Surfing the Training Wave

This topic deserves several books instead of several paragraphs, but I was thinking about it all weekend so I might as well share a few random thoughts on the matter...

Training well is a careful balance of stress and recovery. The stress of training sets in motion physiological processes of adaptation, and the rest allows that adaptation to occur. Not enough stress and too much recovery and the adaptation is feeble. Too much stress and not enough recovery and the body breaks down in injury or illness before adaptation can occur. Getting it right -- getting the right amount of training and the right amount of rest and recovery -- is a lifelong challenge.

I often think of training as a kind of surfing: the physiological processes of adaptation are the wave, and you try to keep the force of that wave just behind you, pushing you forward. Do too much or too little and the wave crashes on top of you or leaves you behind.

Arthur Lydiard stated a simple principle for determining the proper amount of stress to take on in training. He said, "run today in such a way that you are energized for running tomorrow." This captures the idea that training is not a disconnected series of sporadic bouts of hard work; rather, it is a continuous application of moderate stresses so as to raise the runner's average workload. Yes, there are hard workouts in that series, and yes, those workouts require more recovery than easy runs, but the idea is never to get too far ahead of yourself.

Other factors affect how much stress and how much recovery are good for the individual. I always say that sleep is the most underrated component of training, and I believe that without adequate sleep, one's potential for benefiting from the stress of training is greatly decreased. Another factor is diet, and in particular, an adequate intake of iron. Those mysterious processes that make us fitter depend on iron. If you lack iron, you will train harder and get slower. In fact, one of the most indicative signs of anemia is the characteristic decreasing enthusiasm from day-to-day for the daily run.

After more than thirty years of training and competing, I'm still trying to learn to ride the training wave. I make mistakes all the time. For instance, I'll do my hard runs too hard, I'll do a workout when I should be taking a recovery day, I'll run "junk" miles when I should be taking a day off. Like everyone else, I sometimes cheat myself on sleep or good food, and expect to be able to train at the same level. No, I haven't mastered the balance of stress and recoverey yet, but that's also part of the challenge and part of the fun. Because after all these years, I still feel like I've got things to learn about training.

For those of you in the midst of your own competitive seasons, I know you've heard me say it before: try to keep your balance as you feel the awesome power of training carry you along. Don't get greedy and don't forget to sleep. At the same time, don't expect to peak too soon. There's two months left in the season. Ride the wave.