Back in June, I watched online as Faith Kipyegon unsuccessfully tried becoming the worldâs first sub-4 miler woman. The event was one of those multi-million-dollar circus shows put on by Nike to test human physical limitations. It was elaborate enough that, just like Eliud Kipchogeâs Sub-2 in 2019, it would not have counted as a world record should she succeed.
Athletics and the principle of diminishing returns (Image by ChatGPT)
Kipchoge needed to improve his marathon time by 100 seconds, and he did, finishing 19 seconds ahead of his previous record. Kipyegon needed to shave about 8 seconds (7.65) to achieve her goal, but she ended up about 6.5 seconds short. Even with the circus, space technology, support, and male pacing, she couldnât do it.
The failed attempt got me thinking about a basic concept in economics that easily applies to running: the principle of diminishing returns. In economics, this means that ff you improve one variable while keeping all the others constant, the incremental output gained from each extra unit will eventually fall. In other words, building a skyscraper in one day wonât be solved with more workers.
The same principle applies in athletics. Dr. George Sheehan, one of the greatest running writers, put it this way: âThe first mile is the most helpful one as far as conditioning goes. Each succeeding one gives less and less benefit than the one before. Runners who work more and more are working for less and less. [âŚ] It doesnât take much to get 90% fitness, only a few miles a day. But it takes progressively more and more training as you get closer to your ultimate potential. At the highest levels, you are putting in a huge investment for a very small return. It is the small gains what makes the difference between winning and losing.â
Think about it, itâs obvious. If not, it would be a matter of time and more miles before we all became elite athletes and broke world records. We all have a limit, and while reaching it is feasible, it requires a tremendous amount of work.
I recently heard Coach Steve Magness share a story where Shalane Flanagan told him something along the lines of, âThe difference between being in 2:30 marathon shape and 2:20 is astronomical.â For you and me, average, mid-to-back-of-the-pack marathoners, a 10-minute improvement may be a diligent training cycle away. For elites in a Marathon Major, this same result guarantees them peeing in a cup to verify cheating.
Nice background, Coach! But how does this apply to me, the average weekend warrior?
It is about training smarter, not harder (Image by ChatGPT)
I am glad you asked! The point of this introduction is for the reader to understand that the curve of progress in running flattens as we improve. It is a reality we canât solve with harder training. Progress is not a linear proposition.
And, while achieving the last 10% requires an astronomical effort, it is feasible. It is about figuring out what works for you. Just because Jacob Ingebrigtsen uses the Norwegian double threshold method doesnât mean it is the solution youâve been looking for. He is in such shape that this is the only type of training that will extract the extra hundredths of a second needed to break a world record. This training may land you, my dear average-runner reader, on the injury list.
Working around the principle of diminishing returns to reach your apex requires smarter training. Not just harder. As gains slow, finding that sweet spot between effort and recovery is the magic sauce. It may mean varying your workouts, adjusting intensity levels, or prioritizing recovery and nutrition more seriously. As we improve, we must tune into our bodyâs signals, such as fatigue, soreness, or lack of motivation. These can guide adjustments before you hit a training (or overtraining) wall. If in doubt, a training plan tailored exclusively for you may help you progress without burning out.
In conclusion, In athletics, more is not necessarily better. Most of what elite runners do to squeeze that last sliver of greatness out of their performance does not apply to you. We are all limitless, sure, but not in all areas of our human performance, athletics being one of them. Letâs work hard to reach our goals, but not at the expense of burning out.
What are your thoughts on this principle? I will read and answer your comments.
Back in April 2021, I published a guest blog post titled âRunning With Lymphomaâ, written by Annamarie McCormickHowell. The content is self-explanatory. Ten days ago, I received an email from Jen M, a runner with lymphoma who found the post and asked if I could put her in contact with the author. This made me wonder about Annamarieâs journey since then, so I invited her for an update.
Thank you again for the opportunity! Jen told me how long and hard she searched to find a person, a study, any data on people who run through lymphoma or R-CHOP, and the article you published is the only tangible thing she was able to find. I had no idea there wasn’t a larger body of humans doing precisely what I did, so I appreciate you connecting us!!
Life looks different than it did back on the day of my Chemotherapy Half Marathon, though some things remain the same, primarily, the daily morning run.
After cancer, nothing returns to normal, though I did notice a few weeks after R-CHOP, I had the sensation that I imagine to be akin to blood dopingâhaving the appropriate number of white and red blood cells again made me feel unstoppable, as the chemo drugs slowly exited my system. I was able to run more, sustain paces, and even dabble in a few local races! After a few months, the novelty wore off a bit when I plateaued. I felt disappointment, followed by immediate guilt: I was alive, and my cancer wasnât. How could I possibly be dissatisfied with something as trivial as running when I had managed to survive such an experience?
Winning the womenâs race and 2nd overall at the 18.12 Challenge earlier this summer!
It was then that the universe gave me the greatest gift: a coach who saw not who I was in that moment, but who I could be. The indomitable April approached my training with expertise, confidence, and solidarity. Her lack of doubt in my abilities and body made up for ALL the doubt I was feeling. She literally ran into my life and began to push me in the most loving, challenging, unforeseen ways.
