Is Your Training Flexible?

I'm swallowing my pride and telling my wife I will have a more flexible training schedule

Feb 05, 2021

Last week, I told you I was ditching Strava. Spoiler alert: I still am.

I was sitting at my computer checking Strava wondering why the hell I was checking Strava instead of doing something else and I came to the realization that I then shared with you: I don’t need Strava any more. Maybe one day I will, but for now, I don’t.

All that leads me to the topic of flexibility. Not in the can you touch your toes flexible, but in, can you adapt to the demands of life and still get in quality running.

I can almost say with certainty that no one who is going to read this particular post has ever been a professional runner, so that means that we probably have a full time job and responsibilities. How we manage and deal with those demands, plus the demands of training, ultimately dictates how we grow and eventually succeed as athletes.

Being flexible as do-it-all runners is a fragile balance between happy and sad, busy and stressed, healthy and injured. How you find balance and “manage it all” is different for every single one of us. What makes me tick might overwhelm you and drive you running for the hills (no pun intended).

While we are living in our current situation, it’s so important to keep flexible with our training - know that weather will come up, life will come up, and at certain points, we just won’t be able to get done what we want to. (If my wife reads this, I will for certain get “the look” and a reply email as this is the exact convo we just had).

Working with my runners, I can’t stress to them enough the importance of seeing the training calendar with an open mind - knowing that sometimes things come up. I tell them that if they plan for it, they can go with the flow and still get their running done.

Hopefully, I take some of my own advice and become a little more flexible with how and when I do my running. I’ve decided to take some matters in my own hand and I’m waking up at 5:30 for 7 days to see what that does for “getting everything done”.

Friday’s Action Plan:

Think about how flexible (or not flexible) your training schedule is and do your best to find places where you can relax and go with the flow.

What’s Got My Attention:

Video: Anatomy of a Marathon Runner

Article: Why Are People Online Pretending They Ran a Marathon?

Popular Newsletter Sessions:

The Case for Ditching Strava - Jan 2021

Run Fast - Jan 2020

Quote of the Day:

“It doesn't matter what you're trying to accomplish. It's all a matter of discipline.” -Wilma Rudolph

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Thanks for following along on the journey! Have something you’d like to add? Have suggestions or comments? Email me: TrainwithMarc@gmail.com

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Marc is a middle school teacher and coach but also works with distance runners online. I help distance runners around the globe by providing support, writing customized training plans, and designing workouts to help them reach their racing goals. I write for my blog every Wednesday morning and newsletter every Friday morning.

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