13 Reasons Runners Fail

Quality training is like good music. It has central themes and it has a certain rhythm to keep, but it also needs variation.
 
There are a number of reasons why runners do not to reach their goals, do not progress and ultimately fail. This occurs at all levels of ability. You can fail as a beginner trying to establish a good running routine. You can crash out as an elite athlete, pushing yourself to repeated injury or even retirement.
 
In my experience the most susceptible of all are those somewhere in the middle, with enough confused knowledge to be dangerous.
 
Here’s a list of only the most common ways in which things can go pear-shaped.

​Read carefully. Do any of these sound like you?
​

1. Always running fast.
2. Always running slow.
3. Over-training.
4. Under-training.
5. Inadequate recovery time between training sessions or events.
6. Participating in too many events / over-racing.
7. Doing the same thing you have always done, and expecting a different result.
8. Running for the wrong reasons.
9. Blindly following a plan written by an ‘expert’, friend, or previous elite athlete.
10. Ignoring the feedback loops that your body is giving you.
11. Progressing (speed or distance) at an inappropriate rate.
12. Following the herd.
13. Doing what ___ (insert elite athlete) does.

 
A lot of this is just down to habit - plugging away at what comes easiest without a proper plan. Habit is what we fall back on when the going gets tough. Therefore, creating great habits is fundamental to success.
 
If you recognise that you suffer from any (or all) of these failures, get in touch.

If the ideas in this article in this article excite you, inspire you or are in any way thought-provoking, you’ll love our upcoming events.

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