As a coach, I have most of my athletes coming to me from having the following experiences: repeated injuries from the training they were doing, or thinking that they can do better, they just don’t know how to do it. The common denominator, they were using a pre-made, generic plan.

To those who have used pre-made plans, and found success. Did you find success because of the plan? Or in spite of the plan?

Some of it is in the shoe construction itself! Different shoes have different foams that are more durable (and resistant to compression), different shoes have thicker midsoles that just have more cushion that CAN absorb the shock. Finally, the construction of the outsole both in the type of rubber they use as well as the shape will determine how much wear and tear it can take before it breaks down and you start tearing up the midsole. Typically though, the more durable the shoe, the heavier it is so your lighter (and faster shoes) are going to have a shorter lifespan than your thick cushy trainer.

Want to decrease muscle soreness after a workout? Want to reduce your injury risk? Want to heal an injury? Want to prevent or decrease severity of illness? Want to improve your ability to “push through” during a workout?

Let me introduce you to the hottest, latest, most advanced recovery method out there on the market.

Sleep.

The weather is changing and it can lead to a perfect excuse for staying in and snuggling on the couch instead of hitting the roads. Not a horrible idea if your priority is snuggles, not the greatest if your priority is working on building consistency, getting fitter, and training for a race.

So take this week’s blog as your opportunity to get ahead of the excuse to skip the run and get the gear you need to make sure you’re able to hold consistent not matter the weather.

BUT, the full marathon isn’t a great fit for everybody at all times – without the right combination of bandwidth and training base, picking a marathon as your goal race right now can be a really tough goal that might not be super productive for your goals as a runner and could also lead to the following; injury, burn out (leading to quitting of running or an extended break making more progress difficult), illness, or quitting before you get to the start line.

Unpopular opinion, the long run isn’t all that.

Am I saying you don’t need to do them? Absolutely, freaking, not. Am I saying they’re way overhyped AND contributing to disappointment and injuries within the running population? YES.