What can Bill Rodgers teach you?

Sunday, August 17, 2014 · Mike Davis

Good morning! My coffee maker just pushed the last drops into the craft, so I have some fresh hot coffee and ready to enjoy a cup with y'all! Some time ago Boston Marathon winner and local hero Bill Rodgers had a goal to break the time record for the 50 year old age group. With his glory days long passed he wanted to once again capture a special moment on his hometown course. So Rodger's training went quite successful, with long runs and other key components that targeted his ultimate pace and goal finish time. April came and he was ready to once again conquer Boston if only in the 50 age group. I would very much like to end this little history story with Bill Rodgers coming across the finish line at whatever time would be the new record for the 50 year old age group, however Mr. Rodgers unfortunately dropped out somewhere around mile 17. While the jest of my story is true, some of the specific details may not be perfect. No doubt Bill Rodger's is a local hero to many older runners as he was one of the last Americans to win at Boston before the onslaught of Kenyans begin their domination. The fascinating part of the story for me as a running coach is more tied to the practical significance of Rodger's results. Along with his inability to cap off his training with a successful race, there have been numerous races where Rodger's had finished fairly back in the pack, behind many his own age or even older. We all understand and even begrudgingly accept that younger runners will eventually push us further to the back of the pack, but after being one of the best, how can it be that many unknowns that are the same age or older can regularly finish ahead of great runners such as Bill Rodger's. Rodger's is not alone in his inability to continue to find success as the years and miles increased. Many of the great runners of the passed continue to compete but the results are somewhat less successful as these once great runners are finishing behind many every day runners of there same age groups. Besides the idea that we might actually be able to beat a former champion the significance of this is important for all runners. Being an elite runner requires a lot of training and a lot of miles, but with that comes lots of pounding. Running half marathons and marathons require a lot of training, lots of miles and lots of pounding. There is definitely a difference between training as an elite and training as a recreational runner, but ultimately the pounding our body receives is similar for various reasons. While many recreational runners run a sub 4 hour marathon, elite runners typically cross a finish line in almost less than half that time. Training to run for 4 hours requires lots of miles and pounding, training to run half that time somewhat equal out that same level of pounding. Studies of have found that recreational runners actually put greater stress on their bodies while training and participating in races based on factors such as time running, amount of steps, poor running form (get a gait analysis) and in proper nutrition. Obviously elite runners have tools that give them advantages over recreational runners, but some of the differences are not the results of inferior training tools but more because of our abilities as well as lack of understanding. Knowing how we run for example is critical in our overall running efficiency and equally important the healthiness of our running. Elite runners spend many hours reviewing their gait analysis and always looking for an edge, but they are also trying to decipher reasons for certain injuries or just a particular pain that occurs. We do gait analysis a lot at NFLR and people most runners really have no idea how they run! Another area that has been found to equal the playing field when it comes to recreational runners and the great runners when it comes to injuries and long term running is in the area of recovery. Professional runners typically run 3 events over a two year period and after each event they take the correct time off for recovery. What is the correct time? Well that goes back to the training aspect and is relative to what you put your body through. Most elite runners take between 3 weeks and a month of downtime from running, focusing on other body parts and functions. Conversely, recreational runners are increasingly running more races and taking far less recovery time. Having worked with many runners I see more and more these instances play out and I really cringe. Many times I am congratulating someone for finishing a marathon or half just as they are about to go running with their friends only a week after having run their big event. I understand the various reasons recreational runners want to be right back out there as well as the desire to keep taking on different events with their friends. But those that people that know me, they understand that I am about a life time of running and in order to do that, you have to run responsibly and with discipline. Recovery is a critical part of healthy running along with choosing how many long races to run over a given period of time. Running more than one marathon a year is quite taxing on the body and while there are some that appear to get away with it, statistics are facts and those statistics are clear that we only have so many miles in our body. Factor in that most recreational runners don't run with the proper running gait which compounds the problem. Bill Rodger's is in a different realm altogether from me, but I have learned a lot about running long term from his experience as well as many other great runners. If the goal is to run for many years we need to understand the results of what we are doing today. I recently came up with the saying: "Every step matters", in relation to approaching a run, but I believe you can expand that to our overall running as well. Every step matters each and every time we train because we are ultimately determining our ability to continue to run healthy and for a length of time. Please consider consulting with NFLR sometime as to how best to insure a life time of running. Have a great Sunday! Mike