Addition by Subtraction- Are You Doing Too Much?
The sport of running has been periodized by major racing events, athletic breakthroughs, and general trends in training. It’s obvious that the running boom has continued on its trajectory, evident by record breaking lottery entries at popular world marathons and more aggressive qualifying times for coveted races like the Boston marathon.
With this ongoing growth in popularity, different training styles have been adopted by runners - some inspired by popular professional training regimens such as the Hanson method or the Norwegian model. And of course, the advancement of wearable tech has contributed to runners being more invested than ever in their running stats while increased use of social media outlets like Strava and running influencers have put running into the mainstream of people’s daily lives.
While the double threshold days and the carbon plated shoes can be useful if executed properly, they can just as easily swing the other way and do more harm than good. On an anecdotal note, in the fall of 2023 we saw a flurry of concerning cases come through our doors leading up to the NYC marathon. A good amount were training competitively with higher mileage training plans, and we referred several out to a sports med doc to rule out a bone stress injury (BSI). If you’ve ever had a BSI, you know that it’s a hard stop to even toe the line of that race you trained so hard for, and these are just one of the common overuse injuries caused by training error.
Another trend our team has observed more in the past year comes from our own Strava feeds. We’ve seen people hammer 70 mile week after 70 mile week (and manage to make it to race day without injury) only to fall beyond short from their goal times or what their training suggests they should be able to do. One of the most concerning behaviors I’ve seen? People returning to running within 1-3 days after running a marathon.
While we can’t see into the future, we can say with certainty that these training methods are increasing the chances that runners practicing these habits will be spending more time with us rehabbing an injury in the future…
So with that, I ask you- what if we could avoid these overuse injuries and stale races? What if we could get more sleep/recovery by running fewer miles in the morning before work?
What if we could do more with our running by actually doing less?
Look at some of the most talented professional runners who have adopted less conventional training methods. Parker Valby does more cross training days than running days- and she qualified for the Olympic 5k and 10k finals. Gabby Thomas recently revealed in an interview that she takes Saturday and Sunday as rest days DURING her training season. Yes, sprint training is very different than marathon training, but the gist is that if two literal Olympians (one being a 5x medalist) can take time away from running without missing a beat on race day, the rest of us sure as heck should be able to, too.
Another common example of those who “do less” in the sense of less running and lower intensity are triathletes. These athletes are known for their high VO2 max levels and even higher dosage of zone 2 training (also known as easy pace or aerobic training).
Speaking from personal experience, I took a little marathon hiatus to dabble in triathlon from 2019-202 and can say with confidence that this was my healthiest stretch in the 10+ years I’ve been an endurance athlete. While the training hours did become (very) long, the high volume of zone 2 work and constant cross training kept my typical nagging injuries happily in the backseat of the training block. Not to mention, my first marathon back from my triathlon phase was a 21 minute PR.
So what if runners did more Parker Valby/ triathlon style training by adding more cross training (or rest!) in lieu of high volume plans? If a zone 2 run is meant to be purely aerobic AND you have an injury history, what harm could be done swapping that easy run for 45 minutes on the bike? Cycling is an amazing way to target cardiovascular endurance without the repetitive pounding of running, and if done correctly it can be a great way to target the posterior chain muscles of your legs (primarily your glutes and hamstrings). Additional modes of cross training are…
elliptical
swimming
pilates (Hi, Pilates RX!)
hiking
yoga
and more
We hear a lot from fellow runners in our space how they dread cross training, as it is often a downgrade from running in the setting of an injury. What if we changed the way we view the bike or the elliptical? Rather than view it as a punishment or training prison, what if we simply viewed it as a helpful tool to complement our running? Dare I say, what if we viewed it as something fun?
For cross training platforms, Peloton definitely has a few fans out of our professional team (we love you Matt Wilpers, Tunde Oyenin and Emma Lovewell!) but Zwift similarly is very well liked by cyclists and triathletes alike that can make a spin session go by quickly and enjoyably. If you don’t want to invest in a home set up, try a local spin class first and see how you like it!
At the end of the day, this post stems from the fact that before you are a runner, you are a person. If you’re breaking your body with high mileage training, or are simply training to the point that you aren’t having fun anymore…. well, what are you doing?
If you’ve run high mileage plans and they’ve worked well for you in terms of hitting your goals and staying healthy, that’s fine! Most people are not so lucky. Remember that the spectrum of training is vast. Your training style should be tailored to you, injury history, running experience, life style, and goals.
Need someone to help you with an already existing injury or learn more about how to “bulletproof” your body heading into your next build? We got you.
-Elise Dendievel PT, DPT, CSCS,
RRCA Certified Coach
