The Most Important Training Lesson

Shortly after I start working with a new runner, I teach the most important training lesson. This lesson is so important because it will serve you well not just when you start running but throughout your running career. If you always follow it, you’ll kick the running injury bug and discover just how good you can be.

When a person starts running, there are a lot of adaptations that take place. New runners notice that, as the weeks go by, their breathing gets more and more under control. Their heart rate is lower (both during exercise and at rest), and they begin to feel more coordinated when they run. Most importantly, their brain no longer screams to stop. The new runner actually begins to enjoy not just running but also running a bit farther and faster.

Here is when the most important training lesson comes in. While your cardiovascular, neurological, and mental systems adapt very quickly to running, the musculoskeletal system (the muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones, and fascia) adapts much more slowly. This is so important that I’m going to state it again: The musculoskeletal system adapts more slowly than the other systems, so even when you feel great and want to advance your training, you must take it slowly to allow the body to get strong enough to handle the running.

This slower adaptation rate is why runners tend to get hurt within three to six months of starting to run. It’s also why runners who are coming back from taking time off or an injury often progress too quickly and get hurt. They feel good! They have the cardiovascular fitness and a cooperative brain to run more, but their musculoskeletal system simply can’t handle it.

A key role of a coach is to restrain runners from building up the training load too fast. My experience is that it takes the musculoskeletal system 25–50% longer to adapt than the other systems of the body. That’s why coaches tell you to listen to your body and why they are always holding athletes back. You simply must be more patient and allow the musculoskeletal system to grow stronger. It will. It just takes a bit more time than most of us would like.

As mentioned, this lesson isn’t just for new runners. Experienced runners get injured as well, and it’s due to the same issue: the musculoskeletal system needs more recovery time than we often give it. I see this with experienced runners not only when returning from injury or a planned break but also when they are trying to advance their training load or even when they are in the midst of their race-specific phase of training. They ramp up the training too fast. The body gets tight. Then come the aches and pains. Then comes the injury.

The bottom line is that the musculoskeletal system is the governor of how quickly you can advance your training. Keep it up, and you will be able to train week after week. And, as I’ll discuss in a moment, that week-on-week consistency is one of the most important aspects of becoming the best runner you can be.

A Recent Example

Here’s a recent example of how I used this lesson to benefit a talented new runner. Julie, age 36 and a mom of two little ones, was a new runner who developed quickly. She was a natural, and from the first few weeks, she got fitter faster than the others in my training group. She quickly got comfortable with 25–30 miles per week and was itching to do more. I, too, was excited to see her reach her potential, but I knew we had better be careful.

From experience, I had a feeling she would do really, really well at 40–50 miles per week. She was that talented and driven. But instead of just letting her go from no running to 50 miles per week in three to four months, I deliberately slowed her buildup. Using the knowledge that the musculoskeletal system takes 25–50% longer to adapt, we very slowly eased up to 40–50 miles.

After using eight weeks to build up and get her comfortable at 25–30 miles per week, she wanted to run 25–30 miles one week, then 30–35 the next, then 40–45, then 40–50. You probably agree that that would be too much, too soon.

Instead, here’s what we did starting in week 9:

As you can see, the buildup was very gradual and always included a “down week” every third week to give her musculoskeletal system time to adapt.

Julie wasn’t thrilled with this plan and really wanted to run more, but I knew if we did it right, she’d avoid the trap so many of us fall into, where she’d get excited about running and then get hurt. Luckily, she’s very coachable and stuck to the plan.

The Result

The result? She never got hurt. She stacked week after week after week of successful running, and here we are, six months from starting the program, and she’s ready to tackle her next running ambition: qualifying for the Boston Marathon.

By taking the time to gradually build up Julie’s training, we avoided overloading her musculoskeletal system too quickly. This allowed it to properly adapt and get strong enough to handle more running volume over time. Now she’s in a great position to achieve her goal of qualifying for Boston!

The key lesson is to have patience and intentionally hold yourself back, even if you feel ready for more. Give your body the extra time it needs to physically adapt to the training. Do this properly from the start, and you’ll set yourself up for long-term running success!

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