Better racing through less racing.
The essence of competitive running is racing--hence the reason it’s competitive. And with racing being the focal point toward which all training pursuits are ultimately aimed, it can be easy to never take a step back and ask yourself “is racing really what I need to be doing right now?” It’s an odd question, for sure. But depending on where you are in your running career, and what your goals are, taking a break from racing in favor of a protracted and intentional training period might be precisely what the doctor ordered.
I’ve always felt this to be especially true for runners who have big goals, but who aren’t as gifted, or as injury-proof as the premier college and professional performers. Like most runners, these folks came up in the scholastic competitive system, where frequent racing--and frequent peaking--is baked into the cake. From their early days, they were locked into a training format that prioritized constant competition over optimal development, and this system catered to the more durable and elite talents, who in turn, enjoyed bigger improvements and less frustration. But recent events suggest that even the top-tier athletes might gain more by racing less.
“While winning and setting PRs are great reasons to race, they shouldn’t be the only reasons. Races don’t happen in a vacuum. They have physical and psychological consequences.”
Whether good or bad, the pandemic forced competitive runners to re-evaluate the way they organized their running lifestyles. The mass-cancellation of races worldwide--including the Olympic Games--left many runners feeling rudderless and lost. What was there to do, after all, if there weren’t any races to prepare for? This quandary led many to a crossroads: cave to the motivation-crater of a raceless world by giving up on serious training, or recalibrate training to focus on needs that would typically fall secondary to imminent race preparation. I wasn’t surprised to find that those who opted for the latter--even at the elite level--saw greater, though less immediate, improvements in performance. The boom of world-class marks in the spring of 2021, particularly among the collegiate ranks, stands as prime evidence that a training system undistracted by constant racing and peaking can yield a higher density of superior performances. Check out Ethan Moutes’ article “The Fast Times Outbreak” in Issue 4 of New Generation Track and Field for an in-depth take on this pandemic-fueled phenomenon.
But pandemic aside, the takeaway from this is that sometimes you should take a break from racing, and just focus on the training. But how do you know if you should do this?
You need to answer these three questions:
What is my long-term or ultimate goal?
What is the shortest foreseeable path toward my goal?
In what ways does racing aid me in achieving my goal?
What is the point of racing?
While winning and setting PRs are great reasons to race, they shouldn’t be the only reasons. Races don’t happen in a vacuum. They have physical and psychological consequences. And those consequences are, at times, exactly what you need. A race at a particular distance might provide you with exactly the training stimulus you need. There could be critical strategic or experiential benefits. Maybe you just need to see exactly “where you are” from a fitness standpoint. These are all factors that should be considered anytime you toe the line if you’re serious about chasing down big performance goals. If you can’t honestly affirm that one or some of those reasons apply, then I’m willing to bet that some type of training run or workout--or even recovery day--would better suit you and your goals.
It would seem too coincidental that the collective performance spike in the months following an unprecedented period of racelessness was not somehow brought about by said raceless period. And while I’m never a proponent of blindly copying “whatever the pros are doing”, there are some principles within our sport that are just universal. Remember to keep racing in perspective. It’s not just a “thing you do”. Think of it as a tool. A tool that can help carry you to the ultimate awesomeness you know you’re capable of.
AED
Dreditor-in-chief
