The Tea
One of the Keys
Here is something to think about for High School, Collegiate, and every day runners. While the following logic can be broken up into smaller training blocks depending on the athlete. Looking at just the days in the calendar year it is consistency that coaches think about before diving into their seasons. With that being said time for some math...
365 days in the year= 365 possible runs (doubles are tricky to incorporate, so disregard that for the time being)
Most coaches say take a 2 week break after XC and Outdoor Track so 365-2*(2 weeks * 7 days)=337 possible runs/ days/times/bouts that can occur
For example: a distance coach worries about XC and Outdoor Track so 337/2= 168.5 runs...best to round down so 168 possible runs for one season (Lets just not talk about Indoor track; a different animal from the same beast)
168 possible runs is (7 days a week * 12 weeks)*2 which can equal a solid block of foundational running or a 12 week season in which races and fine tuning workouts for potential big PRs can occur
Why 2 blocks? Well if we look at the seasons Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring. Some coaches use the Summer weeks for that solid block of foundational running. While Fall is used for the fine tuning workouts for potential big PRs. Same can be said for Winter-Spring. Also there is about 12 to 13 weeks of each season.
Most coaches would appreciate their athletes running 168 times to 144 times (6 days a week*12 weeks for the foundational block & fine tuning block) during this time. If you can incorporate double runs or lift sessions then you are well prepared for the season as long as rest is accounted for. (+/- 5 days for error)
In High School though, coaches know this ideal scenario is not the case. Most likely to occur is an athlete showing up to 3 days a week for Summer Conditioning then running Monday through Friday during the season. That leads to them running a possible 96 times. Then there are the athletes who show up on the very first day of practice when school starts with no Summer Conditioning and only does Monday through Friday running. That gives that athlete 60 possible bouts of running (+/- 5 days for error).
Why is this important? Consistency is one key factor that coaches at all levels would say is key for improvement. As you read from the previous sections it is very easy to 'skip' days which leads to inconsistency in running. Is this over-simplified? Yes. Running though is a very simple sport, so just get out and run.
Rest: The Forgotten Key
In order to determine the adequate rest for any athlete, that athlete must understand how their body reacts under stress given the amount of load. A good coach will also understand that each athlete varies. Just like an elite collegiate runner has different recovery times than an average high school runner. Their goals may be similar such as win their respective race or get a new personal record. How do these athletes or anyone in endurance competitions accomplish their goals? Well, they must understand that their body has to recover adequately to stress.
It is easy to undertrain, just don't push yourself. It is also just as easy to overtrain by ignoring signs that your body is telling you. The more you know about your body and how it reacts after workouts the better you and your coach will be.
Sometimes it is not about workouts or races that are making you feel sluggish. Outside factors can really bring you down or help you rise to the occasion. It all depends on how you react to it though. Everyone is different.
This is one of Ian Craig's images. Ian a Exercise Physiologist, Nutritional Therapist, NLP Practitioner, and a Endurance Coach came up with this image. It is a simple explanation of how training done correctly influences the body. You have your load aka your workout. That makes your body go through a reduced capacity phase. It leads to the supercompensation phase where you get stronger than you were before, usually this occurs in the recovery stage. When the supercompensation phase is at the peak or timed right another load or workout will help increase your overall capacity to do work. Over time your fitness will increase due to workouts being timed correctly because ample recovery was completed.
This is one of Ian Craig's images. Ian a Exercise Physiologist, Nutritional Therapist, NLP Practitioner, and a Endurance Coach came up with this image. When looking at this image and comparing it to the previous one, recovery is shortened. The supercompensation phase peak was not reached. Therefore, you will have a reduced ability to accept a new load or workout. This athlete had a shorter recovery time and is in a cycle of completing workouts with insufficient recovery and poor timing to hit the supercompensation phase peak. As noted there may be a increase possibility of sustaining an injury during this time.
Speed Formula?
I have found the secret formula on how to run faster... or did I? Bummer I know. What I did find out through my years of coaching is a formula that when you account for certain variables allows the athlete to progress with their running ability. So here it is:
T.O.F +[(workout distance in meters)/.04/86400]+ 'X Factor'⇌ Fast
What is that and what are you talking about? Let me explain...
T.O.F
Time on Feet or T.O.F. This refers to the accumulation of an athlete's time spent running, cross training, lifting plus extracurricular activities. All of which contribute to increase fatigue and increase the possibility of injury. Time on Feet also increases performance, so really it is a double edge sword the athlete and coach are playing with. Some athletes excel with high or low mileage, while some athletes prefer quality workouts more. Some athletes prefer runs based on time and more workouts in general. No matter the athlete's and/or coach's preference it is important to increase T.O.F slowly to decrease chance of fatigue and injury. Increasing slowly leads to increase performance for when it matters most. For some High School athletes and Collegiate athletes, I have found they are usually not running a sufficient amount and must increase T.O.F. Or the pace of the run is just too fast for the T.O.F they are doing, which increases fatigue and injury. Therefore, you would decrease T.O.F. This part of the equation is difficult to master and constant communication from coach and athlete is necessary, however this part of equation is not the most troubling part.
[(workout distance in meters)/.04/86400]
Out of the 3 parts to the equation this looks like the most complex piece to it. You want to look at this part as the minimum amount of days needed for recovery before another quality workout is implemented within the week. Therefore, this part is taking into consideration Ian Craig's images and work, see above. If the athlete has to make it through rounds of qualifying within a short time period this should have been implemented in the athlete's training cycle to mimic qualifying rounds.
For example, workout distance is 4800m. Divide the distance by .04. Why .04 you are asking? Well ever since Nike came out with the 4% shoe and revolutionized running, coaches should hope their workouts improve athletes' fitness by 4%, a very difficult task to accomplish. Remember though, we are trying account for each variable that can help improve speed/get an athlete faster. Therefore, we must account for a shoe that reduces and lowers energetic cost on average by 4% which correlates to a more efficient running economy and results in faster times. Dividing this new number by 86400 seconds in a day equals the amount of days needed for the average runner to physically feel ready for the next quality workout. Which is 1.38 days.
Example 2) A marathon is 42.16km into meters is 42160 meters divide by .04 is 1054000 seconds divide this by 86400 seconds per 1 day gives us 12.20. 12.20 days needed for the body of an average athlete to physically feel ready for another quality workout.
What do I mean by workout distance? If the workout calls for 5x (1k) with 2 min rest. Say the athlete covers an extra 500m in rest just by jogging in place or keeping the legs moving. I disregard the 500m rest because not every athlete is covering 500m for rest. If for example the workout says 10x 300m with 100m active recovery then the workout distance for this is 4000m because each athlete is getting the 100m of active recovery.
X Factor
This is the part of the equation that coaches have the most direct and indirect impact to their athlete's every day being. It is influenced greatly by the athlete. It is also the most difficult part of the equation. The 'X Factor' is not a quantifiable variable rather a qualitative variable that is unique and personal to each athlete. It is the coach's job to try and bring this variable to the conscious level of the athlete so they understand their purpose of running. For every athlete should be motivated by a factor that can help the athlete reach new heights. While each athlete may have a different end goal from their unique factor, the end goal should be focused more on creating the best version of the individual. This may change the athlete's lifestyle and mentality in the pursuit of their factor for the better. Sometimes the athlete will pursue this factor and there will be negative consequences to their lifestyle and mentality. This is when the coach can intervene to guide the athlete back to the right path because they have built that relationship. There are times though that the athlete or the coach can be a detriment and all progress could be lost.
