I frequently use the word
“consistency” in relation to winter off-season training. I encourage everyone not to overlook consistency
as an important variable in your training program. The variables we
usually think of are: distance, miles, pace, # of sets, # of reps, duration,
rest intervals, and # of workouts in the week. However, if you’ve been
doing all of the above for several weeks in a row (putting recovery weeks on
hold for a second), then isn’t the number
of weeks also its own variable? Yes, it is! And that is the
main reason I give DCRC athletes proactive recovery weeks as preventive
medicine.
The other more important
point I wanted to make here is that you don’t always need to extend your
weekend long runs, nor do more total miles or days per week as we progress
along. The simple fact you’ve done it x-amount
of weeks in a row is enough stress on the body already. This is why a
chunk(s) of your program will often look similar over a few weeks at a time.
And this is where a coach and an athlete might have different perspectives
on training, right? Sometimes I’m controlling
all the variables in a program (within reason) and allowing the fact that it’s
being done week after week (after week) be the important variable in the mix.
This approach (and
reminder) is especially important for those of you who are either getting back
into running/training for the first time ever, or the first time in a long
time, and/or if you’ve always had nagging injuries in the past, and/or been
sidelined by injury. This approach does not mean your training is
stagnant! No way! That is a fallacy that keeps the PT/chiro offices
in business! If you’ve been training consistently for 6-8 weeks in a row
then you better believe you’re putting in work. This level of commitment
and consistency is new for some of you, either mentally or in terms of being
injury-free.
Let your consistency be a variable in itself and be patient
if your program doesn’t resemble cannon fire. Some of the programs I
create for athletes accelerate faster than others, yet that is based on myriad
factors. The above points also reinforce the notion, "Train smarter, not harder," and now you know another tactic to put that into action via your program.
Train Smart!
Mike
