We all want the perfect training plan or coach, but even the best-laid plans can be ground to a halt by injury, illness or just not improving as hoped.

Looking at studies into injury rates shows that for many it is just par for the course. One looking at rear and front foot strikers from Harvard university found a 74% injury rate for the athletes in their study in the past year.

Other studies aren’t as high but it’s certainly very common for runners to pick up niggles and pains.

Is it always a clear cause and effect?

Yes, there are a lot of common factors that lead to injuries. Ramping up training too quickly, not recovering between sessions or doing your easy runs too hard are but a few. Even when athletes stick to ‘the plan’, injury and illness can strike.

This has led some to describe running coaching as an art form, rather than a science. Yes, we know a lot about our sport and the scientific knowledge is ever increasing, but will it ever become an exact science? Doubtful.

Accepting Complexity

So should we just accept that running is just luck and go out and run however we want? Of course not. Whilst it may be an extremely complex matter, it doesn’t mean we should give up hope.

Imagine a ship in a storm. At times it might feel pointless trying to steer with the rudder, but that doesn’t mean we stop altogether. We do what we can to keep the ship going in the right direction or just staying upright.

Rather than dismaying at the complexity, we need to embrace it.

Everyone is different

Everyone has a different context to their training. A plan that works for one runner won’t necessarily work for another. Even the Robertson twins don’t have identical training, and their lifestyles and genetics are about as closely linked as you could get.

Our jobs, family, genetics, past experience, mental strength, shoes, diet and a whole host of other factors can affect how we react to training. Accepting how complex the situation is can lead to a greater understanding. Accepting that we are essentially “orchestrating chaos” can help us guide our athletes or our own training to a higher standard.

Experts and experience

This doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t respect the expert coaches and those with a lot more experience than us. They generally have a much better understanding of how to guide that ship through the storm.

Listening to your coach means there’s a better chance of avoiding injury and reaching your true potential.

Whether you work with a coach or not, appreciating that even with the best intentions, something can go wrong. Accepting that will put you in a better mindset for dealing with any eventualities.

Not all that glitters is gold

In this internet age, there is an abundance of running advice available. Yet not all that glitters is gold and some is just dog shit covered in glitter. A large percentage of advice online is linked to a product, company or with an agenda. Sifting through and finding what is actually good advice is just the first step though.

Once you’re discovered good advice on the internet, you need to understand if that works for you. Looking at training articles of the likes of Aly Dixon, Tracy Barlow or Kieran Clements you will not only see different sessions working for each of those athletes, but also find that they don’t work for you either.

Your own individual context is so important. Yes, there are underlying principles and physiological facts that nearly all runners can benefit from, but there are also always exceptions too.

Understanding, or discovering, what works for you as an individual is a big part of training.

Orchestrating chaos

So what can we learn or take from this waffling article? Do not give up hope due to the complexity of our sport but take it into account when planning training and reflecting on your own development.

If you plan with ‘chaos’ in mind then it just means having some flexibility for the unexpected. We must adapt when conditions changed and not get too dismayed when there isn’t a linear improvement in your training.

The periodisation paradigm

John Kiely, senior lecturer at the University of Central Lancaster and former head of S & C for UK Athletics has done some really interesting articles on whether periodisation, as we know it, might not be the only answer. Periodisation, a stable of endurance training, assumes linear improvement. The reality is often different.

If you spend X amount of time improving Y, then you can move onto Z. If only the world worked so well. Kiely argues that periodisation has only ever been tested against repeated training, doing the same thing every day, all week.

Is it possible that periodisation works because it is varied, rather than the linear pathway it follows?

No one has all the answers

Is endurance running theory developing to the extent that we’re realising we understand less than we thought?

In reality, the complexity of each individual situation can open doors and provide more opportunity for improvement, if we accept that at times we don’t really know what’s going to happen.

RELATED: The importance of self reflection 

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The post Is there a perfect way to train as a runner? appeared first on Fast Running.

In the second instalment of a two part series, the endurance coach at Athletics Ireland shares insights from his own experiences and highlight the key traits needed to be successful in the world of coaching.

Here is Macklin’s rundown on the traits needed to be the best running coach you can be.

1. Relationships

It’s all about relationships. The bottom line is that you are coaching people and not machines, building a relationship with your athletes and having open and honest communication is key for success.

