Racing and training motivations

Racing & Training Motivations

We all have our reasons for running, whether for the aesthetic beauty of it, the thrill of regular racing, trying to achieve your full potential in racing, want to win some big titles racing, just love the process of training, plus many more.

Motivation is one of the biggest predictors of whether you will be a successful runner

Do you know why you run?

If you do, it is easier to put the process and outcomes of results into a proper useful perspective to develop in a satisfactory way.

Do you want to race to win some races, your age groups or just realise your full potential ? If you are running to win, then you need to commit to what you are doing, cutting out unnecessary distractions from your goals and arranging your lifestyle accordingly.

Then you need to have consistency and progression in your training and racing, with as few interruptions from your plan as possible, eliminate muscle imbalances where possible and make sure that your training suits your muscular skeletal composition.

The actual training plan depends on your target distances and times, your physical level and situation and the level or years of your training history (ie training age).

Obviously after taking in all considerations then your actual training plan is set around your goals.

Do you have a main long term goal or solely 3 months, 6 months or an annual goal?

If you have a major goal or annual goal as opposed to goals for different periods of the year or seasons, then your racing and training structure of phases, cycles and peaks will vary somewhat. And along with that will be the intensity and purpose of various training runs or races.

Whether you ease down, taper or train through some of them, also what distance of build up races.

But like all endurance athletes, particularly for long distances, you distinctly need to have your endurance base building where 84-85% is easy / steady runs, 5-6% are tempo runs and 8-10% speed. Later these percentages change as more tempo running is carried out, repetitions and interval running varied, hills introduced and races are run. Speed percentage would not change all year from 10%, but tempo running in it’s various levels or forms, could go to 10, 15, 20 or 25% of your weekly total, depending on the stage or phase you are at.

Easy recovery runs and steady maintenance runs, are slower than marathon pace, and with a regular long run, plus tempo running at it’s various ventilatory levels, threshold pace (LT) to marathon pace (steady state), or even broken into blocks with a short interval recovery, then run at sub tempo of 8-10k pace.

Obviously whether you are training for short distances or a marathon dictates how far you eventually go up to on tempo runs or sessions, also leading up to the competition phase, then you can be nearer to (LT), but also nearer to marathon pace means that you can fit more in at tempo and recover more easily.

The speed training would usually be at 5k pace in the early stages, but include repetitions on grass or track, fartlek, strides etc. But also include sessions with 3k and 1500m pace.

The next phase or micro-cycle, would introduce more at tempo and strength or resistance, so would involve more hills and an increase running in at tempo, therefore a ratio of 80% : 10% : 10%.

When you get into your main competition period the ratio would be nearer to 70-74%: 16-20%: 10%

The increasing intensity of the speed training will sharpen you for your peak, but too much cannot be maintained for long because it brings you on quickly to a peak, but also can risk something breaking down if prolonged.

Do you just want to race regularly but consistently well.

If this motivates you, then the structure of your training and racing has to be planned accordingly so as to do this. The balance of volume and intensity has to be judged correctly so as not to overtrain or come to a peak too at the wrong time.

Do you want to race regularly for your club targeted events to support the teams over the various seasons.

The best way is to train in blocks or seasons so as to build and progress to a peak at the Championships, using leagues and local races as development and progression along the way.

Do you want to make progressive improvements in your level of running, maybe attaining a certain plateaux or landmark level, then moving on to the next?

A planned progressive programme will develop you at the right level of improvement, season on season, year on year and as before, prevent you from over training.

Is it just racing and training on a more social basis and purely for enjoyment or fun?

Your Motivation when the going gets tough on the dark cold nights.

Rehabbing your mind, during and after physical injuries.

This paper is only partially completed. I will try to finish the rest soon.

I will write a separate paper for sports psychology.