Planning to succeed at running

So you are running now and may be thinking about doing a race.

1 - Planning is the first step in that direction. "Plan to succeed, or, you have planned to fail!" (Donnie Hall) The plan can be simple or elaborate. As simple as setting out how many days (or miles, or time) you will run per week before the race. Or elaborate: detailing the workout, the course, or time of day. Several books and magazines have published standard plans you can use for the typical distances: 5K, 10K, Marathon. The plans are available to cover a variety of runners from beginner to elite. For me, the best two sources on the web can be found at:

Cool Running: http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_4/index.shtml
Or
Runner’s World: http://www.runnersworld.com/channel/0,5032,s6-51-0-0-0,00.html

Pick what you feel fits your need. Feel free to pick and choose amongst the plans. The plan is just that, a plan, but it can be changed. The weather here in New England can change the plan. What was supposed to be a track workout can’t occur if the track is under a few inches of snow, or it the torrential rain and thunder creates unsafe conditions. Discretion is the better part of valor. (Shakespeare)

If you need advice on putting the plan together, there are also sources for this. From runner training forums to personal coaches, to local running clubs, help is available. You do not need to do it alone.

2 - Now that you have your plan, you need to execute your plan and keep track of your progress. You should keep a log. There are plenty of formats for this log. I keep a simple written copy in a small notebook. It records the date, the course, the time, the weather and overall how I felt on that run. Sometimes I add more. Sometimes I am short and brief. I also keep an Excel spreadsheet with the daily mileage. Excel allows me to do some easy totals by week/month/year, and then build some charts on the data. Good positive reinforcement for the miles or time put in and progress made.

By creating this permanent record of your running, the log is a good place to look back and see what worked, and just as importantly, to see what does not. As I got older, the desire to run 5-6 days a week like I did in my twenty’s and thirty’s was still there. The log told me the body could not handle it. Now I have been much more successful running 4 days per week. My hard/easy pattern is maintained. I run a good 4-6 miles on the hard days, and 0 on the easy days.

3 – Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs comes into play here. (If anyone needs a refresher on this, you can check out http://web.utk.edu/~gwynne/maslow.HTM) You need to take care of the basics especially as you start executing to the plan. The basics like sufficient sleep and nourishment. Your body will be starting to work harder than before. It is an engine and while you are tuning on the road or track for your race, you also need to take care of it in the shop. If you normally got 7 hours of sleep, you may need 8, or get by with a brief cat nap now and then. As your workouts increase, so will your appetite. Do not overeat. But be sure to include all the food groups and sufficient calories to continue to maintain your health. For guidance in this area one good person to turn to is Liz Applegate Ph. D, the nutritionist for Runner’s World. She has a regular column in the magazine and also has this article on the Runner’s World site: http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,5033,s6-53-84-0-1189,00.html

4 – Feedback and encouragement will help you keep to the plan and be successful. Some of the feedback you can obtain from the log and the charts (assuming you go that route). If not, then the friends, family, and co-workers aware of your plan can be sources of this encouragement. (If they are not aware, let them know.) If you a member of Team-In-Training http://www.teamintraining.org/hm_tnt or a local running club, they can be great sources of positive reinforcement.

This is also the role for your coach to play. S/He should be able to coax you to a new level of effort at the same time as providing the right word at the right time to keep the positive energy flowing. It is important to have a good relationship with your coach. While one word at the right time is a great help, one word at the wrong time can be a problem. If the coach is not providing the proper constructive and positive reinforcement, then it is time to consider a new one.

By following these 4 steps (plan, execute/track progress, tune the engine, positive feedback) your plan should get to you race day so that you can be successful.

If you have something else that you would add to this approach, I would be interested in hearing from you.

I will talk about the race day preparations at another time. In the meantime, enjoy the run!