Working Smarter, Not Harder

I once read that it's better to go into a race under-trained than over-trained, and the Type A in me balked.  Who are these people going into goal races under-trained?!?  However, one of the top lessons I have learned in the past year of running is that sometimes with training, less is more.

When I decided to chase a sub-3:00 marathon in 2015, I knew I needed to go all in so I decided to work with a coach for the first time post-collegiately.  I went into it thinking that his schedule, which I started in July 2015, would be harder than what I was doing up to that point.  I was prepared for tons of hard and long workouts, and to be tired all of the time.  I expected push push push.

When I received my first month's schedule, I was surprised.  It was easier than what I would have put together myself.  The majority of my runs were at base pace, and then each week I had one workout, one long run/workout, and usually one day that included 6 x 20 second strides at the end of my run. During a couple weeks, I only had one workout total if the weekend run was intense (e.g., a 10 mile tempo within a 17 mile long run), with everything else being base miles. Putting my own schedule together, I would usually run two workouts plus a long run each week, so I started worrying that this wasn't enough!  I started questioning other runners about their number of workouts, and worrying that I was going to get slower.

I decided I would stick to the schedule, although I got antsy and asked about adding more workouts (the answer was no).  I mostly followed things to a T, although I added a tempo run here and some fast finish miles there (but this was the exception, not the norm).  For 5.5 solid months, I followed the schedule.  I peaked conservatively at 50 mpw, but I had a lot of weeks in the high-40s (peaking at 50 was my request, as I feared injury).

The one workout I had during the week was generally challenging, and often I would see the time goals on the pace-based workouts and think to myself that there was no way I could run that fast.  Once when I had a track workout that included 200s at 38-39 seconds at the end, I told my coach that there was no way I could run that fast (I have no raw speed!)...then the next day I sent him an email with the subject "It's nice to be wrong sometimes", after running them in 38s.

After a few months on the schedule, crazy things started happening.  I started running faster than I ever had before, at age 34 and on fewer workouts!  This was happening in both training and in racing.  I had a hard time giving up control of my schedule and also had a hard time not second-guessing my coach, until I ran a 1:24:33 half marathon on a challenging course, shattering my PR of 1:27:08.  I went on to run a 3:06 marathon on a training run without a taper, and to shatter my 10K PR with a 38:05, a time I never thought I'd see.  I didn't have the best day or good weather for my marathon, and while I didn't get my sub-3:00 I set a 2-minute PR with a 3:01.  I then followed that up with my second fastest ever half marathon, 6 days after my marathon in a race that I was not even going to "race."

Missing my sub-3:00 threw a wrench in my plan and cast some doubt for me, so I decided for my spring marathon I would follow the training schedule that my fast friend had shared with me.  It included two workouts a week plus a long run, and more mileage.  Hindsight is 20/20, but I sure wish I would have worked with my coach again for my February marathon instead of trying this schedule!  It worked for her but was not for me.  I ended up injured and unable to run my marathon, with about 7 weeks total off running.  I guess that's what they mean about it being better to get to your race a little under-trained!  I missed my goal race being over-trained.

Going through all of that, I can now say that I trust my coach and his schedule, and will follow it during this marathon build-up without second-guessing.  He taught me that training smarter will get me farther than throwing down all of the time.  I learned that I should feel good for my runs and not run down all of the time - and that I can, even running higher mileage and hard workouts!  He thinks I can stay healthy and run more mileage this time, and so far so good. 

The body is a funny thing, and recovery is just as important as training - but how easy is it to forget that!?  I see a lot of runners over-training - by running hard every run - and I hope they learn this lesson sooner rather than later!  I'm stubborn and would have probably never believed it until I saw it work for me, so I get it.  It's still hard to see other runners running more or longer hard workouts than me, but I remind myself that I am not them and I am working smarter for me, and toward my long-term goals!