August 17, 2020

 

On the seventh day . . .

For most of our runners, yesterday was a day of rest.  Some may have run, but they will take another day off for rest and recovery.  The day of rest is fundamental to any training plan we suggest to our athletes.  Overtraining is a common cause of injury in runners.  Recovery, or restoration, is necessarily a critical element in maximizing training results.  Without restoration, fatigue will set in.  Fatigue will result in underperformance.  It’s that simple.

Many factors affect recovery and restoration.  Beyond training these include social life, sleep, nutrition, environmental factors and even genetics.  It is important that each of our athletes find the proper balance if he/she is to achieve maximum potential.  Coaches are always on guard, closely analyzing the performance of athletes in an effort to determine the training plan meets the needs, and the best interests, of their athletes.  We make efforts to create training programs which are best suited to an individual’s training needs.   But we need input from the athletes as well.  It is very important, critical really, that each athlete understands and monitors their own progress and performance.  The best method for monitoring one’s own training is through the use of a training log.

For years I’ve ranted about the necessity of a training log for any serious runner.  During Cross Country season in fact, I maintain a record of each day’s training and use it to determine its effectiveness.  Generally speaking this has worked well.  We avoid injury.  We improve, often dramatically.  And we peak at the right time.  But our training plan is not necessarily right for each individual athlete.  The best means for individual athletes to determine what best works for them is to maintain their own training log.

The link below is for an informative article on what data can be included in a training log.  While it suggests that at a minimum the date, distance, time and pace be recorded, it also suggests other elements which will best enable you to analyze where you are in your training and what works best for you.  I again suggest and encourage each of our athletes to maintain a detailed training log.  It can be a valuable learning tool and can aid in injury prevention and eliminate fatigue and overtraining.  Knowledge is power.  And this form of knowledge may just result in a PR !

https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/a20843950/what-should-i-record-in-my-training-log/