2011 Revelations

ecoli

What is the single most important bit of information you learned about running last year that you think is important to pass on to other boardsies?

I'll Start

Re-define "Rest Days"

2011 Saw me change from a 6 day training week to a 7 day. My 7th day which would normally be a rest day still was except instead of taking it off I decided to so a short run at roughly 2 min per mile slower than my easy pace. At first this was uncomfortably slow but like anything got used to it over time

The advantages I saw from this were

Routine
Motivation to not miss days increased dramatically. Before I would miss the odd day here and there as I struggled to get out the door. Now when the motivation waned it was simply a case of being already out the door and saying "ah ill cut this one short" The running itself became second nature and motivation applied to the mileage rather than the actually action of running

Recovery
I found that I actually felt better after an easy day simply because the blood had got flowing allowing the toxins built up in the legs to be flushed out. As a result injury decrease as I wasn't going into sessions siezed up after a day off

Mileage
Spreading mileage out over seven days instead of six meant I could handle more. Some people will call these junk miles however every mile has its purpose and as long as I resisted temptation to run these too fast I was getting the right benefit from these recovery days

I would definitely recommend people to do a very slow short run on their rest days. Could even be no more than 10-15 min. Worth a try to see if people find a difference

ultraman1

recovery #2 with a lot of people doin high milage re:connultra/100ml chalenge,recovery/rest days is vv important,..best piece of advice i ever got was only train to what u can recover from...a 70/80 mile week between two people at different training pace(one @av 8 min miles,other @av11min miles)could be anything up to difference of 3.5hrs training....which leads on to a different debate....training for time Vs training for distance

TheRoadRunner

With the threat of inclement weather at the end of January. Don't eat yellow snow

misty floyd

If you are getting the sessions and miles in but feel like you are not improving when you should, get your blood checked. I'm going to get it checked every year from now on, even if there are no problems.

RacoonQueen

When your doctor tells you there's nothing wrong with you and you think there is, you're probably right. Find a new doctor.

RoyMcC

I found that miles in the bank DO in fact matter and there aren't any fancy dan short cuts. (Yes I should have known that already).

shels4ever

If you do something over and over again that injures you! Stop doing it.

donothoponpop

*Hard runs hard, easy runs easy.

*Give every run a purpose, and stick to that purpose. No running recovery runs fast, because you felt good.

*Concentrate on pushing yourself harder in training, before considering things like diet, Garmins, barefoot running, VO2 max, compression socks, etc. Old school rules.

a_non_a_mouse

"The goal is to keep the goal, the goal"

stay focused on what your goal was/is and don't get distracted by the journey your on to get there

"Don't do any harm"
applies more to coaches....don't do anything which is going to injure athletes you coach.

twonpelota

"Tomorrow never comes".

As in "I'll start back tomorrow", just start back today.

BobMac104

ive learned that i still have loads to learn!

Woddle

The big one for me was to stop over thinking things and just keep running simple and stay away from all the sexy sessions.

BobMac104

your running sounds like great craic woddle!

TheRoadRunner

you're only as good as your next race

Woddle

TheRoadRunner wrote: »

you're only as good as your next race

I hope so cause all mine have been **** up till now

Reaganomical

If you’re not enjoying the journey, you probably won’t enjoy the destination.

-Joe Tye

Patrick_K

The Marathon - It's even harder than you think.

nerraw1111

Hill running makes you go faster

Intervals make you go faster downhill

Going downhill fast makes you faster.

Timmaay

Running for me is about enjoying it, believing in yourself, and set no limits!

I came into 2011 in the worst shape I had ever been at (well the snow and ice didn't help!, but still), I didn't enjoy running anymore and I thought I wasn't cut out to be a good clubrunner. I took a while off, but got back into it because I still enjoyed escaping the office in the evening and having a chat with your mates for an hour in the evening, while running!

I got back into proper shape, my times were dropping and I got a good few PBs, and started to believe in myself again! After the bad race I had in January, which was well over a minute off my 5k pb, (18.30ish) I thought that was it, my body was just not capable of a 5k under 17mins (which was what I thought was my limit!) During the spring I smashed that time, I have higher and tougher targets set now, but they are just that, targets, not limits!.

PositiveNegativ

Every running step you take is a step closer to the day when you wouldn't be able to run anymore.

Make sure you enjoy each step and have a bloody good replacement pastime lined up.

gerard65

There is a reason for even the slightlest pain or stiffness, take heed of it, before it becomes something more that a niggle.

