First practice your event as often as possible, paying less attention to other activities. If you want to be a good athlete, you must train all the year round, no matter what. What is really required is a little exercise constantly; this will benefit you permanently to a far greater degree than single heavy doses at long intervals.
This advice appears sound and fits in well with the Train Smart philosophy.
Let’s break it down:
practise your event as often as possible.
A major component of all Train Smart plans is training at race pace to prepare the body for what will be demanded of it on race day.
You must train all the year round, no matter what
Although this is a sound idea, there needs to be more clarity. Most international athletes will just have competed in the World Championships in Berlin. Many will cash in on a few post Championships event but by mid September, most will be doing very little if any training. For most athletes, they will follow a scheme of linear periodisation, which will include a period of recovery and recuperation from the previous training and competition periods. (I will discuss linear and non linear periodisation at a later date) During this recovery period, they will do little running and only physical activity for the enjoyment. Whilst this is necessary at elite level, is it necessary for those running below elite level?
One of the most important training principles is that of allowing the body adequate recovery. This is both on a session to session basis and also over the course of an annual plan. As well as the physical recovery, there is a necessity to refocus the mind, establish new goals and set new challenges. A fallow period allows this to happen.
So, does this require a total abstinence from running? I think that is dependent upon the stresses placed upon the body. If your are really intense and have been running 100 mile weeks for the last 12 weeks preparing for a marathon whilst at the same time working 60 hours a week, then a period without running may be beneficial. For a runner training more conservatively, a change of emphasis or a simple reduction in mileage may be sufficient.
Noakes concludes “Although most elite runners probably aim to train for at least 11 months of the year, I now believe this to be wrong. Athletes who wish to have successful careers that last more than a few brief summers need, I think, to rest completely from training for at least two months each year and to train slowly and consistently for another three months every year.”
What do you think?
Leave me a comment and let me know.
Train Smart!
When I first started competing on the track, my main event was 400m hurdles. To get some insight into the event, I read David Hemery’s biography hoping to get some good tips about training. Hemery had spent the winter of 1967 at university in Boston before competing at the 1968 Olympics in the altitude of Mexico City. Hemery set a new world record in winning the gold medal – by the largest winning margin of any Olympic sprint event for 50 years. As well as his running training, Hemery spent time in the weights room. What really struck me though was the amount of time he spent on mental rehearsal. He was prepared for any type of race in any lane come the Olympic final because he had already replayed the scene many times in his head.
