This Post really goes into the catagory of Cross Country or middle to long distance running, but even the 400 runner will benefit from the big idea....
Post from Coach Jay......
Hello and I hope this finds you doing well.
Learning to run by feel is a skill that is central to my coaching philosophy. I firmly believe if you are a slave to your watch and can only run via splits laid out for you by training plan or a coach, you will not reach your potential as a runner.
Learning to run by feel can be a bit scary. For example, if the assignment is a progression run of 20 min steady, 15 min faster, 10 min faster, 5 min fast but controlled, how do you know your steady pace you begin with isn’t too fast? You don’t, the first time you do it. And what if you get to the 10 min segment and can’t speed up? No worries - you finish up the workout, one in which you got a great aerobic stimulus, but not one where you were able to properly execute. That is okay. You learned where the edge is and next time you can run right up to it, but not past it.
Bombing a workout where you run by feel and not by designated paces is not a bad thing, rather, it’s a good thing when you’re starting this learning process. I tell my clients that I am not worried if they bomb the first couple of workouts, as long as they pay attention to where that edge is, the point where they know they are running too fast to sustain the pace for the assigned time.
If you learn to run by feel you’re much better equipped to race to your potential on race day. On a windy race day you’ll have to throw the splits out the window; if you’ve learned to run by feel then you can go out at an effort you know you can sustain for the first 80-90% of the race, then charge to the finish line.
Plus, there will be a day where the mile markers are off or your GPS dies. Learn to run by feel and those issues won’t preclude you from racing successfully.
Finally, runners who learn to run by feel not only have more fun training, but their chance of injury and overtraining decreases. When you run by feel you aren’t beholden to a pace when you start your workout, which is a gift during a week (or two) when your life is hectic and messy. All of my clients say not having a pace hanging over their head when they head out the door during the stressful times of life is refreshing, especially as most of them were slaves to their watch before we worked together.
Additionally, running by feel leads to consistency in training. As you’ve heard me say before, string together week after week of injury free running and you’ll end up reaching your potential as a runner. Running by feel helps you do this because you’re training right up to the edge of your capabilities, but you’re not overreaching, pushing hard when you should on a single day and perhaps day after day.
I highly recommend you consider doing the workouts that teach you to learn to run by feel.
Start with fartlek workouts, with chunks of 5 minutes.
An example is, 3 minutes “on”, 2 minutes steady, with the goal being to keep the 2-minute segment close in pace to the 3-minute segment. A week or two later you can then transition to 4 minutes “on” followed by just 1 minute steady. This workout is much more challenging and will test your ability to stay focused while you’re uncomfortable. You can do 30, 35, 40, 45 minutes or more worth of fartlek. The key is to keep the first couple of sets easy so you’re able to speed up as the workout progresses.