When the end of your running days are staring you in the face, its ugly.

TheRoadRunner

PositiveNegativ wrote: »

Every running step you take is a step closer to the day when you wouldn't be able to run anymore.

Make sure you enjoy each step and have a bloody good replacement pastime lined up.

gerard65 wrote: »

There is a reason for even the slightlest pain or stiffness, take heed of it, before it becomes something more that a niggle.

When the end of your running days are staring you in the face, its ugly.

I'm getting depressed reading these :mad:

True though, a friend of mine has had to hang up his runners and while he is cycling he just can't fully recreate the buzz of a run.

T runner

PositiveNegativ wrote: »

Every running step you take is a step closer to the day when you wouldn't be able to run anymore.

Make sure you enjoy each step and have a bloody good replacement pastime lined up.

Is emptying the vineyards of France what happens when you dont have a bloody good replacement pastime lined up or is it the bloody good replacement pastime itself?

PositiveNegativ

T runner wrote: »

Is emptying the vineyards of France what happens when you dont have a bloody good replacement pastime lined up or is it the bloody good replacement pastime?

It's an amusing diversion
Main game these days is helping others lost or hurt in the hills rather than using the hills to hurt myself. Very rewarding in it's own right.

couerdelion

You don't have to try and beat your best time in every run you do

and

Running slow will eventually help you run faster.

T runner

PositiveNegativ wrote: »

It's an amusing diversion
Main game these days is helping others lost or hurt in the hills rather than using the hills to hurt myself. Very rewarding in it's own right.

Very true, ofcourse, and a rewarding pastime it must be.

I remember you helping me off Lug once or twice when I was lost a few years ago. Once, as reward, I tried to return the favour by leading you to the finish line. Politely but emphatically declined unfortunately!

Killerz

While the Chicago marathon course is pretty flat, the inevitable October heat brings it all back to a level playing field... or worse!

Pisco Sour

The huge importance of core strength. I didn't do it and I got injured. Now that I incorporate it into my training, 3-4 times a week, I feel stronger, fitter, and most importantly, injury free.

Core is important for all runners, sprinters or otherwise, and if everybody undertook a proper core strength routine then we'd be hearing about less injuries on this forum.

That's one of the big things I took from 2011.

I dont really talk about it on my log but there is some very good info on Raqoon Queen's log about core strength which is worth reading.

dx22

Go easy on easy days and hard on hard days

Get into a mindset that a 'rest' day is actually a training day as well

As others have posted, core strenght and hip/leg stability/strenght is cruical to injury prevention. This should be part of the weekly routine

Yoga has been a revelation to me it terms of highlight my lack of flexibility and helping to improve it- it just soo much better than the post-exercise static stretching i used to do!

Cartman78

10k Training
Speed work and intervals will only get you so far - don't ignore the weekly mileage. Running fast feels great but running long and slow will help you run faster on race day.

Injuries
1) Note to all - be careful walking down the stairs carrying the laundry.
My Man Vs. Stairs & Gravity Challenge resulted in 2 badly broken toes, 3 mths off running and missing Edinburgh and DCM :mad:
2) Take it easy playing beach tennis during the summer. Played pretty much every day for 2 wks in Portugal, ended up with bursitis in my hip

Gadget of the Year
Bought a Garmin earlier this year and it's without doubt the best gadget I've owned since my Lego Technic set about 30 years ago. Gone are the hours plotting routes on MapMyRun and the other many hours spent trying to sonically upload data from a Polar HRM. Would recommend a GPS watch to anyone who runs regularly.

Motto of the Year
Never take your health and ability to run for granted

dna_leri

You can come back from injury and run faster than before, but it's still better not to get injured.

Running on hills makes you stronger.

When you have a good race, go out and run another one in 2 weeks and maintain your peak.

Running fast makes you faster.

ger664

Your daily routine plays a role on your ability to recover.

RoverHogan

donothoponpop wrote: »

*Give every run a purpose, and stick to that purpose. No running recovery runs fast, because you felt good.

+1 on this.
This was the greatest bit of advice I got in 2011. Up to that, I was often heading out the door with no idea what kind of session I was about to do. I was making decisions based on how I felt, time constraints, the weather or other commitments. Last year was the first time I followed a structured plan - I knew exactly what kind of session I was about to do, and the purpose of it. As a result my times improved significantly and I managed PBs in every race.