Sounds like a lazy athlete’s
approach to training or just lazy person’s way of coping life in general but
there might be something in it. In business world it is a way to maximise productivity. Why to do more than necessary and strain yourself? If there’s a
certain amount of training needed for improvement, why to train more? It just
increases the risk for injuries. Or if you can achieve something by doing the
minimum, why to bother to do more? Of course if the doing itself is more
important than the outcome and it makes you happy, then go ahead, keep on
hammering. As long as you can cope with the load mentally and physically and
don’t get burnout or injured.
This year I’ve certainly followed
the concept above, at least the minimum input part of it. I’ve trained
absolutely minimum due to my long-standing injury but still raced reasonably
well considering my non-existing input. Looking back the season with some
perspective, my coming-back-from-injury-run at Venla was indeed quite alright
at that point, I just compared it to my normal level and wasn’t satisfied. And
the long WOC selection race in Kainuu, which was my most important race of the
year in order to get to run WOC, was probably my best run of the year. I wasn’t in
top shape but got the maximum output when it mattered. I was 5th in that race (if not counting Svetlana Mironova) – way better than in any other
individual races in Finland this year.
Coming to Swedish Champs I was
balancing with my input and output. I had just started to train again and maybe
going to races a little too tired. I wasn’t able to reach my maximum of the day there,
except in the middle qualification and in the relay. Well, I’m very happy that
I got the best out in the relay. It paid off.
Only a week after Swedish Champs it
was time for another kind of endurance challenge: Lidingöloppet. A 30km trail
run. I had just survived Swedish Champs but felt that I was walking on a thin
line. Running 2-3 races in three consecutive weekends was just about what my
legs could take. My longest training run had been about 15km (the longest my
injured calf could take). So going to LL I was very doubtful whether I could
run the whole thing. How could I with so little training and practically no
real long runs? Last year I had aimed for 2:15 but finished in 2:20. This time
I didn’t have a time goal. I would just go easy and see how much my calf could
take. After 15km my legs were all empty and I was sure to quit the race by
20km. Sami was cheering me there and shouting that I was ahead of my last
years’ time and that I should continue. Nice
try, I thought but then I realized that he wasn’t bluffing. I was indeed
within that schedule. Oh crap, I guess I
have to try... My legs were absolutely killing me on that last loop and I
could barely jog the hills up but somehow I took myself around the whole thing
with a very slow last 10km but still with a new PB 2:20:43. Time is no way
brilliant but definitively a maximum output with my training background. I’m
still amazed how I did it!
After seeing how much you can gain
with very little training I've decided to try this same approach for a marathon.
For a marathon?!? Have I lost my mind?!? Nope, I just try to get the best out again with minimum input. I mean I intend to train but I have to keep the mileage as
low as possible to spare my legs (which I still think are injury prone). Running
a good time on marathon without training is not possible, but after my
race experiences from this year I’m hoping to find a way to reach my goal with
minimum effort. Well, most probably I won’t reach it but stay tuned and I’ll let you
know how it goes. Purpose is to blog about it even if it doesn’t go. Just
getting around may be a challenge itself...
