For the longest time I thought running my perfect Ironman marathon came down to one theory: If I could learn to make my ideal goal pace (around 8:30) seem easy in training, I could hold it during the race.
It made total sense to me. I already knew I could hold a 10 minute race pace but it was very difficult to stay that slow in training for extended periods. It was hard to stay that slow?
I’ve always been sort of a quick-fix-guy and being patient in training or a race is difficult. But the more I learn about triathlon, the more I realize building base (or chassis as Coach Robbie often says) is the key to real growth in our sport.
It’s easy to think that means beating up our legs and training hard, but have we thought about building base on a cellular level?
Most people (especially me) don’t want to hear it, but getting better at Ironman can be . . . boring. It’s less like a thunderstorm and more like a steady rain dripping deep into your roots, or in this case, oxygen seeping into your cells.
The reality of boring is that it can actually be more enjoyable because it doesn’t hurt as much. I’ve spent a lifetime looking for the short cut, but putting in the work is always the best, and less frustrating solution.
So many of us spend our training days excited to post the results on social media, but could that be ruining our race? Ironman success on the marathon is a slow burn and building the perfect running machine should be the goal.
These techniques just make sense and intrigue me with their simplicity.
Have you ever thought that it might make more sense to break your 10 mile run into two five milers? How about running three separate times during the day to be fresh by giving your body a chance to stay recovered?
On this podcast we dive deep into why running slower might be the key to building your distance running. We also cover speed work, why it should be limited, and the best way to approach it.
The topic was stimulated by an article in “The Science of Running” about theory of Ernst Van Aaken. Here’s the article link. Below is our 8th Podcast: Running Slow To Get Faster.