What was the most important thing you did in training before a big breakthrough?

Cewrioos

RE: What was the most important thing you did in training before a big breakthrough? 1/1/2011 12:00PM - in reply to Good art

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I'm really fascinated by this from a physiological standpoint. Would you consider yourself to be a slow/mid/fast twitch type of person? May I ask what your 200/400 time were back in college (or just your all time PBs period)?

Good art wrote:

In 30 years of training, I hve recall of only few experiences that seem to have a significant relationship with my subsequent performance . It would seem plausible to argue for some causal mechanism.

Other ideas that I've drawn from experience seem significant, but I would find that making the argument of some causal structure perhaps interesting, but perhaps too weak.

From that, I can make some generalizations that apply to my own, but not necessarily others training.

The following were the major events that I believe were most significant and I believe are worthy of mention.

1. My first posted example on this thread. ( Taking 10 weeks off due to injury)
Qualifications: - These may have or may not have influenced the outcome, but seem valid and worth note.
. First qualification: I had a solid amount of training prior, e.g. 90+ miles hard intervals, etc. ( I was training at UO as a student athlete at the time.)
. I was swimming during the break.

After resuming training it was as if I had become a new runner. I was amazed by just how easy my aerobic runs had become. Prior, typical pace was 6:20 per mile with occasion to dip to 5:55s etc. After 3 weeks or so, my paces were between 5:35-5:55 per mile, and that felt good, perhaps even much better than before the injury. I recall I was as light as a feather.

2. The following example provides my conclusion from my first example further strength.

The last time I had run under 16 minutes, I was 39 years old. I'm 46 now. The months prior,that happened within that year, I was training very long and hard. I recall feeling frustrated that I was constantly feeling stale and that my performances were stagnant.

I had always and continue to solicit advise from those who's judgment I trust and trusted. Knowing from prior experience, I believed that rest would have been beneficial. I assumed this was the best way, but I guess I needed to have confirmation anyway.

I asked my old friend Dick Brown, coach of many prior great runners, most notably, Mary Slaney, to help me out. He told me that he would, but first I would need to take at least 5 weeks off. If I did, he told me he would help me with my training, but that if I didn't he would not.

I was hoping that would be the advise I would receive, as I had good reason to believe this would be a good choice. Having someone else that I trusted and whom I believed had good sense and experience made the choice to take time off easy to do.

There was always and still is a certain amount of difficulty taking time out as not only do I feel addicted to running itself, I am also someone who finds it difficult working to goal by conserving energy rather than the habitual, relentless drive to expend it.

So after taking the 6 weeks off, I did start to notice my energy for running not only returned in a big way, but I was having more fun with it, I recall having had in years.

I recall getting out of my car and running in the parking lot to the store I was visiting. I wanted to stride out like I was sampling some new found freedom.

Well after resuming training, I had gone from having a difficult time running 3 miles at 530 pace to running an all comers meet 5k in 15 44. 530 pace, that was formerly a lactic affair, was completely aerobic for me after the break.

As I had mentioned, there were other experiences I have had, methods of training that I experimented with that I could infer, and I have good reason to believe I could generalize from. It does seem however, as indicated here in this post, taking a number of weeks out, especially after a hard period produced my most significant results. These results, I have a hard time believing would have come if I just continued to run during that time off.

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