Another week, another newsletter.

My name is Tom Lawrence and each week I present you with:

• Evidence-based training and wellness concepts

• Ideas from the endurance and weightlifting world that you can apply to your own life

• Actionable tips to maximise your physical and mental performance with immediate effect

All of this is presented with a hint of sarcasm from a human who has coached over 12,000 hours, ran more than 2000km last year and lifted an average of more than 2 tonnes per day last year.

My next event - Half Ironman (29 April 2023)

As always though, before we dive into this week’s newsletter:

TLC

TUNE

Make It Happen - Dom Dolla Remix.

LESSON

‘Show me your schedule, I’ll show you your priorities. Show me your friendship group, I’ll show you your roof’

CONTENT

The Lex Fridman Podcast with Roger Gracie #343.

So You’re New To Running?

As more and more people become interested in fitness, testing their limits and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, running has become a popular endeavour.

However, not all new runners are aware of the importance of alternating hard and easy training days.

Not alternating your hard and easy training days will result in poor results, injury and failure.

Here are some reasons why new runners must alternate their hard and easy training days:

1) To Prevent Injury:

Running causes stress on your muscles, joints and bones. If you push yourself too hard without giving your body time to recover, you will injure yourself. Rest and recovery are just as important as your training, and alternating hard and easy training days will help you prevent overuse injuries.

2) Avoid Burnout:

As with any activity, if you do the same thing over-and-over-and-over-and-over, much like reading this sentence; you get bored.

Mixing up your routine with both hard and easy training days will help prevent boredom and keep running enjoyable. Consistently trying to run at your maximum effort is mentally exhausting, and it will lead to burnout and decreased motivation.

Where is the sweet spot for hard and easy running? Check this newsletter out for a step-by-step process.

3) Take Advantage Of Newbie Gains:

When you first start an exercise program, your body will adapt rapidly. Alternating training days will lead to improved performance by allowing your body to fully recover before the next intense workout.

When you consistently push yourself to the limit, your body will not have enough time to recover and adapt, leading to stagnation in progress and mental/physical burnout.

Additionally, easy training days help develop your aerobic capacity, allowing for improved endurance during your harder runs.

4) An Opportunity To Cross-Train:

Incorporating other exercise modalities such as resistance training or yoga into your routine will help improve your overall health. Cross-training provides other exercise benefits such as improved:

• Balance

• Flexibility

• Coordination…

… which all aid in preventing injury and improving overall performance.

Alternating hard and easy training days and incorporating cross-training will ensure you are able to stay strong, injury-free and running for years to come.

What Do Legendary Running Coaches Say About Alternating Hard and Easy Training?

Bill Bowerman (BB) and Bill Dellinger (BD), the coaches behind a dynasty of great runners from the University of Oregon (and 2 people who were influential in the creation of Nike), were some of the first coaches to coach in a manner that alternated hard and easy days.

They observed their runners:

• Progress faster

• Stay injury free

• Recover quicker

• Stay engrossed/engaged…

…after a suitable recovery period was adhered to, post-hard training session.

For some, this period was 24 hours, and for others 48 hours. This meant that all who trained under BB and BD trained on a:

• Hard day/Easy day routine or;

• A Hard day/Easy day/Easier day routine

What Do I Say?

I say a few things:

1) Listen to your body. Take notes, write after your sessions - don’t guess, record.

2) If have a busy lifestyle, a physical or demanding job; start with the hard/easy/easier model. Your life is busy enough and you need to be able to recover.

3) Staying injury free and consistent is the key to running success - start slow/smart and be patient.

4) Lift weights. Running fitness is great, but you will be thankful for skeletal muscle, healthy joints and good bone makeup later in life.

5) If you want if have an easy run scheduled but you are sore and not feeling it, here is what I do:

• (total run time) x 1.5 = (total cycle time @ comparable Heart Rate)

I cycle instead using the above formula to keep active, reduce impact and change it up.

Happy running this week squad - take care out there (but be risky!),

Coach Tom xoxo