Tip:  Learn to evaluate your running.

One of the biggest mistakes runners make is in their evaluation of their running, both training and racing. Example: let's say your PR for 5k is 25:00 (which is 8:00 per mile) and at some point in the year you run a race in 27:00. Are you happy? No, you're probably furious! But maybe you shouldn't be. If you ran your PR on a flat or downhill (but legally certified) course, on a windless morning with temperatures in the low fifties, then you had a great chance to PR. Your 25:00 is still a valid PR, but you ran it in perfect conditions, on a fast course. Conversely, if you ran a 27:00 at mid-day, with temperatures in the eighties, on a hilly course, then I might argue the two performances - though they are over 30 seconds a miles different - are probably very similar performances, and you should be happy with 27:00.

Same things goes with your training runs. We all have loops that we run several times a month and we tend to get frustrated when we run these loops a minute or two slower than "normal". But what's "normal" if you're a new parent who's up all night with an infant or you're working extremely long hours on a project at work? Two minutes slower than normal over a sixty minute loop is nothing if you've gotten half as much sleep the night before you normally do.

I know this is hard - properly evaluating your performances - but it's an important part of becoming a runner who is happy, healthy and racing well.

Jay Johnson

*Coach Jay's advice is provided as general training information. Use at your own risk. Always consult with your own heath care provider for questions relating to your specific training and nutrition.

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