What is the most overrated part of training? What is most overlooked that shouldn't be?

I suspect that the most overlooked is the principle that it's better to be healthy but slightly undertrained than to be in a situation where you're nursing a slight injury because you pushed just a little too hard in training.

As I age, I confront this challenge time and again. I enjoy hammering. I like the hard work. I like the long hard runs. I like the fast-finish long runs. I like the tempo runs and hill repeats.

But once I'm in the training groove, I like to keep upping the ante. And sooner or later, an injury shows up. I've learned, when it does, to back off and give it a chance to subside. But still: staying healthy is THE key.

In other words, less is more. More precisely: slightly less rather than slightly too much is generally the best policy. The problem is, as we also know, the perfect amount of hard, good, smart training, with the right admixture of Big Bad Workout, is the way you achieve your all-time bests.

Another overrated principle: one form of insurance, one way of avoiding going over the edge, is to let your easy days be truly easy and stress free. Trying to ratched up the intensity of easy days is a sure way to accumulate stress over the course of a long season. Better to dial it way back. Make recovery TRUE recovery. I'm good at that. My easy/slow days are very easy.

Science of running wrote:

Training at "VO2 max pace" is the most overrated (because VO2 max pace is not magical and because VO2 max is not the limiting factor in performance

VO2 max is not *the* limiting factor in performance (there are dozens), but it can be one, depending on the event.

Underrated:

Stretching

A basic 10min static stretching routine after my run has helped me so much in staying injury free the last couple of seasons, it has made a worlds difference.

Under-rated:

feeling the wind in your face.

hills.

Classic hard intervals--quarters and 800s

over-rated:

Long runs.

walk/run runs.

Mile repeats

Underated:

Days off.

Massage therapy. A good MT is worth their weight in gold. Keeps you injury free and recover faster.

Underrated: Drinking water

Overrated: Core exercises

Underrated: studying the movement patterns in nature, especially animals.

overrated: "working hard" and short recovery in mid-d workouts.

underrated: working on relaxed form and good biomechanics in mid-d workouts. With adequate recovery.

The main difference between elites and you is not their fitness, but that they're better at the actual movements of running. Don't underestimate the importance of skill.

recovery faster wrote:

Underated:

Days off.

Massage therapy. A good MT is worth their weight in gold. Keeps you injury free and recover faster.

Yes! Most injuries can be prevented by a good MT and training can increase in intensity. It also helps the athlete learn body awareness and what healthy muscles feel like.

Most underrated is def speed. And I mean anaerobic speed, NOT 400's at 85%. True speed. But most runners and coaches don't understand speed and therefore are scared of doing it bc it's "dangerous". If you're smart it can be just as safe as high volumes of slow stuff. But... that takes time, technical work, and a gradual progressive intelligent training plan. Most distance runners are grinders and not patient and detail oriented enough to do that.

Agree with others that sleep is underrated.

Altitude training is overrated. And I agree with others that excessive focus on a particular training zone is overrated.

I disagree with others about pacing. Pace judgement and an ability to run even splits is pretty fundamental for racing. It needs to practiced in training.

Do you realize that all you BATshiiiat monkeys are contradicting each other over and over! What works for one guy may be total destruction for another.

HRE wrote:

PS,

I'd add regular racing to the underrated list. Learning to race is separate skill that you can learn. Simply being fit doesn't always translate to racing well and most people now do not do nearly enough of it to master the skill.

Agree and will add that there in no better training than racing.Although Us college runners race too much and I don't agree with racing doubles instead of getting the best from one race. Its just for the team and athletics should be aimed at the individual

Underrated regular hills and doing them with the effort on the up hills not trying to change it by running fast downhill. Overrated diet although you don't want to eat junk food but if you have a healthy diet you don't need supps. Rest underrated esp for young runner who does not really want to go to be early like an old man but you need to with training

There are plenty more others have covered

What is this? A thread about training? That brings back memories.

Lots of good ideas -- here's my 2 cents:

Overrated: The idea that, like the highlander, "there can be only one!" kind of workout (e.g. long run, VO2max, tempo, HIIT, ..., )

Underrated: Variety: in paces, terrain, workouts, races, etc.

cbenson4 wrote:

Science of running wrote:

Training at "VO2 max pace" is the most overrated (because VO2 max pace is not magical and because VO2 max is not the limiting factor in performance

VO2 max is not *the* limiting factor in performance (there are dozens), but it can be one, depending on the event.

You do realise you are arguing with Steve Magness here. There is SFA evidence that VO2Max is some sort of sacrosanct, inviolate concept that should guide our concepts of how to run.

I'll add Overrated: Injections of L-Carnitine

Recovery is underrated.

That goes hand in hand with "racing is underrated". When you race at a high level - you're consitently getting the recovery part right. When you just train it's easy to start killing yourself in training and be too tired when toeing the line after months of (too) hard training.

Train hard -> recover!!! -> race fast. Repeat.

Most people see it more like:

Train hard -> race. And they wonder why they aren't faster as the forget to recover.

Overrated- training

Underrated- better choice of parents

Underrated: Running on different terrain. Nice Nice, stable, shoes. Starting runs slow, ending quicker. Drills. Shoulder, back, core exercises. Sleep. Hydration

Overrated: Not taking easy days easy. Diet. Hammering most runs. Hitting every split perfect or else assuming the workout was poor.

Overrated -The notion that a particular training plan works for everyone.

Underrated - A flexible, if not individualized, training plan that takes into account how the athlete reacts as the season progresses.

Perhaps that is why there seem to be contradictions among the posts.

The most overrated part of training is the goal to achieve high a high volume of training.

The most overlooked part of your training is everything you do outside of scheduled training.

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One person may run 100 miles per week going hard each day but sleep 5 hours per night, eat crappy food and stay on his feet all day.

Another may run 50 miles or less with some good quality workouts mixed with very easy runs but get good regular sleep, eat well an stay off his feet most of the day.

The first person has the more impressive looking training log.

The second person is smarter about his training.