Quote of the Day — Canova on Running Fast
“One thing is sure: if you want to run fast in competition, you must run fast in training. The problem is WHEN and HOW — not IF.” — Renato Canova
Here are a couple other of my favorite Canova quotes :
“Training is everything that you do in your life that can modify or can build some different characteristic.”
“A Kenyan runner’s mentality is to run at the right speed. The Western runner’s mentality is to run the right distance.”
I first read these quotes as a young coach. They all gave me pause to stop and think, "why would he say that?"
Canova knows what matters to racing at a high level: Run fast. Do it often. And as much as you can.
Most importantly, he knows that training of runners is not a simplistic enterprise composed solely of tracking miles run and recording workout splits. It’s far more sophisticated than that.
Effective training is an integrated approach which evolves a runner's characteristics and focus, ideally concurrently. This is tougher than it sounds. To change isn't easy. Inertia must be overcome. And to simultaneously shift multiple areas of competency requires a type of relentless enthusiasm, drive, and ambition which few possess.
Canova sums it up well:
"If you want to be a top athlete you have to be a little bit wild, not be an accountant."