Is consistency the key to good performance?

For a long time I have been an a believer in the value of training consistency. The philosophy being that regular consistent training will get you the results you are after. As we moved into 2011, I realised I had actually been putting this into practice with my own training and had run every day for 10 months and averaged over 9 runs per week.

This was probably the most consistent block of training I had undertaken over the years and it was a good test of this consistency theory. My 2010 goal was to break 35min for 10km. I had previously run ~35:15 twice, but I had never managed to break that elusive barrier. So how did performance during this period compare to other years?

I had some ok races, enough to keep me happy but no PB and in same cases I was actually further than I should have been off my PB. So this got me thinking, how did I achieve those previous PBs? Well it wasn't consistency. My 10km PB came after only training for ~8 months, following several months of no running due to injury.

How can I be running slower now than I did with only 8 months of training under my belt? To answer this, I think we have to look away from the consistency theory. To get that extra few percent improvement, it isn't a matter of just being out there consistently, the key is to be able to really overload the body, test it, try and push it to the limit. 

This is a slightly higher risk approach as if you really push yourself, the risk of injury is much greater and you are not going to be running PBs when injured. However, if you don't try, you will plateau and be able to get to that next level. I would call this approach the overload theory. If you are aiming for shorter events, it measures focussing on hard sessions that push you to the limit on a regular basis. For the longer distance athlete, the focus is on volume and tempo based intensity work.

The next question is then, can you have both consistentcy and overload? Well possibly, but when you overload yourself, you also need to allow more recovery as without this recovery you won't be able to maximise the next overload period very well. Therefore, just as you have to have those periods of pushing yourself to the limit, you also need those periods of easing things back and letting the body repair and recovery in preparation for the next overload period. 

So what can we take away of this information? There is no doubt that training consistency is crucial; without it you will not get results. However, consistency alone will not help you reach those PBs. Look at the graph below. If both lines are a measure of an athlete's training load, the average in each is the same, but the way in which the load is constructed is completely different. The blue line shows a consistent training approach, similar week in and week out, while the red line shows an overload and recovery approach. The red line is what will get you the results.

In saying this, it is important to consider the training background of the athlete in mind. To use my example from above, I have been running for 18 years, so the consistency theory has maybe done it's dash with me. It is perhaps better placed to assist those with a younger training age or regular injury concerns. I have no doubt that endurance athletes who have been doing their sport for less than 2 years will benefit more from consistent training than the overload approach. This just goes to show that your training approach needs to be individualised: horses for courses!

Buying Your Way to Good Results

It has been a while since my last post but this topic has been in the back of my mind. It is more opinion than science and was further promoted to the top of my 'blogs topic' list in follow up to a similar article by Rod Cedaro in the recent edition of Triathlon and Multisport Magazine.

Why is it that a large number of athletes spent huge amounts of money of the latest cool equipment when the impact this will have on their performance is minimal. This trend is definitely more evident in cycling and triathlon than it is in running, but there is no doubt it is a trend across all endurance sports.

A cyclists or triathlete might try and justify that their new $5000 bike frame will assist performance with improved aerodynamics; and there is no doubt that it will but........ 

Take an average recreational triathlete who is say 75kg. He could get an 80sec improvement in his 40km TT performance simply by losing 2kg of weight. Or that same athlete, could get the same 80sec improvement by improving power output by only 2%. Lets go one step further, this athlete could save more than 2 minutes by simply improving their riding position. So how much does that new expensive frame save? About 60 seconds.

So there is no doubt that equipment can be beneficial in improving performance, and it is an easy saving, but it is also a very expensive way to enhance performance compared to the other examples given. This is especially the case given that most recreational athletes still have a lot of performance to gain through simply optimising training. The expensive equipment is only really a necessity for elite athletes looking for that extra edge.

It is important to remember that most of us train for enjoyment, and race performance is a secondary priority. So this means that expensive new bike frame is actually more of a cool toy to show your friends, than it is a means to racing faster.

The bottom line, when you are next about to lash out and make that big purchase that will help with your performance, think about it. Are you buying it just so you have the latest toy, or are you buying it as you couldn't be bothered to make the hard changes that will result in even greater performance. 

And The Barefoot Running Debate Continues

The discussion about barefoot running is ongoing with many different opinions being continually expressed. In my opinion, there is no clear cut right or wrong as the differences between every runner is so large. However it is worth noting that even the barefoot fans are not generally volume runners; I don't know of many people running 100+ km per week barefoot. Therefore, it may be that a combination is ideal.

