*Written for the Himali blog*
Since the age of 15, running has consumed my athletic world. Inspired by my mom, an accomplished runner in her own right, I’ve been in love with the sport ever since.
Over the years, I have dealt with my fair share of injuries, mostly related to overuse, but nonetheless have had the opportunity to experience some incredible places and races. Two particular times I didn’t make it to the start line due to injury have got me thinking a bit harder about training and how to stay healthy. Now, almost 10 years later, I like to think I’ve become just a bit wiser, or at least learned a bit about the art of balancing life.
Overtraining is a common problem in endurance athletes. Especially when training for one sport, it is easy to over do it. Looking back at my running career, there have been many times when I have suffered from overuse injuries and burnout without fully realizing that was the case. One of the key issues I ran into was a lack of strength and mobility to help build a resilient body. I was in the mindset that to be a better runner, you had to run more miles, period.
I’ve since learned that being a well-rounded athlete is much healthier, and can actually help you as a runner. It took a lot of trial and error, fear of bulking up, and going against what I was being told. Today, I see myself as a mountain athlete; well-rounded, embracing my muscular body, and focused on multiple disciplines with a common theme—mountains.
There are some key things I think about as an elite athlete training for multiple disciplines. While I am not a coach of anyone other than myself, here is what I have learned from training myself for multiple 100 mile finishes, as well as several podiums, wins and course records.
Training as a multi-sport athlete is one of the hardest but also the most rewarding things I’ve ever done! Finding the balance and dance between disciplines and where they overlap is a really fun puzzle.
Below are some of my personal favorites for keeping my body happy, healthy and chugging along:
More Snacks = More Fun = Better Performance
When I’m going out on a big run adventure I like to plan my snacks like a menu. The menu varies depending on the length of that run/adventure.
1-4 hours: A variety of sweet, easy to eat on-the-run snacks
Half day: Sweet snacks + something salty (a handful of potato chips, pickles, or nuts), and depending on the time of day, a small wrap of some kind (avocado and cheese are my favorite!)
Full Day: Sweet + salty snacks, a wrap but with some more protein (I might add beans or hummus), and then a Snickers or similar candy bar (especially if there is a summit involved!)
Rest Days are Training Days
I put a huge amount of focus on rest days. I really try to make these full-on rest days for both mind and body. Usually this looks like a walk in the morning, followed by some stretching/yoga, as well as planning a movie night with my partner. I find that I need to have a balance of gentle movement along with quality time with loved ones to really feel rested. I also try to focus on eating and hydrating enough on these days.
Homemade Pizza + Movie Night
This combo is sometimes coupled with rest days, or it can be a nice addition to a hard training day, if you have the energy. We make pizza together, then eat it while watching a movie. I find these types of nights to be really helpful for life balance.
Think of Your Body Like a Cup of Coffee
Think of your body like a nice hot cup of coffee; each workout is a little sip from that coffee but whether the sip is running, climbing, skiing, or something else, they are all a sip. Eventually that cup will be empty and need to be refilled. Take time to refill your cup with some delicious fresh coffee, whether that be coffee, tea, or time with friends.
Example Training Split:
Monday: REST
Tuesday: Speed workout, lifting/climbing workout
Wednesday: recovery run, endurance/higher volume climbing workout
Thursday: tempo run, dynamic strength
Friday: easy run, light strength
Saturday: big running
Sunday: bug climbing day
*Sometimes weekends blend together to become one big alpine objective including both running and climbing.
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