Two runners discuss how to improve by chasing what excites you instead of external expectations. Use heart rate to keep training honest, build mileage gradually, and stay flexible with your schedule rather than rigid.
Do you have any recommendations, any advice for people looking to improve in general as a runner, not just in the long ultras but even in some of the shorter distances?
Yeah, I'd say my biggest piece of advice is take a step back and remind yourself why you're doing it in the first place and rekindle that love for the sport. For me, I've found that I've made my biggest improvements when I've been running for the right reasons and running in the types of ways that I want to run. Because when I was racing a lot, I got into this, this rut, I should say, where I felt like I was running just because I should. And I was doing certain types of races just because that's what people told me I should be doing, because this is where I might have the most talent. And so for me, I made improvements when I would think about, you know, hey, what, what's the type of running that excites me most? And when you have that excitement for training and you have that excitement to go out and you set these goals, I find that the improvements just come naturally because you have that, that fire within you that really, that really fuels your, fuels your, your drive. And then I'd say some other things that are really important, making sure you're training in a smart and sustainable way. That's why heart rate's been such a wonderful metric for me. And that's why I've been able to build up such volume is because I have this metric that keeps me honest, that keeps me from overreaching, but also tells me when I may be not pushing hard enough. So just, you know, finding those things that can help you keep your training on point and consistent, and then really making sure you build up your volume smartly and, and just that you have that patience. It's really easy to think, okay, you know, just to want to do everything at once, but we have to realize that sometimes our mind is a little bit farther ahead of our bodies and just really, really, really taking that time to dial into your body, listen to its signals, and not being afraid to hold back and to listen. If your body is saying, hey, this is too much, it's okay to take some time to just reduce your mileage a little bit. But just really getting that sense of your body and making sure that you're listening to it and letting that dictate your training.
Yeah, so well said. I see it all the time around me as well, that people stick to a training schedule very rigid. This is the training schedule, this day I have to do this at that pace, that distance. And the importance of adjusting that based on how you feel on that specific day and knowing that in the long term you're going to have higher chances of improving and not getting injured. Yeah, there's definitely something to be said there.
It's so important. For me right now, it's like I don't follow any sort of set training schedule. I know what volume that I'm able to sustain. I look at that and sometimes I'm like, okay, maybe I'll try to increase this just a little bit next week and see how I feel. But when it comes to the day-to-day, when it comes to workouts, aside from heart rate, I'm like, I'm just going to go out and run. And, you know, it's just keep it simple.
