Importance of Structured Running, Even if Races are Canceled
Over the last few weeks, the running community has seen a steady stream of things being canceled. This is all for good reason, of course, as we’re in a very critical time for stemming the flow of COVID-19 infections around the world. The only real solution on that front in the short term is to stay home and train alone. For some of us, this style of training isn’t out of the ordinary. For others, not having a regular group run or training crew is really challenging for motivation.
Luckily, a whole bunch of virtual training and racing options are filling some of the void. But, a lot of us are just trying to get through things one day at a time while still meeting our work (often from home) obligations and taking care of our families. It begs the question: Should we just put training on autopilot and get in a few miles with some regularity? Or should we work to run more, harder, and faster than we ever have before because there’s no risk of sabotaging an upcoming race?
First, Let’s Talk About How Our Brains Are Working Right Now
There are a few things going on right now in the collective brains of the human race. We have a lot of anxiety swirling around about our health, for starters. We also have a reduced sense of control over what is happening on a daily basis, be that on the professional front (where many people are out of work or working differently), or be that on the daily logistics front (where we might not have access to stores and other things we took for granted up until recently). Specific to running, we have also lost some of the sense of purpose associated with our training without anything to train for. And what is more ideal for training and our general well-being? Low levels of stress, a sense of agency, and a sense that we are doing things for a purpose. I am sure that there are plenty of people out there who want to just take a break from training, and in particular from training in a structured way right now. I am still on the side that training is essential:
Training Is A Counterbalance to Stress and Anxiety
Exercise, in and of itself, has major benefits in terms of reducing the prevalence of stress hormones in the body. In good times and bad times, people who get regular exercise are going to feel better. If you’re also like me and tend to get overanxious about public health issues, regular moderate exercise is going to improve your body’s ability to fight off infections. Across the board, you’re better off from a mental and physical perspective if you exercise/train through times like this.
Training Gives Us Something Simple to Control
I keep sharing this same refrain with my clients right now: Control the things that you can control. Normally, this would come up in the context of race day weather, the competition, or other uncontrollable factors that are specific to running. But right now, the list of uncontrollable factors is much greater. Running, on the other hand, is still firmly within our control. Even if we’re limited to being alone, or staying close to home, or less time than usual, we still can choose to get out there each day.
Training Can BE The Purpose, or if not, We Can Do Something with Our Runs
OK, great…training is good for me. But what’s the point? There are a couple of ways to look at this. First, if you’re willing to still think in terms of training cycles and training variation, the training itself can be the purpose. What I’m referring to here is setting some simple goals that are purely your own and working toward those just like you would any race. If that’s not enough of a purpose for the training, there are virtual events out there that are linked directly to really important and timely causes. Just like a race can be the carrot (or the stick), if you’re the type that is motivated by linking your hobby to a good cause, there are plenty of them.
If You’re Still on Board, Here’s Why You Should Still Think in Cycles
You might be thinking that, given what I’ve already discussed, that the most sensible thing is to just go for an easy run a few times a week. That is, of course, way better than shutting down entirely. However, I think you can do much better now and down the road if you still think in terms of training cycles. By this, I mean either placing some actual race-like time trials (or virtual races) on the calendar and then going through periods of building, tapering, and recovering. Or, if you don’t want to have the rigor and potential stress of time-trialing, at least training in blocks of 3-4 building weeks followed by a step-back/adaptation week. Here’s my thinking:
People do much better when they’re challenged (so you want to work hard sometimes)
Burnout is still a possibility (so you can’t just go add more every day/every week)
Variety gives us something to look forward to
Variety improves our ability to adapt and build fitness
It’s still important to find some joy and happiness
Races are coming back and we all want to be ready when they do
How to Put This Into Practice
If this all makes sense, the easiest thing is to choose some “event” days and then work backward, just like any other training cycle. For those who want to just train for training’s sake, here’s a 5-week cycle that you can put into practice on repeat until things get back to normal on the race/event front. In addition to the workout types listed below, make sure you include enough easy volume (via easy runs and/or cross-training) so that you’re still maintaining about 80% easy effort each week.
Week 1: Easy run with strides + moderate fartlek session + steady long run
Week 2: Easy run followed by short hill reps + faster interval session + steady long run
Week 3: Tempo run + Easy run with strides + long run with surging or fast finish
Week 4: Easy run with strides + building pace fartlek session + long run with moderate/tempo segment
Week 5: Shorter easy run with strides + standard easy run + cut-back steady “long” run
Be well, listen to medical experts, keep your distance, and control what you can: Your training.