We started focusing on macronutrients, as I had lost a good amount of muscle mass to the chemo, and started training for short distancesâ specifically the 5K, with repeats like I had never performed before in my life. A few months later I felt like a new person, not the person I was before cancer, but someone who had transformed all those brand new âbaby cellsâ after chemo into an athlete I didnât know I could become. I began lifting heavy and loading my muscles and tendons as much as I could handle. I ran every workout April wrote for me, even the ones I looked at and thought âThere is NO wayâŚâ
Since then, I have run a multitude of races and distances, including a marathon PR at Chicago in 2022, surprised and shocked by the amazing community support I received, spearheaded by my incredible coach. Today I am a stronger runner than I have ever been- before or after cancer. It hasnât been easy, linear, or without setbacks, but no oneâs running journey is predictable.
My previous blog post about cancer started with my 32nd birthday run, and this one will close with my 37th birthday run: this year I ran 37 happy, healthy, strong miles in this post-cancer body.
Coach Annamarie McCormick-Howell is an RRCA Certified Running Coach and an ACSM Certified Personal Trainer. She lives in Sackets Harbor, NY. You can follow her on Instagram at @amcchowell or reach her via email at amccormickhowell@yahoo.com.
Running has made news for many decades. Even though the running boom is more of a recent phenomenon, Roger Bannister broke the 4-minute mile barrier 70+ years ago, and the Boston Marathon has been running since 1897. But this book has a different approach. As the title states, it has to do with running making history, not just running news. The common thread is that the author witnessed everything covered in the 21 articles/essays in which this book is divided.
His journey starts on July 30, 1948, at the London Olympics, when, as an 8-year-old kid, he witnessed Emil Zatopek become the first human to run the 10,000 in under 30 minutes; through October 2, 2016, when he saw 65-year-old Kathryn Martin become the oldest woman to run a sub-20 5K, and Libby James, at 80, ran 25:11.
A well-written book by an eyewitness of the greatest running moments over 7 decades
Born in 1939, Roger Robinson is a celebrated runner, scholar, and author. A professor emeritus of English at Victoria University of Wellington and a Ph.D. graduate from Cambridge, he is an authority on New Zealand literature. As a runner, the author competed internationally from 1966 to 1995, winning Masters-level marathons in the 1980s and continuing to race into his 80s despite two knee replacements. An award-winning sports journalist and author of Running in Literature (2003), he is a prominent voice in running history. He resides in New York State and New Zealand with his wife, Kathrine Switzer (yes, that Kathrine Switzer), author of Marathon Woman.
The author has witnessed a lot but has also missed a lot. He did not run the first New York City Marathon, nor did he witness Joan Benoit at the 1984 Olympics. But that doesnât take away the impressive collection of first-person accounts spanning from 9 years old through 78.
Robinson saw Abebe Bikila run the cobblestones in the 1960 Rome Olympics, beginning the African dominance in distance running. He was there in 1990 when 26,000 runners went under the Brandenburg Gate, signaling the German reunification during the Berlin Marathon. He ran the 100th Boston Marathon, the 2001 NYC Marathon after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and was there to see Med Keflezhighi become the first American in 31 years to win Boston, just a year after the infamous bombing, among many, many events.
He is like Forrest Gump, serendipitously placed in so many historic events and places when running took center stage. Some as a spectator, some as a participant, and some as one of the multiple moving parts that made the event possible.
There is an interesting essay about his witnessing of what is now the Running Boom. The author spent between June and September 1980 in the United States on teaching commitments and, in the interim, participated in a handful of races. He chronicles the small steps running took to become mainstream. How little races became staples on the calendar, and how the public responded by participating in massive numbers. An industry with race t-shirts, timing companies, nutrition, hydration, media coverage, and sponsorships started taking over, starting at small towns like Fountain Valley, CA, through the birth and explosion of what has become the New York City Marathon.
Beyond a great writer, Robinson is/was an elite runner
As someone who ended up marrying running icon Kathrine Switzer, he delves into an essay about womenâs running. He notes that in England and New Zealand, women were able to run with some but not much interference, unlike in the US, where the stories of Bobby Gibb and Switzer dominated headlines and forced changes.
Because the author is British and has spent most of his life as a New Zealand resident, despite having witnessed many historic running moments in the US, this is not a USA-centric narrative. This makes it even more interesting for many US-based readers, such as me, who tend to see much of the running world through the lens of our local authors.
When Running Made Historyincludes the best description Iâve ever read about hitting the wall. While participating in the 100th Boston Marathon, he writes: âBut suddenly at 18 miles, I started walking. There was no warning, no crisis, no decision. It just happened. I stopped running. My race ended. The tank ran empty. It felt as if somewhere in Newton, there was a dark, fetid hole invisible to the eye, like some dire vortex of fantasy fiction. I fest straight into it. I was powerless, a tattered rag on two bent sticks.â WOW!!
