5 Ways you’re overthinking running
While studying for my degree in Kinesiology, I was fortunate enough to attend a university connected to a high-performance facility. This is where many Olympians and nationally-ranked athletes train and get tested. While walking to class or working out in the gym, there were countless times of brushing shoulders with quality athletes.
Throughout my years in school, I was able to learn from both coaches and athletes which was as fascinating as it was humbling. As running has always been a passion of mine, I would always seek out opportunities to connect with others in the sport and glean as much knowledge as possible. Among the various lectures and talks, I began to realize a common trend among the best runners and coaches:
Their knowledge is vast, but their approach is simple.
The greats know exactly what they’re doing and why they’re doing it. They train hard and work smart, but don’t overthink the little stuff. They don’t waste even one extra ounce of effort in the pursuit of achieving their goals.
Seeing this philosophy over and over again has slowly made me realize just how much novice and intermediate runners can overthink this sport. Even though our margins for error are far larger than the elites, we often act like every decision is life or death. Okay, maybe it’s not that severe…but you get the point.
While we’re on the subject, I wanted to take a few minutes and outline the five areas we runners tend to overanalyze and stress about the most. If you can manage to simplify these aspects of your training, you’ll not only improve your performance, but you’ll likely save time and energy in the process. It’s time we learn from those ahead of us and get back to the basics!
Stop Making Running Harder Than It Has To Be
As we get into things, please remember that training looks different for everyone. I’m by no means stating you have to erase these habits from your training to achieve any progress. This is simply a tool you can use to simplify your running and take unnecessary stress and barriers away. My advice is to take what applies to your journey and leave the rest. With that out of the way, let’s jump right into it!
Here are the five infamous areas we’re overthinking in this sport…
1) Gear
This is likely a touchy subject, but hear me out. You don’t need fifteen pairs of running shoes or a state-of-the-art smartwatch to start running. I’ve noticed an interesting trend in the last 3–4 years as shoe reviews have exploded in popularity. While they can be informative, I fear we’ve gone so deep into the technical specs of ‘super shoes’ or ‘super trainers’ that it’s taking away time and energy from simply putting in the training.
If you enjoy collecting these items, knock yourself out. Just know that gear doesn’t affect your performance as much as you think. If you’re just getting started, find a comfortable pair of daily trainers and throw in a speed shoe when you feel ready. For those who run 6+ days per week, consider getting another pair to cycle through to give your body a different stimulus. Beyond that, your ever-growing collection of shoes and gear probably won’t make you a better runner. I’m just being real!
2) Nutrition
Don’t get me wrong, nutrition is vitally important to your performance and recovery. This doesn’t, however, mean it has to be complicated. Eat lots of carbohydrates before key sessions and races. Refuel with protein as quickly as you can. Stay hydrated and fuelled during your long runs. Don’t get too caught up in brand names but rather focus on what fuel sources sit right with your stomach. Don’t be afraid of a little trial and error. Finally, don’t feel like you have to spend hundreds of dollars on Maurten gels every month — there are other fish in the sea.
3) Strength Training
This is a topic I’ve brought up a lot in the past, but it’s appropriate to address it here as well. First of all, strength training isn’t cross-training. It’s just part of being a runner. While it may look slightly different for everyone based on injury history and experience, one thing is certain: your gym regime doesn’t have to look like that of a professional bodybuilder or Olympic lifter.
Even two 20-minute sessions per week of simple exercises such as single-leg deadlifts, squats, glute bridges, calf raises, side planks, and banded work can go a long way to keeping you injury-free while maximizing your mechanics and form. Please, please don’t overthink this area but rather focus on consistency. Your future body will be eternally grateful that you took the time!
4) Heart Rate
Heart rate is a great guide for intensity, but it should never be your governor. Due to the volatility of data and the reality that your heart rate can look different from day to day based on sleep, stress, and more, take things with a grain of salt. More often than not, I find training to effort is a whole lot more sustainable as you develop an intrinsic barometer for intensity while listening to how your body is feeling. In summary, use heart rate when you feel like you need it during threshold sessions or to keep you accountable during easy efforts, but don’t stare at your watch for every run. It takes the joy out of running.
5) Volume
Volume is a tricky subject because it’s incredibly important, but there is no secret method for mastering it. My encouragement to you is to resist comparing yourself to more experienced runners and not let your Strava graph give you any sort of identity as a runner. For some athletes, 30 miles a week may be all they can handle. For others, it may be 100 miles. The number doesn’t really matter as long as you’re getting in ample active recovery from harder sessions while maintaining a healthy life balance with everything else.
If you are looking to increase your weekly volume, try to go no further than 10% more than you did in the previous week. While this won’t be the perfect rule for everyone, it will ensure you don’t get any overtraining injuries from rapidly increasing volume. Most importantly, listen to your body and don’t be afraid to cut down mileage during times when you’re stressed, fatigued, or feel niggles or small injuries. One or two missed runs won’t affect you, but obsessing over mileage to the point of picking up chronic injuries will!
In Closing,
When it pertains to sustainable success in this sport, a simple training philosophy is best. Yes, we should work hard and train smart, but don’t let microscopic details get in the way of you enjoying being active and working towards whatever goals you may have. Many of the world’s best aren’t sweating the small stuff so why should we? As long as you’re training within yourself, prioritizing recovery, and refueling often, you can trust that you’re on the right path. A path that will get you to where you want to be.
