Training blips

11 OCTOBER 2021

Its very easy to commit to training, getting into a good routine, good consistency, and the great feeling that comes with training, getting fitter and running faster.

To maintain your progressing fitness there are a few things to just be aware of, to avoid slipping up and allow you to continue on that nice steady progression.

1.     Too easy on hard days, too hard on easy days, one of the most common mistakes by runners is to train too easy on a hard day (speed/hill reps) and too hard on an easy day, which means their body doesn’t create the correct physiological responses.  By performing in the middle, much of the time, the intensity isn’t impactful enough to have an impact on fitness.  This is because it’s not easy enough to impact the aerobic energy system, or not hard enough to impact the lactate energy system or vo2 max.  As a result, a person’s fitness remains stagnant and there is no change in performance or fitness gains.

Not enough rest!!!

2.     Not enough rest, especially after a hard workout means your body and muscles have no time to recover.  Fitness improves during rest, whilst muscle fibres repair.  Endurance sports tend to attract individuals that like to keep going all the time.  More is better!!  Rest and recovery is viewed as a waste of time but all that is wasted is the opportunity to increase one’s fitness.  By not resting the risk of injury also increases, and the risk of overtraining increases.  Rest and recovery is as important as hard and long training days, rest means just that, off your feet and relaxing.

3.     Training isn’t specific enough, with generic and ‘custom’ training plans, there is a lack of specificity.  For example, if a race is on a lot of technical terrain, it would be advisable to spend time training on that sort of terrain (obviously not all of the time).  If you are training to kick at the end of the race, then you should add a kick at the end of some of your long runs.

Listening to your body

4.     Training plans not modified, they should not be received and that’s it, done.  During a periodised training period, the plan should have room for modification, to account for disruption, whether that be injury or outside influence.  Listening to your body should take this into account too.  If you are not feeling 100%, it would be advisable to do an easier session rather than a hard session.  Training plans should not be static, there are ups and downs and these should always be taken into consideration.

5.     Only training at high intensity, because its more glamourous and fun, and the easy workouts just aren’t hard enough!!  By doing HIIT all the time, you end up keeping your heart rate near maxed out all the time.  The heart is a muscle and can’t be maxed out all the time.  Because the aerobic system isn’t trained, there is a training deficit so running at an aerobic pace becomes harder.

6.     Following someone else’s plan, because they did it and they ran a pb so it must work.  Well, it did for them, it does not mean it will for you, because we are all individual and respond to training in different ways.  Their heavy milage weeks may cause you injury, or their lower milage weeks just may not be enough, so having a customised plan gives you the best chance of success.

7.     Too much too soon, the 10% rule and feeling good so let’s just do more.  When individuals start a training plan there is times where the feel good factor and freshness takes over and makes you feel like you could and should do more, what proceeds is fatigue and injury.   The cardiovascular system will develop quicker than muscles and bones, so by ignoring the sore muscles and joints because cardio vascularly you feel good, means you add more stress on the body.  Slow and steady is the way, it is a marathon and not a sprint, you should be the tortoise not the hare.

Training through an injury

8.     Training through an injury, because it can’t be that bad, or it’s not that sore, or because I HAVE to get the next session in.  By ignoring the injury or even a niggle could leave you out of action for a lot longer than you would have been if you had just eased off or stopped and had it seen too.  Trying to push through or hoping it will just go away by doing more of what caused the injury in the first place is wishful thinking, and stupid.

Been aware of these potential blips you can ensure you have a better training period, reduce risk of injury, and improve your fitness levels.  

As a coach I want what’s best for my athletes, you have to trust the process, which is not a fast fix, fitness is a journey and takes time, you should enjoy it and enjoy the longevity that can come with it.