What I think about when I think about running………

What I think about when I think about running………at this time running has a different perspective in our lives however it still has a value.
Normally, running is an achievement oriented sport. We are constantly trying to win races, run personal bests and training for our next race. We are not going to have any achievement opportunities for the foreseeable future, so how do we frame running and stay motivated when achievement is not on the horizon.
In many ways we are going back to the past when historically in the 1930s,40s,50s through to the first running boom in the mid 70s when there were many fewer races in the calendar and athletes and coaches had long periods between events to train and plan for. Lydiard would have his athletes run months of 100 mile weeks and when they came back they were ready to train. Perhaps we are close to that situation now.
One thing we can be sure of is that for several months we are not going to have those achievement opportunities and we could be looking toward cross country as our next goal. We have to remember that the concept of flattening the curve of corona virus means that while the immediate number of cases is less the duration is much longer consequently when we come through this we might incur a backlog of operations etc which would stretch the medical profession and this could impact on sporting events such as the London marathon etc. We can’t just pick up where we left off.
From a coaching perspective I think we need to see the big picture and perhaps look at a strategy for 6 months or so. I see a lot of people ” training” a little like headless chickens. There is so much on social media of different training concepts which in isolation is probably unproductive at best. Often as athletes we analyse say a session of 5x1k while as a coach you try to put it in the context of the overall training plan. Back in the day when I was a “runner” I mostly trained alone and I had to tell myself that the general accumulation of training would reap its rewards further down the road. So we need to look at how we can frame our training without the reward of achievement in the short term.
To look forward we probably need to bring some clarity to our running, so we need to ask ourselves what we are trying to get out of our running. For many this will be to get enjoyment from our running for others a means of stress relief it is a way to frame our day. As a club an integral part of our training is the interaction of club nights which is now denied to us. Equally as a coach it is my opportunity to put across my training concepts and hopefully to encourage and motivate. Of course we still need to communicate and via social media that becomes possible. 
So the reality is, we are at a point in April with no prospect of racing anytime soon so how do we frame our training over an uncertain period of time. maybe the idea of creating a mileage club via strava where the emphasis of training shifts towards the accumulation of collective club mileage as opposed to defined workouts might be productive. This would in effect build a solid foundation without stressing athletes either physically or mentally.
It is certainly a challenging time as a coach. Social isolation necessitates that athletes determine their training to a greater extent which in turn provides a dichotomy with regard motivation. For some it is hard to plan for an uncertain future while for the super driven the danger is in overtraining, whereby it would be foolish to push and push for an extended period of maybe six months. It is almost a case of going old school where we accumulate the miles before perhaps entering into a hill phase to strengthen the tendons and ligaments then move to another phase. The more I consider it the more I believe Lydiard designed linear periodisation because he found himself with so much time between races. By shifting focus in this way you stop yourself from overtraining in one direction and stop yourself from getting stale, and it might be the time to take this approach instead of just plodding on in one direction. So we introduce new demands to keep motivation and challenge different aspects of our fitness.
Finally, in these uncertain times what messages can we take forward. From a TRP standpoint I see connectivity as essential as we endeavour to stay together in a time of social distancing. We have the platform of What’s App to keep in contact while virtual events can provide a challenge and stimulus. As a coach it’s a great time to learn from history when running and training were so different. Thinking outside the lines looking at the way Lydiard designed linear periodisation, or the way the Swedes in the 30s used their natural forest environment to design fartlek, producing athletes such as Hagg and Anderson one of whom would have undoubtedly beaten Bannister to the 4minute mile but for war. Or Zatokek with his prodigious volume of 400m reps, day after day running 60x 400 but on closer inspection subtly changing the interval from 200 to 100 jog. As athletes I think it is time to evaluate. Ask yourself what you need to do to become a better runner. Do you need to build a solid foundation, or work on particular perceived weaknesses such as technique, or maybe you just want to back off and have a rest. It’s a great opportunity to bring clarity to your running but it is crucial to stay healthy, don’t compromise the immune system with silly bouts of training, be careful with the virtual challenges which have proliferated and if you embrace new things build gradually.
This has been a longer blog than normal probably as a result of my having more time to think. Are my views valid, I don’t know but hopefully it makes you ask questions.