Words of Wisdom

I think every runner, at one time or another, has fallen into the alluring temptation of attempting to train hard every single day - I know I have. A lot of times we find out we have been training incorrectly the hard way: with injuries or tired, uninspired bouts of running. However, with every step back we take we almost always can take several steps forward, and learning your limitations is one of the best ways to find the path the significant improvements! 

The other day I stumbled upon a blog Ryan Hall had posted. The blog was an excerpt from his recent book Running With Joy. What struck me most about the excerpt was the simple piece of advice it gave. Ryan Hall spoke about the importance of balancing hard days of training with easier days and described this relationship as making "deposits" or "withdrawals" (http://runningwithjoy.com/2011/01/20/training-tip-alternating-fast-and-slow-days/). As runners (or any athlete for that matter) we want to find the perfect balance of hard days (withdrawals) and easy recovery days (deposits) which will lead to our greatest improvements. The most pivotal portion of our training comes from the time we are recovering from breaking our body down. A lot of times we overlook this important aspect of "depositing" our time and energy, so that we can draw upon it later. 

This deposit/withdrawal is a simple yet helpful way of looking at our training and one that I will try to consciously use day in and day out in my own running. The next time you head out the door ask yourself will you make today a deposit or withdrawal, and weigh the benefits of each according to your training goals.