Top 5 Training Mistakes
The majority of people who have stumbled across this page are more than likely to be fairly new to the world on endurance running.
Preparing for an endurance event such as a half or full marathon is not easy at the best of times and with so much information out there for you to digest, its sometimes easy to overlook some of the most basic and common errors that are often made during training for a race.
So, to help prevent you from making the same mistakes as others, here is a fitFAQS top 10 of common training mistakes:
1. Not Carbing up after a run
In the early stages of training, when your mileage is still pretty low, going overboard with carbohydrate rich foods is not only unnecessary but also a common mistake in itself. Carbs are a great fuel for training but if you're only running 3 miles, a bucket load of pasta is excessive.
However, as your training progresses, carbohydrates are an essential food source to keep you going but so many make the mistake with poor timing of eating carbohydrate rich food. After a long or hard run, your body absorbs carbohydrates like a sponge for around 2 hours after training, so use this window to replenish your carbohydrate stores.
Although your body can store carbs at any time, by far the best is immediately after training so seize the opportunity so that your muscles are fuelled and ready for the next session.
2. Relying on a treadmill for your training
It's a quandary for many runners during those long, dreary winter months - It's peeing it down with rain with a force 10 gale and your training programme is telling you that you've got to do a 10 miler. So you have 3 choices:
- Brave the foul conditions and hope you don't get blown away
- Go to the pub and forget about the run
- Go to the gym and do 10 miles on the treadmill.
Of course, everyone is different and as appealing as option 2 sounds, many conscientious runners often opt for option 3 and use the treadmill at the gym.
The lure of a television (now often integrated into the treadmill) and the promise of some eye candy whilst running for an hour and a half is often difficult to resist when conditions aren't great - but you must be careful not to rely too much on the treadmill for your training
Even though you are still running, the treadmill runway cannot replicate road conditions, so even though you are putting the miles in, you are not preparing your leg muscles to tolerate "race" conditions, which more often than not are run on a hard surface.
All the major 10k, half marathon and marathon races in the UK are run on the road, which are cambered, undulating and very hard when compared to a bouncy and flat treadmill runway. Your heart and lungs may be trained effectively in the gym, but your leg muscles do not get worked nearly the same way as running on the road - even if you increase the incline.
A perfect example of this is Paula Radcliffe in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. A stress fracture to her thigh prevented Paula from training on the roads for fear that the impact would delay or worsen her injury. As a result, Paula had to rely on a treadmill for most of her training, with only a handful of short road runs under her belt before the Olympic marathon.
Despite starting the race well and feeling "cardio-vascularly" strong, Paula's legs just couldn't tolerate the road and felt weak soon after the half way point. As a result, sadly Paula's Olympic dream faded and despite a gutsy run failed to finish in the medals.
So remember, treadmill training is absolutely fine for your race preparations provided you do not use it excessively.
Unless you are injured and find road running uncomfortable, I'd advise you to train on the treadmill just once a week, preferably for interval or hill sessions
3. Not measuring splits
If you are not too worried about the time you do your race in, this tip is not really applicable to you, but if you are desperate to break the infamous 2 hour half marathon mark or the 4 hour marathon milestone, then this is an essential tip you must read.
One of the most common reasons why runner's dreams of breaking these time barriers are broken, is more often than not due to a lack of proper preparation in training and failing to keep track of their mile splits.
Let's take the example of a runner wanting to break 2 hours for the half and 4 hours for the full marathon.
In order for you to go under these times, you have to run the race at an average pace of just under 9:09 mins/mile.
Therefore, it is essential that during your long training runs you know exactly when each mile has elapsed, so that you not only get used to running at a 9:09 min/mile pace but also know how your body is able to tolerate that running pace. By practising this, you will know if you are on track to achieving your goal or if you need to step up training to get your body to adapt to a quicker running pace.
Accuracy of mile markers is essential. There is nothing more frustrating than finishing a race 30 seconds off your goal, so make sure that every mile mark on your training run is accurate. Nike Plus and Sat Nav gadgets are great, but to get a more accurate idea I'd strongly suggest that you drive the run (if possible) and clock every mile.
Above all be realistic and honest with yourself. If 6 weeks away from the race you embark on a long training run and you are struggling to maintain a 9:09 min/mile pace, with your heart rate exceeding your aerobic threshold, it's unlikely that you'll get the time you want.
Adrenaline and the "race" experience will help you to a degree come race day, but if you're finding you can only comfortably maintain a 9:25 min/mile pace during training (except if your training run is very hilly) sustaining a 9:09 min/mile pace may just be too much too ask for this year. Remember - there's always next year.
4. Not varying training enough
Another classic and another reason why runners struggle to get best out of themselves come race day.
You'd be forgiven for thinking that seeing that your ultimate aim is to run at constant speed for 10k, 13.1miles or 26.2 miles, then all your training should be focused on steady paced runs, which gradually increase in distance.
Well, you can do that and get round the course but you will not be getting the most out of your running ability, which is vital if you want to run a good time.
Your training should be varied and feature a mixture of different types of sessions to help adapt and strengthen your legs muscles which overtime will greatly improve your running economy and help you run a faster race.
There are a few ways in which you can vary your training runs, they include:
- Hill Runs - These help to strengthen your legs and push your heart rate to near maximum levels, which help your body run even more efficiently on flat surfaces.
- Interval Training / Fartlek - By interspersing quick bursts of speed into a steady paced run, you help to "wake up" fast twitch muscles in your legs, which again will help you to improve your running efficiency at slower steady paced runs.
- Cross Training - Using other forms of cardio equipment such as a bike, rowing machine or cross trainer are great for relieving the stress on your joints and stimulating the muscles in other ways which can help to improve your running. Cross training is by no means a substitute for running but if used correctly can help improve your fitness and help relieve the monotony of running
There is loads more information about varying your training here at fitFAQS (and in my book), so have a look at the tabs to the top left, or use the search bar at the top to find something specific.
5. Pushing through an injury
Running every other day for weeks on end is pretty tough on the body, especially if you are not used to running.
Muscle niggles and sore joints are unfortunately one of those things that endurance runners have to accept as their "badge of honour" for undertaking such a task, but there is a line which you must not cross.
There are niggles and there are niggles and if certain ones get worse, or make running really quite painful, then common sense has to prevail and you must get the injury sorted. Usually, treatment involves a few days rest, a bag of peas on the injured area and maybe a few stretches but if your symptoms do not get better after a few days, a week at maximum, then you must go and get it looked at.
Every year, runners ignore the tell tale signs of the early stages of achilles tendonitis or ITB syndrome and continue with their training, in the vain hope that the pain will miraculously get better.
The tag line "It'll be fine, I'll run through" may win you the" hard as nails" medal but trust me, if you continue to run carrying certain injuries, give it a few weeks and you'll barely be able to stand let alone run.
As frustrating as it is, for the sake of missing a few days (or even weeks) of training, giving an injury a chance to heal itself is essential to ensure that you make that start line come race day.
It is far better to start a race with 2 or 3 weeks lack of training, than not making the start at all.
For more information on injuries, visit the injuries of fitFAQS by clicking on the tab to the top left of the page.