What types of training or routines have made the biggest difference for you as a runner? Do you focus more on speed work, long runs, recovery, or something else? I am curious what approaches other runners find most effective.
1. Focus on recovery is paramount. There was a time when I treated tempo runs and fartleks as if they were not workouts, and times when I finished most runs hard. Not doing those things helped a lot lol. My early years of running were informed by the running literature of the early 2000s.
2. More focus on the aerobic threshold and less on 5 and 10k pace. You can do significantly more volume at at than you can 10k pace. You can combine faster running with tempos as well. The posts of "nikefreeme" in a thread titled something like 140 miles a week really helped me improve my training.
3. Of course, greater emphasis on sleep. There was a time I got 4-5 hours of sleep a weeknight. I think another hour of sleep would have helped more than an easy double. One semester in college I averaged less than 30 hours of sleep a week, getting 3 hours of sleep a night during an internship like thing. I think I'd have run faster on 70 miles a week than I did on 100 that semester.
4. Balanced diet is crucial. You won't notice any negative effects for months from eating poorly - but when they do show up it will take months of eating right to reverse the effects.
Weekly tempo for 3-4 miles (20-30 minutes) got me fit when I was already in decent shape. Fartleks with 12-15 minutes of working intervals got me in good shape when I was fat. I think they key is to not overcomplicate this stuff.
2. More focus on the aerobic threshold and less on 5 and 10k pace.
3. Of course, greater emphasis on sleep..
4. Balanced diet is crucial.
Yes. This. Easy days easy. No less than 8 hours of sleep per night; try for 9 if after a long run or hard workout. Good sleep hygiene. Be smart about cutback weeks. Recognizing that I needed more volume overall, and it was way harder to build up volume once I prioritized those things and tried to reach a new level of aerobic base before adding any additional intensity.
Gonna share 5 quotes that have resonated with me and I try to live by:
1. "The hard workouts that people do is a reflection of the fitness they already have, not the key to building it." - John Davis (runningwritings)
This one helped me a lot on internalizing the realization that just because I was doing 5 x mile at 4:48 when I was at my best doesn't mean that forcing myself to do 5 x mile is going to get me back in that shape. Always go back to the basics first.
2. "Don't overthink it. You're doing most of the right things already, you simply need to do them better." - Adam Wood
Again, just keep things simple, don't overcomplicate it, running training doesn't have to be rocket science. Just keep getting at it day after day and try to get a bit better every time.
3. "I consider myself to be a pretty good coach. But the body is way smarter than I am, or any other good coach." - Mike Scannell
Doesn't matter what pace any formula tells you to run at if it feels wrong. Coach wants me to run 6:30 on easy days because he calculated it off of my 5k PR but that feels way too fast, so I'm gonna run 7:40s instead. LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!!!
4. "That's a big one to be: process oriented. Focus on what we're gonna do, not what's gonna happen - what we're gonna do inside those 30 minutes, not what the outcome is gonna be - our time, our place, who wins, who gets second, who gets third..." - Mike Smith
Running as a whole is a sport that simply isn't going to work out unless you enjoy the process and focus on that aspect rather than chasing results all the time. Every competitive runner has to learn this for themselves once they get past the new honeymoon phase where PRs are dropping left and right then you start encountering injuries, burnout, stagnation etc.
In terms of racing specifically which is the context of this quote, Mike Scannell has also talked about a similar race mindset with Grant where the focus on executing the plan above all else.
5. "Stop letting your temporary mood dictate permanent results. Show up, take the shot, and trust the training." - Steve Magness
The amount of times I've felt like crap due to bad sleep or feeling sick, maybe had a rough taper, but managed to have a good race anyway has told me to always give it a shot. Just like how you could feel amazing on the starting line but run a terrible race, the inverse is true too. Even if you feel like complete garbage, take the shot.
This post was edited 6 minutes after it was posted.
Weekly tempo for 3-4 miles (20-30 minutes) got me fit when I was already in decent shape. Fartleks with 12-15 minutes of working intervals got me in good shape when I was fat. I think the key is to not overcomplicate this stuff.
Absolutely will do nothing if we’re talking about serious training here. You do not know what the hell you’re talking about.
Romans 12:9 instructs believers to have sincere, unhypocritical love, urging them to deeply detest evil while holding tightly to what is good. It marks the beginning of Paul’s practical application of Christian living, emphasizing that true love requires moral discernment and action, not just emotion. Key Components of Romans 12:9: "Let love be genuine/without hypocrisy" (e.g., ESV, NASB): This calls for authentic affection, not a fake or polite act. "Abhor what is evil" (e.g., ESV, KJV):Christians are commanded to feel a strong, passionate hatred toward evil, not merely avoid it. "Hold fast/cling to what is good" (e.g., ESV, NIV): This requires active dedication to pursuing righteousness and good actions. This verse initiates a section on "Love in Action," which continues to instruct on serving the Lord, being patient, and blessing persecutors.
Did my best running when I didn’t worry about my easy run paces and kept them conversational. This allowed me to build mileage w/o getting tired or injured. Always seemed to get the fittest when the majority of my harder days were on a really hilly course where I’d run up the hills at a steady-threshold effort. I’d recover from those quickly. I’d only do vo2 max workouts occasionally to sharpen before a race.
What types of training or routines have made the biggest difference for you as a runner? Do you focus more on speed work, long runs, recovery, or something else? I am curious what approaches other runners find most effective.
There are many effective training routines and the common denominator is hard/easy.
What types of training or routines have made the biggest difference for you as a runner? Do you focus more on speed work, long runs, recovery, or something else? I am curious what approaches other runners find most effective.
There are many effective training routines and the common denominator is hard/easy.