"Don't dream of winning. Train for it"
My past four years running at Shawnee have been up and down. My training was very inconsistent at times. Running too hard, too slow, low-mileage, high-mileage. I was all over the place. Often times we raced our workouts, running too hard too often, depleting out bodies of all glycogen levels before the race even started. Don't get my wrong, Eric Putnam lead me to times I'd never dreamed about in high school, and without his guidance and coaching I would not be the runner or person I am today. He left me hungrier than ever, but I did not truly understand how to run fast, but I did understand how to run hard and often times that lead to poor racing and poor training.
Since I've started training on my own here in Toledo, Ohio I've been able to analyze and educate myself on the basic principles of track and field. Running mileage everyday by yourself in the woods gives you a lot of time to think about the future and the present. More time then I'd like to admit, I often place myself in a race six months from now blazing into the bell lap, taking the lead and running away with it - and when I'm not dreaming, I often think about my training in all aspects. With the new addition of an extremely educated coach, and with the freedom to choose the length and races of my season, the amount of room to excel is vast.
I've come up with some simple steps or tips that I think can help any distance runner looking to take there running to the next level.
1) Keep it simple: Don't put all the focus on the details. Take a step back and look at the big picture. The more farther you run in distance the better aerobic fitness you have, the better you'll do. Don't be afraid to run doubles four, five, or six times a week.
2) The more consistent running you can get in, the better: Faster runs do not always equal better. take your easy days easy. When running 100 miles or more a week pace is the last thing you need to be thinking about. Don't be scared to run 7:30 pace if you need to. Consistent aerobic training equals better threshold.
3) In workouts run without the watch, go by feel: The goal of every interval or every workout is not to run as fast as you can. The key to running fast is to relax. Teach the body to put all energy into your mechanics and relax muscles that are irrelevant for speed. You want to be trying to run as relaxed as possible at a faster pace. There is a difference between running hard and running fast. If anything you want to be getting faster as the workout progresses, not slowing down.
4) The number one key to running fast is staying healthy: Quit drinking pop and eating artificial snacks. Your body relys on you to fuel it with the right nutrients and vitamins. Learn what works for you, and stick with it. Get into the habit of eating complex carbs before workouts and races, and high protein meals after hard efforts. You are constantly breaking down your body, and it is your job to recover as fast as possible to get the most out of each mile.
5) Learn how to run workouts just under your threshold: Figure out your threshold and use it to base your workouts and intervals off of. You should be just under your threshold and not struggling to complete the workout out or hit a certain pace. Again, go by feel and ease into the workout.
6) You've got to believe! This may be the most important aspect of your success. Running is an extremely mental activity. If you go into a race thinking there is no way you can run with these guys, or no way you can hold onto the pace, stop! You have to believe in your training and believe you are able and ready to run fast. Accept the discomfort as a natural part of the race and hang on, keep going and push through it!
I hope that anyone who reads this gets some knowledge or a better understand of why we runners do what we do. I am more then excited for the bright future that lays before me. By no means is it going to be a simple task, but one that will be with daily toils and hardship, and I'm gonna take it one mile at a time.
-BJW
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