Peaking in Performance
Running
isn't like driving a sports car! You can put gas in the car and drive at
high speed for hour after hour. Running is different because your body
needs time to grow stronger, and if you train too hard for your current
body condition, and/or you don't have enough rest between runs, your body
won't sufficiently recover from the runs, and residues of stress will
remain. You may continue with good performance for a while, but eventually
your body will reach the point where it will try to force you to rest by
entering a slump.
Duh! How many times do
I need to learn to pace myself?
Some
runners put themselves into slumps because they are too energetic in their running.
Other runners have slumps because they don't get enough sleep due to busy schedules. Some runners run
heavy/heavy day after day. Some change the 10% rule to a 25% rule. Others
change LSD (long slow distance) to LFD (long fast distance). Many want improvements NOW in
their running, and they aren't content to progress at their body's schedule.
Some older runners try to run at the intensity they did when they were
younger. All
of us can fall into these "slump traps" if we aren't careful,
and our training curves will have peaks and slumps that resemble oscillating curves.
So, what can
we do to avoid slumps? Can you spell B A S I C S? Let's all say in unison,
"I will follow the basics of running, use moderation in my running, and
let my body dictate how intense I train." There, that was easy! Now, we'll
never put ourselves into a slump. Right.
By
following the basics, we can eliminate self-induced slumps. However, we still
may experience slumps that
occur naturally due to our body rhythms. Jeff Galloway expressed it this way:
you must build rest weeks into your program: every second or
third week, you should automatically reduce total mileage. This gives your
muscles the extra time to
�catch up.� --
http://www.jeffgalloway.com
If we don't allow for that extra time,
our bodies will go into a natural slump. We'll have a lot of improvement, and then
we'll have an unexpected down-day. We haven't been abusing our bodies. We
haven't been violating the basics. We just find one day that we don't have
it. When this happens, the best thing to do is take a rest day or two and
then continue our training. I read an article in
Runner's World about a world-class runner who experienced a natural
slump two days before a big race (I'm sorry but I don't remember his
name). He took the next day as a complete rest day (the
other runners thought he was crazy). He understood his body and that his
loss of performance two days before the race was a sign from his body that
he needed to rest. He acted on that sign, and then ran to first place in
the race.
Two
articles that I recommend that cover the basics of running are
Coaching Running on the Internet and
The Basics of Jogging. The coaching article was
published in the newsletter of the Nashua, NH Gate City Striders.
It outlines 12 of the more important basic principles of running. The
jogging article is by Dr. George Sheehan, who for a number of years was
medical columnist for Runner's World magazine. He answers the
questions How fast, How far, How often? In addition to these
articles, there are many books and web sites that teach the basics of
running.
Through
following the basics in your training, you can smooth out the
variations in your performance so that your
training curve will resemble a staircase instead of an oscillating curve.
This training will include increases in distance and speed (the steps) to
cause your body to respond and become stronger, and it will include
sufficient rest between runs.
If
you aren't into racing, you probably don't care when performance peaks occur --
you just
take them as they come and enjoy them. However, if you do races, it's
important that you maximize your performance on race day.
Runners who peak before a race often get discouraged because they've had such
great training runs, and then on race day they "run out of gas" so to
speak. So,
for racers, the objectives are (a) to avoid slumps that sap our energy, and
(b) to
time our bodies to perform at maximum performance on race day.
Hey, My Race is Next
Week, What should I do to Max my Performance?
Here are comments from two coaches
about peaking on race day. Links for these comments are given so you can read the details.
-
Tapering. Reduce your LSD mileage by half
in the two weeks before the race. Begin the tapering period feeling
refreshed and well rested. If you're overly tired, the taper won't help
much.
-
Continue to do the same percentage of speed work
up to the race. "Since your mileage is being cut in half, the amount of
high-intensity speed training should also be cut in half." Avoid
long, hard intervals that put high stress on your body. Do shorter repeats
with longer jogs between for full recovery.
-
End your taper with two or three days
of light jogging. Don't overdo this, because you want to begin the race
being well rested, ready to perform at peak performance.
-
Mentally, visualize yourself doing your
best in the race.
CAUTION: If you haven't been doing speed work during
your training, don't add it during your taper. After you have a good base of
LSD and speed training, you can add repeats during your taper, keeping
the ratio of LSD to speed about the same.
