Run to Win

I would like to thank everybody that was able to make the conference call this afternoon, it was a lot of fun and it lasted for about 65 minutes. There were about a dozen people on the call in total. At one point there were 6 or 7 people dialed in through the telephones, and another half dozen or so listening through the website.

In total, I answered 9 specific questions that had been submitted as well as a couple of general questions that had been asked and whose answers fit into some of the other topics I was speaking about. I also got to speak with a few of the listeners and go a little more in depth into the questions that they had. I had fun and I am looking forward to doing this again.

As promised, here are the links to various websites referenced on the call:
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Rick Karboviak believes that most high school running coaches in this country are training our kids incorrectly, and that it is hurting the sport. He believes that we need to do more to develop the next generation of runners, and provides some solutions and strategies to do so in his book, “Endure!”

This book is not for everybody. In fact, I think that its appeal will be for a very small segment of the running community. For that small segment, though, it is probably worth taking a look at given its low cost. The book is delivered electronically, and includes a couple of bonuses including a 20 page “bonus” section, a phone consultation with the author (a certified coach) and a month free in a training club. I have not made use of the phone consultation or the training club, so I can not offer an opinion on either of those.

The book recommends that we take a different look at how we train our children, and offers up the experiences of the author as he has grown as both an athlete and as a coach. The book is divided into 7 sections.
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Wes is a frequent reader and commenter, and he is not sure what to do after missing a long run. He has worked up to 14 miles, and skipped his 16 miler. His concern was whether he should stick to his scheduled 5 miler this next weekend, or whether he should make up the 16 miler even though that means he goes an extra 3 weeks before he gets to cut back at all (and that cut back is to 16 miles itself!) His long runs were scheduled to be 5 miles this weekend, then 18 miles, 20 miles, and back to 16 miles in four weeks.

Specific Advice

My suggestion to Wes is to just skip the run. He has already run 14 miles, so I would skip the 16 miler altogether and go straight to 18 when his schedule tells him to. If he had only run a top distance of 12 or less miles, then I would say replace the 18 with 16 or 17 miles, but I given his 14 miler I think that he will be fine.

More General Advice

That being said, I would not make a habit of skipping runs. If you miss multiple workouts in your schedule, then you will need to seriously rethink where in the program you are and make adjustments to your training plans going forward.

One workout missed, even a key workout, is not going to mess you up too much as long as you don’t go screwing around with everything else in your running program as a result. Call it a loss, move on, and you will not be too much the worse for wear.

When you skip multiple workouts, though, you will not have the fitness base that is assumed when you get to later stages of the program. You need to be able to get yourself to the point that you are supposed to be at, while still maintaining the proper rest that it is assumed that you are going to have at a given point.

The worst thing that you can do is to make up workouts at random. You will not give your body time to recuperate and will not be able to put forth the effort that you are supposed to when you are supposed to. This makes it difficult to peak at the right time for a race, as well.

Other Suggestions

Do you have any other suggestions for Wes? Head over to his site and let him know what you think that he should do to get back on track (or stay on track) as he builds up his mileage!

A training schedule is a great way to structure your training so that you are able to realize the greatest gains in your race performances. If you have a schedule, you are more likely to be ready for your race on race day rather than a couple weeks before or a couple weeks after. You are also more likely to put in the work you need because you will know what is expected of you every day.

Do not assume, however, that you need to have a training schedule that is set in stone. Sometimes you will have to swap workouts around, or skip a workout entirely and make it up a different week. Sometimes you might even skip a workout entirely and not bother making it up. Work, family, and your health are three things that can throw a wrench into the best plans, and being able to maneuver your training around obstacles will make it that much easier and less stressful to train. Here is a real-world example of changing up the training:
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A problem that will face every athlete at some point in their career is, “What should I do now that I am sick?” Some folks will stick to their workout plans no matter how they feel, ignoring little things like illness or injury. Other people will take the slightest excuse to back off or take time off altogether in an effort to recover. Neither method is right or wrong, but I like to think that there can be a happy medium. The trick, of course, is finding that happy medium.
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