A Runner Must be Consistent with Their Program to See Stable Improvement
Bowerman's Training Principles
4. A runner must be consistent with their program, day after day, year after year, to enjoy stable improvement.
Consistent training, no matter the type or direction, has structural impacts on the body. This happens at every level: DNA, cellular, nervous system, energy systems, muscular, bone, avascular tissues, psychology, etc.
For the sake of expediency, modern coaches and athletes justify training in terms of the systems we believe are impacted most and/or can measure easiest. In running, it’s common to justify training approaches with regards to components which advance endurance like aerobic development, lactate threshold, VO2 Max, etc.
But the body is a complex, interconnected, unified whole. It makes little sense to think of the cardiovascular system as separate from the nervous system. And even less sense to talk about anaerobic and aerobic development as entirely separate processes. All bodily systems are at a constant interplay, all the time until we die.
Complexity is hard to grasp so we simplify. And sometimes when we simplify, we think phenomena are grossly more simplistic than they really are: like athletic development.
There are certain biological processes that cannot be rushed. All the great coaches and athletes know this. We can attempt to rush them, but the gains made won’t be as stable.
Development takes time.
What separates master coaches like Bowerman, Dan Pfaff, Vern Gambetta, Jerry Schumacher, etc. from their peers is one thing: patience.
That’s their secret. They’re all really patient.
They figured out the regularity of training and a long-term plan for achieving an athlete’s goals are two of the most important components to athletic success.
It’s easy to think and act in the short term, but it’s much more profitable to think and plan long term. But it’s hard to do. We have to fight our cravings for immediate gratification.
No matter how much we want instant success, we can’t ignore this truth:
The fastest path to achieving your goals is showing up to work without interruption for years on end.
Those who try to circumvent this reality rarely enjoy stable improvement or success. They are in such a rush to get in shape and get results that they end up burning out, getting hurt, or being inconsistent and unable to repeatedly perform at a high level.
We typically overestimate what we can do in a day, and underestimate what we can do in a year.
So the next time you get overly excited to get in shape quick remember:
Regular training, done daily, over years, compounds — resulting in stable improvement and sustained high performance.