2. Art vs Science

Coach the individual and match that to the event they are training for. Determine the physiological, mechanical and psychological profile of the athlete and match it to event demands. Not all athletes are similar and not all respond the same to different types of training.

3. Resilience

Coaches must be resilient themselves and be prepared for a rollercoaster ride. Coaching is not an easy gig, so many ups and downs, challenges and so many questions without answers at times. We must be resilient, strong and be ready for the long haul.

It’s all about the journey and not the destination.

4. Positives in the negatives

Sometimes a poor workout or race is not always a negative. Just because a single workout or race doesn’t go as planned, don’t panic. Stick to the process, keep to your plan and usually it works itself out.

When something doesn’t go to plan, it’s an opportunity to learn which is positive in the long run.

5. Listen to your athletes

Stop sometimes and just listen to your athletes. It sounds very simple but sometimes as coaches, we can do all the talking, all the advice giving and sometimes we just need to sit back and listen to our athletes.

Let them be open and honest and give their reflections and feedback.

6. Don’t be afraid to fail

Don’t be afraid to fail, this is where we learn. When we fail we learn, bottom line. If we are not failing sometimes we are not learning.

7. Normalise excellence and lifestyle balance

Bring your best self to each and every day, have balance in your lifestyle as a coach. To perform at your best you must look after yourself as well as your athletes do. Busy people need to cultivate forms of rest (hobbies) because they are permanently unable to simply do nothing.

8. Positive reinforcement

Tell your athletes that you believe in them, this is powerful. How many coaches have said this to an athlete they coach? Try it and see what happens.

9. Improve as a coach by coaching

Get out and coach as much as you can. “Learning is experience, everything else is just information” Albert Einstein.

We learn in the trenches, get out and get yourself dirty!

10. Self-reflection

Self-reflection is key for both athletes and coaches to foster learning and make improvements going forward.

Reflect on your own coaching style, your philosophy, your communication with athletes, your training ethos and your planning.

11. Encourage your athlete to be themselves

Teach an athlete to be the ‘best them’ and not try to copy others. Every athlete is an individual with their own personality and should always be themselves.

12. Don’t be afraid to change

If an athlete isn’t responding to the training you are trying to implement with them then change it. Bottom line is that every athlete responds differently to different stimuli so play around with things and see what works and what doesn’t.

It’s all about trial and error until you find what works best and essentially what produces the best results.

13. Recognise what brings the best out of your athletes

Do some of what the athlete likes doing in training. Sometimes it becomes all about what we think works as coaches, possibly working on their weaknesses etc. But athletes like doing some of what they enjoy, so make sure to incorporate this into their programme.

14. Methodology

A good coach with a sound methodology is a weathered captain steering a ship… he knows the sea and can read warning signs. Study the sport, learn from athletes and other coaches and find that sound methodology. Be present with them as much as possible and read the warning signs.

15. Experiment

Coaching and athlete development is like a random experiment, one where you cannot be absolutely sure what the outcome would be prior to performing the experiment. No coach can be 100% sure of any training plan, nobody has the magic formula, it doesn’t exist!

16. Athlete foundations

Do not neglect the foundations of athletic development when coaching athletes at a young age i.e stability, mobility, balance, coordination, agility, speed, strength, skill of running, quality of movement etc.

This will put the athlete in a better place to handle a certain amount of volume & intensity at a later stage in their athletic careers.

17. Training programme

When writing a training programme ask yourself why am I doing this and what is the reason behind it? Is it founded on logic and common sense? Have a reason for each and every day.

18. Athlete buy-in

A coach must help an athlete understand the theory behind the training they are doing to increase buy-in and belief. It’s important athletes understand what they are doing and the reasons and benefits behind it. This will help increase belief and buy-in to what they are doing.

19. Best coaching style?

The best coaching style is one that is genuine to you. Learn from but don’t try to imitate others. Be yourself and bring your own strengths to the table but always keep working on your weaknesses.

20. Knowledge is power

Any coach who is through learning is through! The biggest learning tool for a coach is the athletes themselves.

Learn from them, learn from others, learn from anywhere you can. Soak up every ounce of information you can get your hands on and then filter what is of most relevance to you and your athletes.

In the first part of this series, Steven Macklin shared the 15 things successful runners and athletes do, it can be found here.

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