A few weeks ago, I mentioned that the 3 components of running to win are genetics, nutrition and training. There isn't much that we can do on the genetics side of things (apart from being reborn - see Run to Win). Over the past couple of weeks, I have focused on the nutrition component. Beginning this week, and over the next few weeks, I want to look at the training aspect. As Paul wrote in the scripture above, bodies have to be trained to do what they should. In order to do that, we have to discipline our bodies.
Whenever someone jumps into a training plan for a long race, the first thing they look at is the number of miles that will need to be run, or how difficult and challenging the workouts will be. After all, it's the hard work that gets us in shape... it's the hard work that disciplines us, right? Isn't discipline supposed to be hard and painful? We've all grown up with the saying, "No pain, no gain," and that is what we expect from a good training plan. It is true that you do need to challenge and stretch your body inorder to grow and improve as a runner... but before we jump into the fray of this workout vs that workout, I want to take a look at an often overlooked but very critical area of a training plan: recovery.
This may seem a bit counter-intuitive, but much of the benefit of any workout comes in the time after the workout, while the runner is recovering from the stress he just put on his body. Recovery periods give the nervous, endocrine and musculoskeletal systems a break from the traumas of training, and the opportunity to carry out some vital repair work. Runners need to give their bodies a chance to grow and repair themselves after their workouts are complete. It is during the recovery process that runners actually reap the benefits of the workouts themselves, for it is the repair work that actually makes their bodies stronger, more responsive, and more physically fit.
Because I can't say it any better, I want to share with you a blog post that was written by Terrence Mahon, coach to some of our country's best elite runners:
Balance Your Training with Recovery - By Terrence Mahon
September 17, 2010
Long distance running is a labor of love. To be a great distance runner requires a lot of work and a lot of time. Major career goals for the elites are planned over 8 and 12 years spans. It is not uncommon for these world class runners to log over 80 miles a week for 48 weeks a year for 8 years before one sees the results necessary to reach the podium. Most sports scientists will tell you that this number may be modest and it may be more in the range of 10 years of aerobic conditioning needed to compete at the very top levels of international distance running.
To put it in a different light we see that these athletes will be running somewhere between 30,000-40,000 miles before they are ever in serious contention to chase an Olympic medal. All of this adds up to a lot of time on their feet and a lot of dedication to the sport. What often separates the great distance runners from the good ones is not in how much work they can endure, rather it is how well they listen to their bodies.If you are interested, here is Ryan Hall's take on the importance of rest and recovery during hard training that he posted a couple of weeks ago: To Run or Not to Run?
Great athletes understand that their desire to train harder and run faster is governed primarily by their ability to recover. If they have not yet recovered from the last hard training session then to do another intense workout would put them in a deeper training hole than is warranted.
Sometimes the smartest plan for the day is to not push too hard on the run or workout and to let the fitness come to the athlete. Or in fact, it may even be better to take a rest completely and allow the body to fully recover before challenging it again. As we are working through Ryan’s preparations for Chicago we are seeing great increases in his aerobic fitness in a very short time. His 15k uphill run this week was 3 minutes faster than the one just 2 weeks ago. That is a huge improvement in a very short time.
Obviously a workout adaptation like that one will get him excited and chomping at the bit to do more. However, when I see times drop like that I have come to understand that we need to hold on to the reins a little harder as the race is still well down the road. Good training is not always about pushing to go harder and harder or faster and faster. Good training is when you understand that this pace is fast enough and it is just the right effort for where I am now in my preparations.
I have also come to understand that as the workouts get faster and faster that there becomes a feeling of invincibility in the mind of the athlete. This is a phenomenal state of being, but also a precarious one. Over a few cracked eggs of my own I have learned that when this form starts to take shape then it is time to start adding in additional recovery periods. It is because Ryan can now start to dig deeper into his mental and physical reserves when doing his marathon preparation that he needs to recover even more. The system must always maintain a balance of stress and recovery. The harder he pushes the more he must rest. The lessons of the elites are great lessons for all runners.
As we balance families, jobs, weekend tasks and more there is a constant challenge to do it all. I believe that this is one of the allures of the marathon as it is one of the Everest challenges that we seek to achieve from such a work ethic. It is an event for those athletes that love to test their resolve as it rewards them more for their dedication than talent. Unfortunately I have seen many marathon build ups get squashed by injuries, fatigue or illness when the runner pushed themselves beyond the limit. If we can all understand that a balance must be maintained in training, as in life, then we will make great progress towards the finish line. Rest must follow work.
These are interconnected states of being for all athletes. You cannot have one without the other. If we keep the system in balance then the finish line will be there sooner than you think.
In our race of life, it is also key to our success and survival to include times of rest and recovery into our day. In our driven American culture, it is easy to fall into the trap of burning our candle at both ends, trying to do everything ourselves, and never taking the time to recover and recuperate. If we are disciples (or followers) of Jesus, then our discipline is to follow His disciplines. If we take a look at Jesus' life, we see that He had the discipline of including times of recovery and rejuvenation in His busy schedule. This is what His recovery time looked like:
"So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed." - Luke 5:16
"Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God." - Luke 6:12
"And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying 'Who do the crowds say that I am?'" - Luke 9:18
"Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, 'Lord, teach us to pray as John also taught his disciples.'" - Luke 11:1
"Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His discipled also followed Him. When He came to the place, He said to them, 'Pray that you may not enter into temptation.' And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, 'Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.'" - Luke 22:39-42Some have called the Gospel of Luke a gospel of prayers with signs, wonders and miracles in between. Throughout the book, we see Jesus going to the "secret place" to spend time with His Father in order to be strengthened, empowered, rejuvenated and refocused... and afterward, we see Him moving in great power and authority: people being healed, forgiven, delivered from demonic posession, raised from the dead... you name it. It was because of His times of rest and recovery with His Father, that He was able to move in such profound ways and ultimately (as we see in the Luke 22 passage) win the race.
As we train and discipline ourselves, let's make sure that we do not forget to rest and recover... and as we run the race, let's keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and not forsake the secret place of prayer and communion with our Father. It is critical.
Let's run the race as Jesus did... making time for the secret place.
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