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The myth that only excessive training brings results is incorrect.
The best results are achieved with balanced, not necessarily extreme, training. -
Running too many miles exposes you to injury.
Athletes such as Anton Krupicka and Scott Hawker have adopted more varied and lighter workouts, incorporating other activities such as cycling or the gym, reducing the risk of injury. -
The idea that effort should be proportional to results is a mental deception.
Lighter workouts can still bring excellent results, optimizing work and minimizing the risk of injury.
Inrunning and sports, there is a myth that is very hard to collapse: the myth that results are achieved only by overwork and inhuman effort. It does not mean, mind you, that in order to get them one should not put in the effort and work: instead, it means that the best results are obtained with the best training, which is not necessarily the most exaggerated and exhausting. In running, “heavy training” is quickly identified: it is that which involves lots of road, hundreds of miles a week, thousands a year. While it is very true that in preparation for a race as long and demanding as a marathon, it is appropriate to do the so-called “long run” (i.e., the mileage that is as close as possible to that which you will sustain in the race), it is also true that there is no need to do it every week. Another overlooked but critically important aspect of any heavy training is exposure to injury. In fact, the belief that one needs to put in so many miles to achieve results exposes one to the risk of injuries from wear and tear, fatigue, and distraction. By practicing this kind of training, on the contrary, one actually risks injuring oneself, having to stop and thus undoing all the work done up to that point. One example is Anton Krupicka, one of the most famous ultratrail runners, also famous for the absurd mileage he used to bring home until a few years ago. Stumbling into a series of chain injuries, he has changed his training system a great deal in recent years. How he did it may also suggest the path you can take (if you are one of those people who grind out miles like peanuts): less running and more alternative workouts.
Less monotony, more variety
The secret is ultimately quite simple: more quality workouts and more variety in the type of work. Another example is that of Scott Hawker, an ultratrail runner who has gone from intense work to mileage that would never occur to someone training to run 100-odd miles in a row: instead, the 50-60 miles a week done in the three months leading up to the 2019 Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc was enough to earn him 3rd place. His philosophy is encapsulated in a few words, “Low-intensity training. For a higher quality of life in the long run.” In other words: Scott prefers to train in a way that does not overtax his physique so that he can do it longer, up to and beyond the age of 50-60. Do you feel like contradicting him? A secret of all athletes who have opted for “compact” workouts is to supplement with other types of work in addition to running, even if performed at an even lower intensity: many do gym workouts, others ride bikes. https://runlovers.it/2019/chi-parte-veloce-arriva-lento-se-arriva/
Once again, it’s all in the head
We often repeat it: where the legs don’t go, the head goes. Again, the mind serves so much, but in a somewhat different way. The mental deception into which those who train a lot fall is that of the reward mechanism: if I put in a lot of effort-they tell themselves-I will get a lot. The downside is that if you start training “lighter” you may think that results will never come. This is legitimate and understandable… but there are several ways to overcome these negative thoughts: one is to rely on a coach who shares this philosophy, and another is to measure results. In fact, many athletes who have embraced this method of training say they got feedback only after the results comforted them: their times were as good if not better, and even in competition everything ran smoothly. Why? Because it is often taken for granted in preparation that injury can happen, overlooking the fact that it might just be caused by overworking and wasting time, taking it away from training and forcing forced rests. In the end, light training is a smart system not only because it optimizes the type of work that goes into each session but also (and more importantly) because it minimizes the chance of injury. You may then find that the time commitment is the same but distributed differently, more continuously and without forced rests.