Stuart & Reed were ready for 26.2 for the opportunity was ready for them..
We find ourselves 5 more months down the road since the first Why Keep Training post and we are simultaneously and paradoxically closer to the end of the pandemic while case numbers are going up. That makes this a good time for more reasons to keep training in the face of a murky racing future.
Because Running is Fun. It has been a joy to hear people tell me after their planned race vanished, they realized they enjoyed training anyway. I learned this years ago and hope many of you have had the same epiphany. I have not trained with racing as my primary motivation for well over a decade. Once I realized my PR days were behind me, I thought I would settle into some pattern of comfortable running and other activities. I quickly found unearned easy running boring and draining of all sense of reward and accomplishment. Easy running is great when it is earned through previous and impending hard running. I found I needed the mental and physical challenge of hard running to make it interesting and fulfilling. I suppose that is the fallout from being in a perpetual training cycle for the previous 25 years.
Build Your Base without Distraction. Countless times after discussing the far-reaching benefits of building a base with a few months of uninterrupted mileage, I have had runners nod their heads in agreement and then tell me about a couple of races they wanted to be ready to run within that training block. Well, now is the time to accumulate miles at the right effort to launch you into a great season when the races come back. There are some links below to some videos I sent my team about base building.
Find the Level You can Manage. Finding a maintainable level of training that fits your life is key at any point. Finding the right flame level for your running passion is a sure way to maximize improvement over time. If you burn too bright it cannot last and you will mentally or physically fry yourself. This takes on new meaning if you find your motivation level challenged by lack of meaningful race opportunities. Be sure to manage your enthusiasm level and mental energy cost of your training to find your optimal level. A related blog entry is Protect Your Enthusiasm.
Set Training Goals. Effective training goals lead to good racing. Yes, the point is running faster, not a pretty training log. However, if the races are too far out to be motivational, focus on what is before you. You can think of the first goal as your first investment. The more vested you are the more likely you are to continue moving forward. As I write this, we are in the time of even a normal year, we would be thinking about building a mileage base for the spring & summer season. This is an ideal point to set a mileage goal, not for a week, but for 8-12 weeks. I set one for myself, not because of cancelled races, but because though I do it, I am not a fan of running in cold weather (yes, I know it is going to get much colder before it warms up).
For most people, the average weekly mileage should be higher than your 6-12-month average. This is for a few reasons. One, the intensity is at threshold (~85%) and below without any high intensity killer workouts. Two, higher mileage is the focus of base building. Three, without races you have the flexibility to run as slow as you need to get recovered from the mileage or if you have overcooked a run or two.
I encourage my runners to talk with me to help set goals. You can also talk to training partners and see if there is something you find mutually motivating and can help each other achieve. While many are burned out on virtual races and time trials, you might use them or key runs such as your favorite interval workout or long run course as a measuring stick. Just keep the weather and other variables in mind for comparison.
Set the Next Goal. I just completed the 7th week of my 8-week goal, and I am having fun and on track. When I reach this goal, I will need to have another ready to get through January and February, my hardest stretch of the year. I have already been pondering what will be motivational, challenging, realistic, and attainable.
Long-Term Development. (From Part 1) This is important enough it warrants repeating. With no sure thing remaining on your calendar the primary reason to keep training is your long-term development. If you consider the progress you can make in a 3-6-month training cycle it makes sense and has been proven by experience, that the real development of a distance runner happens when those training cycles begin to accumulate. Current You cannot hope to compete with Future You with more years of training cycles that have further shaped and hardened your running body's ability to move faster, longer, and more economically. Granted, training to race with no race in sight makes no sense, but as with many things, retrospect will show the wisdom of training anyway. Otherwise, you have given away time to become a better runner. As we know, time is something we cannot hurry or get back.
Races Will Come Back. And you can be ready when they do. I have mostly stuck to my conviction to avoid predictions because it has proven to be a foolish endeavor. With that in mind here are a few things that lead me to be optimistic. The uptick in cases with the drop in temperature was one of the few correct predictions. It seems the inverse should be true when spring in fully sprung. I recently received the brief idiots guide to vaccines from one of my M.D. runners and understand there are still many questions, but the progress so far has been encouraging. Additionally, race directors continue to develop a hybrid live/virtual race model. You can read what 398 race directors of events of 5,000 and less (85%) and over 5,000 (the other 15%) forecast for 2021.
Caution: Avoid Anticipation Fatigue. We know stress tolerance is an individual thing. It is also trainable, and we’ve been working on that since March! One of the things that can bring any runner down is a moving finish line. I won’t go as far as to say there is no past or future, only now, but some of that perspective is helpful. Once you have set the tolerance clock in your head only to be disappointed it’s hard to reset with the same optimism. When we realized the pandemic was real and it was going to fundamentally change our lives, we all knew we could withstand a few weeks of shelter in place and the other measures. Most of us did not think we would be returning to many of those measures 9 months later. Do your best to avoid setting “back to normal” dates. The path back to normal has been and should be expected to continue to be circuitous. Every deadline that comes and goes piles on the mental and physical fatigue from disappointed anticipation. You may fine Dr. Heiss’s explanation of the exhaustion response to COVID helpful to adjusting your expectations.
Kickstart Your Year. I have a menu of ways I can help you be ready when the races return. You can view the options under Programs or Monumental Training on my website. Bring on 2021!
Races have happened since Part 1 and those, like Collin, that kept training were ready. The rules and protocol were different, but the running was the same.
The videos below should be helpful if you would like to learn more about base building.