Ok, so this post also applies to everybody, but it's especially relevant for high school -- and, on occasion collegiate -- runners.
Ready? Here it is:
Stop thinking you need to run harder to get faster.
That's it. Simple. Unfortunately, too many runners at too many levels don't get it. I didn't get it until after I had already graduated from college.
Here's the problem: the 'no pain, no gain' attitude permeates every aspect of sports culture in America. You see it all the time on high school XC team T-shirts. You know, the ones with the slogans on the back that say "Pain is weakness leaving the body," or "Pain is temporary, pride is forever," or "Our sport is your sport's punishment," or...well, you get the idea. It's all couched in the glorification of pain and suffering -- the idea that if you're not working hard, then you might as well not be working at all. However, by and large that does not apply to endurance sports like distance running; in fact, it is often counterproductive.
You don't get better by continually thrashing your body into the ground. You get better when you rest and recover from your hard session. It's the physiological principle of supercompensation: you stress your body with a workout or a hard run, then it takes some time to rest and recover and build back up a little stronger, a little faster than it was before. The key there is the rest and recover portion -- if you don't rest and recover, you will continually tear your body down without building back up. And then what happens? Injury or burnout. Or both. We've all been there.
As an example of what not to do, this was an average week for me in college (which I think is an average week for many high school and college runners):
Monday - long hard intervals (mile repeats, 1000s, 800s, etc.)
Tuesday - mileage run (9-12 miles at ~6:15-20 pace)
Wednesday - another interval or fartlek day
Thursday - mileage run, same as Tuesday
Friday - pre-race
Saturday - race
Sunday - 1:30-2 hr long run
Look at how stupid that was! Between racing, long running, and interval workouts, 4 of the 7 days were hard. And then, mileage runs at low-6:00 pace? Even those days weren't easy. We really had only one true easy day for the whole week. No wonder so many people got injured and no wonder I consistently struggled at the end of the season. Part of the problem was on the coach (bad workout structure) but a big part was also on me: pushing the mileage days when I should have been taking it easier.
So what's the take away? Embrace your easy days! You probably need more of them than you currently have and you probably should be running slower than you currently are.
The other big take away is to be smart about your workouts. If the schedule says 400s at mile or two-mile race pace, then run them at that pace, not faster -- even though you could probably crank out 60-second quarters without too much effort. Don't go to the well every workout; save that for the races. Aim for relaxation, smoothness, and an effortless feel during your workout days. Don't confuse hard with fast.
So that's it. Stop thinking you need to run harder to get faster.
Ready? Here it is:
Stop thinking you need to run harder to get faster.
That's it. Simple. Unfortunately, too many runners at too many levels don't get it. I didn't get it until after I had already graduated from college.
Here's the problem: the 'no pain, no gain' attitude permeates every aspect of sports culture in America. You see it all the time on high school XC team T-shirts. You know, the ones with the slogans on the back that say "Pain is weakness leaving the body," or "Pain is temporary, pride is forever," or "Our sport is your sport's punishment," or...well, you get the idea. It's all couched in the glorification of pain and suffering -- the idea that if you're not working hard, then you might as well not be working at all. However, by and large that does not apply to endurance sports like distance running; in fact, it is often counterproductive.
You don't get better by continually thrashing your body into the ground. You get better when you rest and recover from your hard session. It's the physiological principle of supercompensation: you stress your body with a workout or a hard run, then it takes some time to rest and recover and build back up a little stronger, a little faster than it was before. The key there is the rest and recover portion -- if you don't rest and recover, you will continually tear your body down without building back up. And then what happens? Injury or burnout. Or both. We've all been there.
As an example of what not to do, this was an average week for me in college (which I think is an average week for many high school and college runners):
Monday - long hard intervals (mile repeats, 1000s, 800s, etc.)
Tuesday - mileage run (9-12 miles at ~6:15-20 pace)
Wednesday - another interval or fartlek day
Thursday - mileage run, same as Tuesday
Friday - pre-race
Saturday - race
Sunday - 1:30-2 hr long run
Look at how stupid that was! Between racing, long running, and interval workouts, 4 of the 7 days were hard. And then, mileage runs at low-6:00 pace? Even those days weren't easy. We really had only one true easy day for the whole week. No wonder so many people got injured and no wonder I consistently struggled at the end of the season. Part of the problem was on the coach (bad workout structure) but a big part was also on me: pushing the mileage days when I should have been taking it easier.
So what's the take away? Embrace your easy days! You probably need more of them than you currently have and you probably should be running slower than you currently are.
The other big take away is to be smart about your workouts. If the schedule says 400s at mile or two-mile race pace, then run them at that pace, not faster -- even though you could probably crank out 60-second quarters without too much effort. Don't go to the well every workout; save that for the races. Aim for relaxation, smoothness, and an effortless feel during your workout days. Don't confuse hard with fast.
So that's it. Stop thinking you need to run harder to get faster.
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