Your personal "bro science" take on training?

A fast twitch runner needs to run easy run slow. A slow twitch runner needs to run easy run fast.

Different approaches work for different runners.

Good cross training can keep your fitness level without causing further damage to your soft tissue.

And nothing promotes blood flow like electric stimulation with a heating pad. When I have a soft tissue injury, I run my tense unit at the max strength for 30 min twice a day. And then I do 60 min elliptical in between.

Here is my bro science, developed from running and coaching DI for 20 years. Applies across the board.

most runners could be better by being “in shape”. Legitimately most of my athletes were not in good shape. soft, doughy, diet like doo doo, or incredibly weak.

sure you can run a lot but are you in shape? Are you carrying 15 extra lbs? Are you able to do simple things requiring a little strength?

get in shape and you’ll be a better runner. That’s why the girl from soccer would be your best high school runner most of the time

This is maybe more personal preference than bro science, but...

I think it's better for me to run 85 mpw with no workouts than 60 mpw with 2 workouts. Workouts are hard and mileage is more fun so it is more sustainable for me.

Caring less is good for overall performance.

Mileage matters. A lot. So much that beginner and new runners should not even worry about workouts.

Diet matters.

There are “no-zones” for training. Mainly going too fast on distance days. No reason to run “medium paced” ever. Only hard or easy. Too fast to recover and too slow to get any real benefit.

Static Streching is pointless.

It is better to run workouts (tempos, long intervals) slower on soft surface (gravel, dirt, grass) than it is to run faster on pavement.

Intervals are pointless for marathon training (seriously why are people doing 30-40x400 or 15x1k just do a tempo or steady state run)

Running 8-10 minute pace miles has a time and place in every training program. Even elites.

You should do strides at the end of your run almost every day (except on true speed days), because it reinforces the muscle memory and rhythm that is specific to racing.

You shouldn't do a slow cooldown for much more than a couple minutes except after an A+ workout or race, because you don't want the slogging muscle memory reinforced.

If you ain't injured you ain't training hard enough.

Treadmills don't count or make you any fitter.

They move for you

+1,000

I used to always warm up and cooldown for at least 20 minutes because my college coach said so. Now it's rarely more than 10 minute warmup with more emphasis on drills and strides. My cooldown is... whatever. Up to 10 minutes. But if I just busted ass and I'm tired, I will not hesitate to jog 1 lap of the track and be done with it. Jogging 7 more laps at that pace is not doing me any good.

Half of the battle with middle distance training is mental, and you need to teach yourself to suffer as much as you need to teach your body to run faster/longer.

Short rest is unnecessary in a lot of workouts physiologically and you moreso just need the mental stimulus of starting your reps already breathing hard and in pain. You can get in excellent 800/1500m shape without ever really entering the pain cave, lots of easy miles, threshold intervals, and 150-300m sprints with long rest will get you there physically without being much of a mental struggle but if you show up to race day without having those grit your teeth on the homestretch, on your hands and knees during recovery workouts you aren’t gonna be able to manage the pain on race day.

Focusing on running volume (at whatever paces feel good to you that day), short fast hill sprints, and some racing will get you most of the way to peak ability. Any more specific workouts on top of that is just a cherry on the top.

Heart rate training is a waste of time, effort, money.

Strength training is vital to reduce injuries and correct muscle imbalances and form deficiency. With that said, 2 days a week of 30-45 minutes is plenty

I should have added, that threshold training using a blood lactate monitor is stupid and idiotic unless you are the level of athlete that gets paid to run.

Jerking off before races or workouts hinders performance. I have run better hungover then I have after jerking off multiple times. I know it seems silly, but I genuinely feel weaker and sluggish if I do it, more than twice a day.

Cheat meals where you eat whatever you crave serve underlying nutrition deficits a lot of the time.

The LRC incel crew is in big trouble..

When faced with a choice between a functional but not quite as fancy jacket, shirt, shorts, shoes, socks, beanie, gloves, etc., and a more expensive slightly nicer brand name item, buying the nicer looking more expensive version will help me be more motivated to run more and run faster.

Wow, I am the opposite. Good running tights are a requirement, but on top I prefer to be as grungy looking as possible. Oversized sweatshirt, flannels, cotton tee shirt from high school with holes, random baseball/trucker hat. Gives me the Rocky Balboa feel.