The principle of feeling-based running, one of the five principles that define Lydiard training, and its attendant ability to listen to the body, is often overlooked and undervalued as a running skill worthy of developing, especially in a world where runners are becoming increasingly dependent on technology. Three particular workouts help develop that ability.
Simon Martin, an experienced and keen masters runner, was looking to celebrate his 55th year with a sub-5:00 mile. But when we met last year he was feeling perplexed and discouraged. The more attention he paid to training detail and the more effort he dedicated to his workouts, the slower he was running and the farther from sight his goal was becoming. By his calculations he should have been yielding better results. Simon was beginning to consider whether "old age" had finally gotten its grip on him.
"Any ideas from a Lydiard perspective?" he asked.
I told Simon that, whenever athletes found themselves struggling to find form, Lydiard lore prescribed going back to the bottom of the training pyramid -- easy running -- until they came right.
"Run without a watch," I suggested. "Forget about the time and the distance and just run as you feel. The degree to which it feels strange is the degree to which you really need to do this."
Taking my advice, Simon reported that running without a watch "was a huge wrench." He was surprised to find himself constantly looking at his bare arm as he ran, realizing how reliant on the external feedback of his Garmin speed/distance monitor he had become. Like many runners he had fallen into the easy trap of overtraining because he had lost the vital skill of listening to his body.
MUST READ ON!
ShareThis