Early in the year, I spend time on-boarding a new group of runners to my running program. It can be somewhat stressful, as there are always a lot of logistics to organize and operations to put in place. One of the things that I’m very thankful for is a group of runners who have participated for multiple years. There is a core group that have participated in every season and iteration of the program.

Despite all the logistics, the one thing I absolutely enjoy is getting to know the new participants. What their goals are, why they have chosen to become a runner and what currently holds them back from achieving their dreams. There is a point where all of the on-boarding is complete and it comes time to start training.

When the training program starts, there is often a lot of education that takes place. Novice and experienced runners alike, want to know why I’ve made the training decisions that I’ve made. What value does a specific run have? Why am I not utilizing the most recent training strategy discussed in Runners World, or highlighted on another coach’s social media account? By far the most common question I get from new-to-my-group runners is, “Do I really have to walk?”

My response to this question used to be, “Yes”. Then I would share the justification for why I believed everyone I work with could benefit from utilizing a run-walk strategy in specific ways within their training. I explain how using a run-walk pattern could benefit a majority of runners in races that challenges their endurance. All of this education and effort to provide what I believe to be optimized coaching advice.

All of that coaching is based on one assumption, which I have learned over time, is not always a true assumption. That assumption is based on the idea that the runner’s biggest motivation is to optimize their performance. To finish a race with the best possible time they can achieve.

I have learned over the 17 years that I have been coaching adults to be runners, that sometimes running is not about optimizing performance. It is about optimizing their health or happiness. This is a truth that I forgot for a period of time. It is a reality that I developed a blind-spot for. However, it is something I’ve become hyper aware of again. It is this self-awareness and deep understanding of this truth, which lead me to develop the Happier and Healthier You program last year.

In 2017 I ended up running three marathons. I completed all three races without an ‘optimized’ plan. In fact, I ran the two fall marathons with my longest run in the three prior months being 10 miles. That was a fact I did not even realize until after I went back over my Strava logs after the first marathon in September.

Why did I allow that to happen? If a client came to me and asked if they could train for a marathon and only do a ten mile long run, I would say “No!”. So again, how did that happen? It happened as a result of what I spent my year optimizing my running around - being happy. I ran with the single goal to find happiness.

This topic is very fresh on my mind, because as I shared, I have a new group of runners asking questions about why their training programs include different types of workouts. As I reply to their inquiries, I am left with feelings of hypocrisy. These feelings are because I know that my own training plan is currently operating on different principles. Here are a few “mistakes” I am currently making, if I was to optimize for performance.

I run almost everyday. We are thirty-six days into 2018 and I have taken one day off. I forced myself to take it off because I started thinking about “how long is my streak”, which is not something I wanted to think about. However, I am very certain that I would be better taking more days off and obtaining better recovery.

I run every run at the same effort. This is one of the biggest mistakes I try and correct with all of my runners. There should be easy days and hard days.

I haven’t run more than eleven miles for my long run.

I run the same route each day for almost a week straight. This means I am not getting the benefit of different stimulus that some hills could provide and are plentiful here in Kentucky.

Why am I satisfied with my running, knowing that I have done very little to optimize my running program for performance? I am satisfied because I have chosen to continue to optimize for happiness, at the risk of having sub-optimal performances. I run every day, on a route that I’ve preplanned for the week and at a pace that feels comfortable, because it provides me the most personal reward from the activity.

Today, when a runner asks me, “Do I really have to walk?”, I often try and discover if the individual is trying to optimize their training for performance or happiness. If they are focused on performance, I will almost always say, “Yes.” However, if they are seeking happiness, then there are many different opportunities for programming, as long as we are not putting their health at risk.