Running by effort for optimal results
Have you ever tried to run a few miles, and, suddenly, you felt short of breath? Or you had a goal pace in mind, but after a few miles you couldn’t sustain that pace, or it took you longer than usual to recover? Or did you run the same workout as you had previously run, but you couldn’t sustain the same pace? What happened?
Many runners, beginners and even more experienced, are obsessed with their pace. They have a goal pace in mind, and they rely on it, as if it were the most important element in their workout. They keep looking at their watch, checking if their performance is in line with their predicted pace, and, eventually, push hard to maintain that specific pace. When you constantly aim at a desired pace, faster than your actual pace, you tend to achieve the opposite result. In general, it requires more effort and highly intense workouts, which tend to increase the risk of burnout or injuries. While it’s important to have a goal pace, and work hard to improve, there are other variables that affect your performance, so it's important to listen to your body. I believe you could obtain greater results if you focus your runs on effort, and choose your workouts based on the effort for that day.
What does “running by effort” mean?
It’s a method that helps you run based on your physical effort instead of relying on your watch. Our watch provides invaluable statistics, and nowadays they are very accurate. The problem is that you analyze numbers, and you make your decisions based on objective data. Sometimes your pace can be influenced by external factors, such as high temperatures, humidity, wind; or it can be influenced by your personal level of fitness: did you sleep well? Do you feel sick? Dehydrated? Did you work out too hard in the previous days? Despite your same physical condition, you’re forced to slow down, and your pace is definitely slower than what you’re used to. Every workout is different, so many factors affect your performance.
This is an important reason why it’s useful to learn to run based on effort and sometimes forget about your watch!
Running by effort helps to know your body better, not to run too fast on easy days or at the beginning of a workout or too slow on hard days. It also helps to better monitor your performance during training and avoid overtraining.
Therefore, how can you run by effort?
Learn to listen to your body: Learn to feel your heart, your legs.
Forget your watch. Try a few runs without a watch or don’t look at the stats while you’re running.
Follow your internal GPS: Listen to your body, feel your heart, and your legs. Are you tired? Energized?
Are you able to have a conversation without being short of breath?
Recognize what is an easy, moderate and hard workout for you. It takes practice, but you will see the results!
This technique might seem frustrating in the beginning because it looks like your performance gets worse, and you can argue that if you run slowly, or slower than your current pace, you can’t improve. In reality, it’s the opposite: running by effort helps you to maximize your performance.
Every workout has its own benefits and goals. Some days are easy, some days are hard. The key is to diversify the type of workouts.