Race to Train
Is a faster athlete a better athlete? I think not, it's all about enjoyment.
Recently I’ve realised that most of my exercise recommendations are based upon a principle of training to race. Simply all of the exercise I do is in the aim of covering a distance in the fastest time possible. Every session meticulously detailed to maximise adaptions and ultimately performance. Exercise, diet, sleep, you name it, is all tailored to assist in the journey of creating your performance best. Other people exercise for health and have no interest in competing, so I have a new concept, perhaps a new way of thinking or approaching your training. After being persuaded to turn up to a Park Run after a heavy week of training I had a sudden realisation after the race. I sat in the cafe afterwards with some other runners that I had just had the pleasure of meeting after racing against them. I was inspired by one gentleman who turned out to be over 50 years of age, who didn’t look a day over 30. He turned up not to win, he cared about his finishing time yes, and he desired to accomplish certain times over longer distances, but it was his sheer enjoyment of running every week that took me by surprise. Turning up every week to spend time with other people who like him run for fun. They all motivate each other, every week. Strangely it was him who was inspired by my training, when I was inspired by his mindset. I started to question which one of us actually enjoys running more. I left thinking it was him. I spent a lot of time thinking about this and would eventually develop an idea to flip the training pyramid of ‘training to race’. Why not: ‘race to train’?
Exercise is hard, especially running, but anyone can do it. The participation rates of running events is evidence of the growing number of people finding that it can also be fun. As more people have taken up running and have entered races entry fees have also risen. A nice knock on of this though is events now provide a rather impressive medal to every participate. Goodie bags have become the norm and its become more commonplace to see people wearing t-shirts from an event they have completed. Lets go back to my ‘race to train’ concept. It’s extremely simple. Enter your nearest park run, these are free 5k events. Simply create a Park Run account, print off your bar code and go run. They’re every Saturday at 9am, heck you can even turn up on the day and time it yourself. They’re all over the UK too so theres bound to be one near you. This is the important part though: after you finish, go into the cafe with the other runners and socialise with them. It really doesn't matter what time you finished in. I guarantee along the run you’ll speak to other people, they’ll motivate you to keep going, or maybe you’ll end up running with someone else and end up motivating them.
By being around motivational, inspirational, amazing people you’ll begin to love running. A massive misconception is that when you are ‘better runner,’ in other words faster at covering a distance you find it easier. This is not the case! Far from it. I’m going to talk you through what I go through during a race. I’ll use a 5k race as an example, especially since this is the distance I recommend you start. There are many ‘couch to 5km training plans, but it’s not needed. I’m far from the perfect 5km runner and I personally find the event torture. Yes, half marathons and marathons are longer, but I find it easier to get into an autonomous zone of running. Nutrition though becomes one of your biggest concerns over these distances. Even at the sub-elite level during a 5km race a kilometre a few seconds too fast than you can handle and you can break, a truly horrible feeling. You've heard of people hitting the wall during marathons, but for me I fear the wall I hit during a 5 km or 10 km race, the drop off in pace can be horrendous. I find when you’re running at your very limit it can be very hit and miss when it comes to performance, but here is what I go through during a 5km race, here is the physiological and metal torture I go through and it isn’t just the race, it’s the days leading up to it, It’s breakfast in the morning of the race, it’s the warm up, the race it’s self and worse yet, the critical analysis of the race in the minutes, hours and days post race. Is running actually harder the better you are at it? Well here’s what I go through.
In the days leading up to the race I’ll have a gauge of what pace I believe I will be able to maintain. These are the result of paces I’ve maintained during tempo sessions and previous races. I’ll visualise the race, I’ll have recorded the route or had someone else who has raced there before talk me through it, I then set myself a target time.
