There are a lot of theories out there on “how to run” and “how to train properly” for various events.  Overall, I think that all the theories can be narrowed down into two particular approaches - “Planning” and “Feeling It Out.”  

Planning - a theory that involves creating a plan based upon current fitness levels, and a realistic understanding and expectation of future improvements.

Feeling It Out - a theory that involves no plan, just run the speed and distance that your body tells you is acceptable.  Your increases come only when your body tells you that you are ready.

There are pro’s and con’s with each theory.  The Planning theory gives you goals.  It forces you to push beyond your limits to reach those goals, and it allows you to have a reasonable expectation for where your fitness level may be at in the future.  However, the downside with Planning is that you may end up injuring yourself by trying to reach unrealistic goals, or because your body just isn’t “up to par” on that particular day.

Feeling it out is great because it can make running more “fun.”  People who follow this theory generally enjoy their running experience more, and are less likely to experience injury or overtraining fatigue.  However, this theory generally takes longer to produce the desired result, and can create “mental weakness” - i.e. you do not know how to truly push yourself, because you never have experienced it previously.

In the end I think most people should follow the Planning approach to running, and training in general.  For instance, today I was scheduled for an 18 mile run.  After 3 miles, I was ready to quit! My body was aching, and my legs literally felt like bricks.  I wanted to stop the pain!  But I knew what the schedule said, and I wasn’t going to stop running until I finished my 18 miles, even if I had to walk the whole way.  In the end, my run went better than expected, and I reached a new level of fitness, all because I had a PLAN!!

I think only truly experienced runners (not myself) should follow the Feeling It Out approach.  True runners understand that sometimes the body lies to you, it tells you that your are incapable of doing something that your mind knows it can do.  An experienced runner can tell the difference between true fatigue and laziness.  

Obviously I am a proponent of having a plan!  It has helped me get this far in my training, and I know that I would be much further behind, and much less confident in my fitness level if I just “felt it out” every day.  

Moral of the story = Set goals and make a REALISTIC plan for reaching them!

Happy Training Everyone