Pulling the Plant Up by the Roots

“There is an impressive workout, then there is the RIGHT workout”, "It’s always better to under-do training than over-doing it”. -Master Coach Arthur Lydiard

Many are headed rapidly towards their date with a goal race, Spring is rapidly approaching.

Maximizing Training Benefits: Avoiding Common Mistakes

If you have followed your training plan well, its about this time, that you’re starting to feel pretty good. Those long aerobic runs are easier, your Out & Backs or Progress Calibration Runs are going quicker with the same effort, while your intensity is going up your mileage is going down. All positive signs your fitness level is “coming round”.

About this time, it’s quite natural to want to “test yourself”. Coach Lydiard used to call it “pulling the plant up by the roots”. You want to see what’s there, how things are coming along. But beware, this is one of the worst things you can do at this point in time. As with plants, once you pull up the roots, it may or may not do well once you replant it.

What happens is this: You’re feeling too good on a harder, tempo type workout and all of a sudden, your pushing the pace. Too fast. In some cases, well in excess of goal race pace. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. Physiologically, even though you felt good, you are breaking yourself down, not building up and adding fitness. Its almost like you’re running your race in training. This isn’t training, this is simply running. Training is thoughtful, purposeful and controlled.

This is not the “right” workout and “it’s always better to under do it than overdo it”. Trust in your plan. See it through. You won’t know your real potential on race day unless you allow the plan to play out. On Lydiard training there are times where controlled racing situations are recommended. Usually this comes about four weeks out from race day and specific parameters are laid out to stay within, based upon how the prior three weeks workouts have gone. From these we then analyze the run and use this information to drive race strategy.

Remember, trust in your plan. By pulling up the roots, you may kill the plant.

If you would like to learn more about the Lydiard® Method, please visit our store, Running Niche, and talk with Bob Dyer or Jennifer Henderson, who are both Lydiard® Certified Coaches.