Breakfast is a carefully calculated intake of carbohydrate in the form of fruit, cereal and juice. I’ve counted the calories, I’ve timed the meal to have it passed from my stomach by the time of the race. I’ve consumed a performance enhancing dosage of caffeine in the form of a double espresso and ensured I’m hydrated. This might seem insane to others, but it helps me to relax, I have faith in my pre-race preparation. It’s an hour before the race so I begin my warm up; progressively increasing my heart rate from it’s resting value all the way up to the heart rate I will be racing at. Throughout my warm up I have alternated between sipping at a isotonic drink and swirling it around my mouth. My muscles eventually feel explosive and I’ve prepared my aerobic system for the challenge it now faces. 30 minutes before the start I consume an energy gel. it’s now less than 10 minutes before the start, I’ve completed my warm up, the next challenge is maintaining heart rate without causing any fatigue. I do this by doing, mobility movements, standing jumps and short tempo runs of 20m which keeps heart rate up and helps me to focus. I take my last few mouthfuls of my isotonic drink and spit it out. My body is ready, it’s just a psychological battle now. On the start line my heart is beating between 150-160 bpm, I'll be racing at 180-190 bpm. I bounce around and visualise setting off to help keep my heart rate high. The gun goes off, I go into an autonomous mode, setting off at a sprint, my heart rate races to over 180 bpm. I’ve already covered the first 40-50m before I concentrate on relaxing and settling into my rhythm. It’s only around 800m that I know whether I’ve got my pace right, at this point you either slow down, maintain or speed up. Your competition normally dictate this, unless your leading or chasing a particular time. Around the 2km point I notice my breathing is borderline on becoming out of my control, I’m at my aerobic threshold. My body is at it’s limit of absorbing oxygen and expelling carbon dioxide. I still feel confident and relaxed at this point, but the mental barriers begin to start. I’m almost autonomous in my running, but I’ll still make adjustments in my stride length and cadence as I cover the terrain. I will glance at my watch and see that I’m averaging around 185 bpm and I’m never surprised to see it hit >190 bpm as I take on difficult ascents. I’m very good at going deep into my anaerobic threshold and coming back into my aerobic threshold. I’ll often go deep into this on a climb, relax up on the descent, possibly being caught by other competitors descending, but on the bottom I pull away again. That 30 seconds of relaxing up was all I needed. Around 3km I hit my first wall, it can be both physiological and mental. When I’ve run my fastest 5km races I’ve hit this point closer to 4km. Physiologically, you can feel a bit sick, your legs are starting to feel heavier, your cadence can drop if you let it. Mentally you have feelings of wanting to stop. Feelings of doubt that you can't maintain this speed. This can be even worse when the runner next to you appears to find the pace easier. The next 1km is make or brake for me, it’s often my fastest in a 5k race, it takes these vital minutes to focus and then it happens, I hit that last 1km. There is a reason my final 1km is my fastest, not because I've been holding back, it just becomes fully autonomous. It’s difficult to explain, but I go into a zone that just takes over. Without realising it I’m now winding up the pace, if I do glance at my watch at this point, I’ll most likely see my heart rate past 190 bpm. Before I know it I’ve covered around 400m and then I kick again. Those last 600m are of pure agony and pleasure. It seesm to go on forever but the finish line is in sight. The whole race I’ve had to will myself to maintain the pace I’ve held. I’ve overcome the feeling to just stop. Now it’s deep desires of going past that limit. It lasts until the final 200m. If you are around me there is no way your beating me. My legs feel heavy, my heart, lungs and muscles have nothing left to go any faster. I’m slowing, but less than anyone else around me. Years of being a middle distance runner and even a sprinter have prepared me for these final moments in a race. If you’re around me, I’m crossing the line before you. Moments upon passing the finishing line feelings of burning pain to ones of triumph flush over you. For any competitor who has beaten you or was just behind you, you shake their hands in admiration of what you have all put your body through. It hasn't mattered whether I’ve won or finished 19th, I have that same smile on my face. It’s only in the minutes afterwards will I begin my critical analysis of my performance. In the hours and days proceeding I’ll analyse heart rate, pace, final position, season goals and training to be done.
There you have it, racing to win is torture, it really is. The concept of finding it easier the better you are is untrue. Through years of training and racing you’ve not only trained physiologically, but also psychologically. You’ve trained both your body and mind to go further into and past that breaking point. Session after session, day in, day out have made you mentally tough. You’re more likely to keep going, but you still face the same barrier the next runner faces, you’re just running that little bit faster. Everyone finds it hard, thats what makes it great. You’re not alone, look over at the runner next to you they’re bound to be breathing just as hard, sweating just as much and wanting to stop like you. And that's what should inspire you to keep going.
So I take you back to my concept of ‘race to train’. Finding the joy of racing, turning up, not to win, but to have fun. Socialise with new people and find the joy in running. That joy will help you to train, to inspire you to be healthier through more activity. To find that running in it’s very simplistic form makes you feel alive. It brings me joy to see people in the final 50m of a 5k race trying to out kick each other in true competitive spirt, laughing and smiling, people congratulating each other upon finishing. It’s a special moment for all involved. So the next time you hear one of your friends is doing the local Park Run or off to do their first, second or 100th race, I implore you to sign up too. Forget the fact you haven't done the same training as the person who will win. Find your passion, enjoyment and you’ll have a reason to run. I started this with ‘a faster runner is not a better runner’ and I stand by that. I’m a better runner for realising It’s what I put in that matters. The more people I run with, talk to about exercise is making me a better runner than finishing 1st in a race. It’s a journey of self improvement, but a journey that crosses paths with others. Together we support each other, together we get faster, together we become better.
Race to train…
