Have you ever stayed one hundred percent well for a whole training plan? Most runners find they get some kind of illness or niggle, especially when training for a marathon or ultra when the plans are commonly 16 weeks or more. It can be really frustrating and getting ill or injured means taking time out of the plan to recover.
I think what many runners miss is the idea that your approach to a training plan has to be holistic. We just tend to focus on the running bit. I include myself in this because I’ve been there and done that with most running and training mistakes! If you want to stay healthy you need to consider all aspects of your health.
There are three components to good health, physical health, mental health and social health. All are needed for good health and they all affect each other. If you have good social health you are more likely to have good physical and mental health for example. That sweet spot in the middle when all three are in good shape is where you want to be during your training and at the start line of your event. Yet, all three of these are vulnerable during a training block. Here’s why:
Physical health – Obviously this is under pressure throughout your training plan. You are stressing your body, demanding new things of it, pushing your pace, distance speed or frequency of running. There is the potential to over do it or at least take it close to the wire. Training sensibly, eating well and resting enough are all crucial for good physical health.
Mental health – You may have set expectations for yourself or you may feel the weight of others’ expectations on you. It can be hard to stay focussed and motivated through a whole plan. At the end of the day, fitting it all into your life can be a bit stressful at times. There is a lot to do and more demands on you as you try to get the balance right. This is at a time when you’re using a lot of energy on improving your physical health and prepping for you race. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed.
Social health – It’s interesting how social health can have a positive or negative knock-on effect to both physical and mental health. Why is this vulnerable during marathon training? This does depend on your approach. You may have to miss out on things to free up time for running or go home early to get a good sleep. You may also find that as you get deep in the training, you talk A LOT about running and become a marathon bore. If you’re fundraising it can add an extra dimension, people crossing the street in fear of you asking them for more money or roping them in to help with whatever you are organising – it happens!
Just being aware that all three of these areas are needed to stay healthy can help you to approach your training differently. All areas of your health can be affected and you can keep a check on them. Ask yourself, how am I feeling physically mentally and socially? Don’t just think about the miles you need to cover in the week ahead. Consider what you will do to destress or stay motivated. Who can you chat to? Would sharing why this marathon is so important to you help to explain to your mates why you’re not going on the pub crawl at the weekend.
Take some time to think about these three areas of health for you and how they might be affected over the coming weeks. Arriving at the start line healthy is not just about running and doing some strength work, it’s much more than that. Always think of the bigger picture.
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Featured image: Image by Nilachal Padmashanti from Pixabay