Another gem from this book is: âMarathon Running is a sport of goodwill. Itâs a sport where if a competitor falls, the others around will pick him or her up. It is a sport where never boos anybody.â
When Running Made History is an excellent book for any runner. It is beautifully written and divided into easy-to-read chapters that do not require a massive time commitment. It is a good pick for any runner with the tiniest interest in the history of our sport. It is worth the time and the money.
Please share your thoughts about this book in the comment box below.
Lewis and Sara became marathoners overcoming many setbacks.
Lewis and Sara, a married couple, contacted Foultips Running after falling short in previous marathon attempts. As back-of-the-packers, they missed the finish line cutoff in two prior attempts. Yet, those setbacks became fuel to conquer their goals.
Knowing theyâd spend hours on their feet, we built a solid aerobic base so they could consistently run at least four times a week, including back-to-back long runs on weekends. These long runs were key, as a 15â20 miler would demand too much physically to be beneficial. They both worked diligently and were ready for race day. And then the obstacle course began.
Race-day weather in Miami was expected to be brutal, far from idyllic for back-of-the-packers. So, we opted for a half-marathon. They next registered for the Tobacco Trail Marathon in North Carolina, six weeks later, hoping for better weather. However, the day before, a storm forecast led organizers to shorten the time limit, beyond what they could have achieved. Undeterred, they immediately registered for the Newport Marathon in Oregon, 11 weeks later. This time, they crossed the finish line together and finally became marathoners.
Nothing is guaranteed in marathon training. For some, the path is long and even more challenging. But Lew and Sara persevered in their goal, put in the work back-to-back-to-back, and made it happen. As a coach, you canât ask for more than that.
As long-distance runners, we focus on the long-distance run. Obvious. For marathoners, that 20-miler has been a staple our training for decades. The psychological advantage of having achieved that distance starting with a 2 instead of a 1, when you are about to run 26.2, cannot be overstated.
The benefit of that 20-mile run lies in the time it will take you to complete it (Image by ChatGPT)
Yet, there is no magic to be gained at 20 miles. If you train in kilometers, 20 miles is 32.18 Km, far from a round or memorable number. The âmagic markerâ for those who train in kilometers is 30, for the same psychological reason. This is equivalent to 18.64 miles. Nothing special to that figure either.
But, is there a physiological benefit from running a 20-miler or 30 kilometers, or two or three of them before your marathon? Does it apply to all marathoners? What does science say about this? How does all this apply to you and your training for your next marathon?
Letâs get into it.
While the confidence boost of having a 20 or 22 mile run under your soles is undeniable, its benefits are proven to diminish the longer you are on your feet. The elite Kenyans can cover the distance between less than two hours. The 3-hour runner can do it in 2:30-ish at an easier pace. But the 4-hour marathoner may take 3:45 at an easy pace. You can see the progression.
According to scientific studies: âafter running 3 hours the aerobic benefits (capillary building, mitochondrial development) arenât markedly better than when you run two hours.â This means that a 3-hour run will provide as much aerobic benefit as a 2-hour run. So you will accumulate additional fatigue and need a longer recovery before resuming your normal training.
Iâve read about coaches that do not prescribe 20-mile runs for anyone looking to run over 3:45 in the marathon. Others say 3:30 or even less. Remember that coaching is the intersection between art and science. An art based on science, not a science per se, so trial and error are part of the deal.
In my professional experience, runners that will run their marathons on the slower side than 3:30ish, will benefit from back-to-back runs that will allow accumulated fatigue to do its thing without breaking down the body too much. A long run today followed by a âlongishâ run tomorrow, where you accumulate from 18-22 miles in a weekend, produces better results than plowing through that mileage in one push.
You can achieve more with less time on your feel and more time to recover (Photo Pexels)
This is not to say that for certain runners, at a certain level of fitness, with a certain goals and with enough time to recover, may not benefit from a 20-miler. And I am not discounting the psychological benefit either. What I am stating is that the 20+ miler is not the key to achieve your marathon goals if you are not on the faster side.
Coach Jeff Gaudette, from Runnersâ Connect, wrote recently that one of the two primary reasons why runners get injured is âorogressing their training volume and running speeds at a pace that their body is not ready to handle. Or, as coach Jay Johnson would technically define it, âmetabolic fitness precedes structural readinessââ.
Before you ask, the other reason is structural imbalances and/or bio-mechanical issues.
Coach John Davis, a PhD in biomechanics at Indiana Universityâs School of Public Health, provides the following recommendations when it comes to the long run in a marathon training cycle.
Donât overemphasize the long run, especially when training for the marathon. Not only do aerobic benefits flat line after 2 hours of running, but as this research shows, injury risk increases significantly.
Think prehab rather than rehab. Work on strengthening known or potential weak areas in your running mechanics.
Fix flaws in your running form that become exacerbated during long runs. Improving posture, learning to generate proper hip extension, and fixing overstriding can help prevent many potential injury issues.
In conclusion:
The long run continues to be an essential element of the marathon training. Thereâs no way around it. But contrary to what has been drilled to us for so many years, the qualifying aspect of the long run is time, not necessarily mileage. It is not the longer the merrier. It is the longer you can run without hindering your recovery, the merrier.
