a year from now. This is especially true of people with young families or aging parents. Very hard to predict what might happen.
ReplyDeleteThe "less is more" is not a new concept; Runner's World recycles features every year, but it's time-worn advice worth heeding.
Since I'm new I'm still trying to get into a groove with training.....at the moment everything is slow and not so steady. ;)
ReplyDeleteI had a long talk with the "shoe consultant" at Running Room on Monday and she was saying how she felt RR's training program has a tendency towards overtraining. When I told her I had already run a 16k long run she was surprised and advised me to contact the clinic instructor and ask him about it. The most important thing for me is to remain injury free because if I have to stop running I'm afraid of what it will do to my state of mind and to my goal of completing the marathon. I don't even say run the marathon anymore, I have already prepared my mind to accept the fact that I will probably walk a lot of it and after reading some books and seeing some actual marathon footage I don't think this in any way will diminish the accomplishment. When I talk about missing the speed, I have to remember that my pre-training runs were much shorter. There is a huge difference between running at 7.5mph for 4k and then tackling 16k! I would crash around the 5k mark and would probably really hurt myself. Going slowly doesn't give me that sense of release but at the same time it has allowed to brag about distance instead :) I love your postings Miglena, you are always so well informed - it brings me out of my own head and reminds me there is a whole world of running that exists outside my twisted brain!
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