Putting Together the Running Puzzle
Said aloud it sounds obvious: the only way to get better at running is to run. Despite this, I talk to a lot of people who want to try to replace or substitute running with something else – cycling, strength training, pool running, elliptical – and still get the same benefits and outcome as they would if they ran. You can do those things, but to get better at running, you also have to run.
At the foundational level of any running program or success in running performance and progression is running. not so much that you are injured, overtrained and overcooked, but enough that you can progress forward consistently. There is no substitute.
The nature of the sport however – high impact, energetically demanding and catabolic – means there are a lot of other things that you have to do to be able to run. Running isn’t a given. It’s a privilege. And running high volumes is another level of privilege again. It’s something you get to do when you have everything else in place that lets you get there, not something that you do anyway and then hope it works out.
Evaluated out of context, the list of things to do to enable high volumes of running with a reduced injury risk seems large. There is the running itself, broken down into workouts, easy runs and a weekly long run. There is strength, mobility, injury resiliency exercises, intentional recovery activities, fuelling and sleep. There are hours committed each week to progressing your running progression trajectory forward, and it can seem overwhelming to think that you have to do it all. You do have to do it all, but not everything has the same weight or priority; not everything needs the same amount of time committed to it as something else. In essence, it’s a little bit like a puzzle: you have all the pieces and then you need to sort out how to put them together and where they all fit. On any given week the puzzle will come together a little bit differently, the pieces flow into each other a little bit altered from how they were the week before.
When you are trying to figure out how to put it all together and what goes in which place, I like to think of it like a bucket filled with resources. Each week you will have the non-negotiables (i.e. running and sleep!), but the rest you will pull out and use to the best of your ability that week, amidst the constraints of the rest of your life and the intuitive understanding of your body. In other words, there is no set plan or recipe where every week you have to do a certain number of hours of strength, followed by a specific selection of mobility exercises, combined with a specific recovery regime. Each will fluctuate.
The big caveat here is you have to commit and be diligent about doing what you are supposed to do. Not having to spend hours strength training isn’t a free pass to get rid of strength training on any given week, or permission to neglect your mobility and resilience exercises. Instead, it’s an onus on you to show up and be accountable to yourself to do what you know you are supposed to do to continue to earn the privilege to increase your running volume. Think of it like needing to continue to put money into your savings account. It doesn’t have to be the same amount each week, but done consistently over time, it adds up to let you take the holiday, buy the car, fund the trip. Your weekly work towards running adds up to let you run the PR, conquer the distance, take on the challenge.
After two decades of running, a background in clinical exercise and psychology, and as a current master’s physiotherapy student, I have accumulated a bit of knowledge around what that bucket of resources looks like or what those important things are to be selecting from each week in forming a training plan.
Recovery – The biggest thing you can do for recovery is sleep enough and fuel enough. When you pay attention to fuelling adequately enough after your run, it’s not for that day, it is for the next day. Recovery isn’t about a bunch of quick fix massage guns and sauna sessions, it’s about what you do consistently. Crafting a recovery routine that you commit to and follow will eventuate in results compared to the boom and bust cycle of the latest recovery fad or freebie.
Sleep – If running is the most important part of the physical pursuit of improving running performance, sleep is the most important part of the recovery pursuit. Prioritize sleep and nutrition above all other recovery modalities. Get a consistent amount of sleep around a regular routine.
Strength – I used to think, “why do I need to strengthen my legs, when I run and do leg work every day?” The irony is, that’s exactly why: you need to develop the strength to run better, faster and with reduced injury. Running alone will eventually reach a plateau in terms of how much strength development it can offer, as you are typically carrying around a similar bodyweight and the reaction forces are repetitive. Adding weight or variation is the only way to build strength one you have reached this plateau. How specifically you do that will be dependent on your starting point and end goal.
Mobility and resiliency – Yes, these get their own category, a delineation from strength. Many people think of mobility and resiliency like the exercises you would get from a physiotherapist. They may involve a resistance band or have no equipment and they are essentially exercises that target the functional movements of running, breaking them down into foundational pieces. Each of these pieces worked individually means that when put together in the act of running, each part is strong individually and can maintain integrity during the running cycle. For example, each time your foot hits the ground, there are a series of muscles and tendons that respond. Working each of these groups independently (i.e. calf raises, foot exercises, ankle stability), means that the sum is greater than its parts and collectively the structures are sound and resilient to injury.
Run easy – Most of your runs will be easy runs. Resist the temptation to make everything fast, high intensity or hard. Your body takes on easy running to have the availability to do hard runs. Make easy runs easy so hard runs can be hard.
Run fast – When the day comes to run fast and increase your intensity, make the most of it. Lean into the pain and struggle and let yourself go to the depths that you need. Don’t back off, believe in yourself, hold on
Run long – Run long once a week.
Before you get discouraged about how much there is to fit in, and wonder “how am I going to find the time?”, know that not all of it has to happen every day. It ebbs and flows. You learn to listen and respond to your body and what it needs as opposed to just going in blind and doing everything – or staying away and doing nothing. Aside from running (and sleeping), none of them have to happen for long volumes of time. You don’t need six hours a week to strength train or an hour daily to spend on foam rolling and resistance band exercises. Those hours you are spending doing massage and using a Theragun can be decreased in favour of more effective ways to recover and boost performance.
I used to think that with so many aspects of the running puzzle, the only way they would “count” was if I did them for a certain amount of time, or a certain number of times per week. Now, it is not uncommon for me to carry a resistance band around in my backpack and pull it out to do foot strengthening exercises when I am sitting for long periods of time. I do calf raises brushing my teeth and stand in the kitchen cooking dinner while doing my big toe exercises and foot doming. Here’s the thing: it’s not all or nothing. In fact, when you change your mindset around all the pieces and how they look and what they are, you suddenly realize that there are infinite ways to put the puzzle together.
The final piece is how do you put the puzzle together, and how do you know what to include and how much of each. Here’s a few tips to help you get started:
If you aren’t comfortable putting together your own training plan for running volume and workouts, or know you won’t follow it if prescribed by yourself, hire a coach. Otherwise, I do mine on a weekly basis. Each week, I know the volume of running I need to complete. I structure my days around runs and then make time for everything else. because my weeks change, so does my weekly training plan, but once I commit to it for the week, there’s no getting off the hook.
Strength train 2-3 times per week for a concentrated 30-40 minutes. This is using weights and building strength, not resistance bands and rehab style work.
Mobility and injury resilience is built with bands and back to basics exercises such as calf raises, single leg squats, pelvic movements etc. Have a selection of these that you know you need for your own body and then choose a few to do each day amidst your daily life. You can do calf raises at the office, sit to stand while brushing your teeth, foot exercises while washing the dishes. Get creative and don’t be confined by a certain location or amount of time.
Sleep. Go to bed on time, establish a sleep routine and treat it at the same level of importance as getting your run in.
Above all else, the best thing you can do for yourself is show up and be consistent. Stringing together a lifetime of a series of runs, and committed run training cycles will serve as the best means of getting better, staying healthy and running for as many years as you want!