Can We Please Share the Road Until Springtime?
For a brief time every winter, we runners are forced onto the roads with the rest of the world. Can't we all just get along and share the road?
If you’re training for a race—no matter if it’s a 5K, 10K, a half marathon, or a marathon—consistency is crucial for new and experienced runners alike. Some adaptations to running come quickly, but most of the adaptations that lead to ultimate success in the sport are long-term. They take quite a while to develop because you are building a new you.
The key to long-term running development and success in running is consistency in training. What you do on a day-to-day basis is less crucial than what you do over the longer term—a month, or six months, or a year. Don’t worry so much about those days you don’t feel great or even the days where life gets in the way and you have to nix your running plans. Try to be present not perfect, and focus on consistency in training.
When you train, you trigger your genes to adapt to the demands of running. Over time, the genes build a new body that is better able to run. In essence, you replace a slower you with a faster you. Keep training, and you will replace the faster you with an even faster you.
A good example is how your body adapts to deliver more oxygen to your working muscles. Initially (and pretty quickly), the body responds to consistent running by adding more red blood cells, which carry the oxygen in the blood, and the heart ejects more blood with each beat. But the adaptation that make a huge difference in oxygen delivery are the capillary beds.
In addition to needing stimulation over time, some of the adaptations your body makes are related to the frequency of the stimulation. The more frequently you stimulate the body, the more stimulus you provide for the adaptations. As a result, consistent training is a big, big key to becoming the best runner you can be. Simply stacking successful weeks on top of successful weeks creates a new and better you. Do this for a few years, and you can become a completely different runner than you are today.stimulate
That’s why I’m all about the streak of consistent training. I care less about one big training week or one great workout and more about stringing together multiple weeks of training. That’s how you’ll come by your best running. Yes, you can train hard for a bit and get fast, but the most successful runners who enjoy a long and gratifying career are just really, really consistent.
A good mantra is: “I’m going to train today so I can train tomorrow, I’m going to train this week so I can train next week, and I’m going to train this month so I can train next month.” Sure, you will have your recovery periods at the end of your racing seasons, but for the most part, you just keep getting in one successful week after another.
The take-home message is that consistency in training is our goal. Never put yourself in risky training situations for weeks on end. Instead, think long-term, because life is better when you’re running, so let’s focus on consistency.
Consistency in training is the most crucial factor for both new and experienced runners to achieve long-term success in the sport. Consistently stacking successful weeks of training on top of each other allows the body to adapt and build a new, faster version of itself.
The body adjusts to deliver more oxygen to the muscles by producing more red blood cells, increasing the volume of blood the heart expels with each beat, and constructing more capillary beds around the muscle cells. Capillary beds are tiny arteries that allow oxygen to move from the blood to the muscle cells.
Building new structures, such as capillary beds, takes months of consistent training because the body needs frequent stimulation over an extended period to trigger the genes responsible for these adaptations. The more frequently the body is stimulated through running, the more stimulus is provided for these adaptations.
It is more important to focus on stringing together multiple weeks of consistent training rather than emphasizing one big training week or one great workout. The most successful runners who enjoy long and gratifying careers are those who maintain consistency in training over time.
A good mantra for runners to follow is, “I’m going to train today so I can train tomorrow; I’m going to train this week so I can train next week; and I’m going to train this month so I can train next month.” This mindset encourages runners to prioritize consistency in training, allowing for recovery periods at the end of racing seasons while maintaining a long-term focus on successful weeks of training.
For More Expert Training Guidance: Training Plans Powered by McMillan Running
Called one of the best and smartest distance running coaches in America by Runner’s World, Greg McMillan is renowned for his ability to combine the science of endurance performance with the art of real-world coaching. While getting his graduate degree in Exercise Science he created the ever-popular McMillan Running Calculator–called “The Best Running Calculator” by Outside Magazine. A National Champion runner himself, Greg coaches runners from beginners to Boston Qualifiers (15,000+ and counting!) to Olympians.
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