Anyway, rather than rabbit on for hours about it, I thought I would refer through to a recent post at The Science of Sport blog. Check it out here.

Too Much of a Good Thing

Just a quick post today as this week has been a bit hectic and I haven't been able to keep up the regular posts.

One thing that every runner, and other athletes, encounter many times throughout the years is injury. While there are many causes of injury there is no doubt that runners are at high risk of overuse injuries due to the endless pounding. But what is an injury, what is a niggle and what is just normal wear and tear?

We have all experienced soreness during hard training blocks or the days after a tough race. So lets not get this confused with injury. You will recover quickly from this soreness and it shouldn't restrict you are several easy training days.

But when the pain continues to hang around, even when it isn't severe, that is when it becomes a concern. While it might only be classified as a niggle at this point, and may not be limiting your ability to train, this is the key phase for sorting the issue out. Left as it is, if you continue to train hard, the odds are it will only get worse. Despite what we all hope, injuries rarely just go away by themselves.

It is at this point where something needs to be done, but what?

None of us like to stop running, but in some cases, easing back the load can have a big impact. This doesn't mean you need to stop training, but instead it might be a good idea to reduce the overall volume and intensity of sessions. Doing this for a week may be enough to get on top of the injury, but in many cases the injury simply returns when full training resumes.

Therefore, my general rule of thumb is to see a physio (or similar) if the injury is still there after a week. At this stage, if it goes untreated, it is likely to get worse and start impacting on training even further. 

So to conclude this short post, the steps after experiencing a niggle are:

1. Reduce training volume and intensity and see if you can shake the niggle.
2. If it continues to persist and is still evident a week later, see a physiotherapist or the like to get some treatment and/or rehab exercises. A good physio will also be able to provide you with a rehab plan that includes training recommendations while you manage the injury.
3. If the injury continues to linger for many weeks, get a second opinion, and consider visiting a sports physician. 

Strength Training and Running

When it comes to the topic of endurance and strength training there are many opinions, many approaches and much research. There is no doubt that strength training can have a beneficial health impact. In recent years the Australian national exercise guidelines have come to include two weekly strength sessions in addition to the aerobic training recommendations that are in place.

Despite these health benefits, lets look at this from a running point of view. Is there any value of completing strength training as a method to improve your running performance?

The key point here is that if you want to run well, then you have to run. No amount of strength training will help your running if you arn't completing enough running sessions. To further this point, running is your priority and that means you can't have strength sessions causing fatigue for your key running session. It would be better to start your strength sessions fatigued as a result of a hard running session than vice versa. This means your weekly training structure must be well thought out. An example might be:

Monday - Day Off

Tuesday - Intensity Session in the morning; Strength training in the afternoon

Wednesday - Aerobic Run

Thursday - Intensity Session in the morning; Strength training in the afternoon

Friday - Aerobic Run

Saturday - Intensity Session

Sunday - Long Run

Now to look at the impact of this strength training. Lets break it into three categories:

1. Weight training - this is what most people refer to when they think of strength training. While benefits are associated with running, it is important to ensure these sessions are not leaving you sore and overdone. They should be focussed on high rep strength endurance. One of the keys to this type of work is the eccentric loading associated with lowering a weight. It is this type of eccentric muscular activity that results in post-session soreness when you run. It is most prominent when running downhill, running fast or running when fatigued. Thus strength training is especially important for the marathoner. Additionally, it is difficult to get enough of this training from running alone, so strength training can assist.
2. Stability and Basic Strength - this is the type of work you can do at home and the type of exercises your physio will give you during injury rehab. These sessions arn't focussed on strength gains as much as stabilisation. The main goal here is injury reduction. The benefits of this type of training are less direct; their aim is to keep you injury free and out there running. At the bare minimum, I would recommend all runners complete this type of training on a regular basis.
3. Plyometics and explosive training - Plyometrics are a type of power training focused around jumping activities. The research has shown that this can be very effective in improving running performance by reducing ground contact time. Foot strike during running slows us down, so if we can reduce the contact time we can run faster. This benefit is largely driven by improvements in the stretch short cycle which aids us in getting some spring off the ground after ground contact. So there is no doubt that it can be beneficial, but it is also demanding on the body and therefore increase injury risk. For this reason, it is recommended you have a solid running background,  or even better, a strength training background.

So what does this mean for the runner? Strength training can be beneficial, when not overdone. The challenge is fitting it in. Don't sacrifice a run to fit it in, but at the very least aim to complete 2 stability sessions at home (or at the end of your runs) each week.