Racing after a long layoff or setback, resiliency & overcoming setbacks.

Welcome back to All Things Running with Sonja & Jen

We received two questions on the topic of racing after a long layoff or setback, resiliency & overcoming setbacks. Sonja shares 3 essential themes that have helped her over the years. I’ll share my best coaching advice that I’ve used with many of my athletes.

Question: What is your best advice to racing after a long layoff or setback? How do you maintain resiliency and overcome setbacks?

Sonja:

As a 52 year old Masters athlete, I have faced many setbacks in my 40+ year running career. Whether the setback was from injury, illness, pregnancy, or work and family responsibilities, there was always a “way back” to racing and that path was defined by similar factors:

Determining where I was in current fitness and making a plan to start from there.

This holds true for younger athletes as well, but not overextending yourself and trying to pick up where you left off in training is especially important for Masters runners. As we age, the amount of time off from training will increasingly impact our V02max, LT, and to a point our CNS which affects our raw speed as well. So we have to honestly evaluate where we are after a significant break from training (3 weeks or more). The longer the break, most likely the longer it will take to return to previous form.  Coach Dr. Jack Daniels, PhD offers a detailed description of how to structure your training upon return from a layoff in his book, The Running Formula.  For example, if someone missed 4-8 weeks of training, Dr Daniels suggests they begin with a 6 week buildup and that the first 2 weeks include 30-35% of their previous weekly mileage, the next 2 weeks would increase to 50% of their pre-setback weekly mileage avg and the final 2 weeks of the buildup would equal 75% of their previous weekly mileage avg. (This is assuming they are now healthy and cleared to train). Regarding intensity, the suggestion is to begin including strides and moderate fartlek runs following the first 2 week build up segment and possibly hill repeats and tempo intervals during weeks 5 and 6. After this initial buildup period, if all is going well, you should be able to continue your training as you normally would related to your upcoming competitive schedule. 

Redefining or reframing competitive goals & targets.

As a younger athlete this often had to do more with reaffirming my future goals and dreams that I still wanted to achieve regarding my racing. This is when my fastest times were all still ahead of me. As a Masters competitor this reframing has become more challenging both mentally and physically, because my fastest times are no longer in front of me. So now the focus is on achieving the best performance I can in a certain season and/or in my age group. Sometimes, the focus is not on a time at all, but on a title such as a national championship, a world championship, a road racing grand prix, etc. I used this strategy recently at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor National Championships in North Carolina. I knew I was still not up to par with the performances I regularly delivered prior to a year long battle with dysautonomia, which began in June of 2021. This chronic condition left me unable to work or drive for several months and unable to train or even exercise for 10 months.  My first competitive run upon regaining my health was in September of 2022 and it was not pretty! I raced a 4 mile road race and ran a good 3:30 slower than my previous average over this distance. Fast forward to the Masters National meet that I raced in just a month ago, I was racing faster, but still far off from my masters record setting self prior to the onset of the condition. I was really struggling with my mindset going into the meet because my hopes to have been farther along in my progress regarding performance times had not been met. I started thinking about why I still wanted to participate in competitive track and field. I recalled so many incredible memories of my racing experiences from the age of 9 on.  The answer that came to me took away any doubt about going to the meet. I LOVE TO RACE! I love the atmosphere, the anticipation (even though the pre-race nerves can be tough), the “fire” of the battle during the race, the feeling of accomplishment or at least fulfillment after, and of course the camaraderie of my fellow competitors. I decided if I could not run as fast as I wanted to, I would enter multiple events and challenge myself to race each one to the best of my ability using strategy, not just speed to reach my goal. The result was 4 gold medals in the 4 events I entered. More importantly, I left the meet with a feeling of accomplishment and also a renewed sense of hope for my future competitive endeavors. 

Reminding yourself of WHY you want to still compete.

Sometimes the destination of our journey can seem so far away that it is hard to have the courage to begin, or perhaps to stay disciplined to keep doing the daily work to get there. The one constant that always brings me back into focus when I feel this way (especially after a setback) is my “why”. My why is this: I am forever drawn to the opportunity to improve myself every day. As I mentioned, I have had to continually redefine this improvement as a Masters runner, but the quest remains as powerful as ever. So whether I am racing a 4:44 Mile or 5:23 Mile, my goal is to do 1 second better the next time I race for as long as I can, and so on.  If my current tempo pace for 3 miles is 6:39/mile, then my goal the next time I attempt that workout is to run 6:35 avg or better. The desire to challenge “my personal best” on a regular basis makes me feel alive, keeps me focused, positive, and driven. I choose to dwell in possibility and it makes all the difference, especially on the really hard days when nothing seems to be going right.  Define your why and you will always have a reason to try again tomorrow. The harder the setback, the greater the comeback!

Jen:

The first race back is downright scary. Whether you are coming back after an intentional or unintentional layoff it can be hard to put your foot on the starting line.

A fun trick is to pull running out of context and think about something else in life and how we would respond. The same feelings we have about running very often can apply to non running events as well. Running is a metaphor for life and often the skills we learn as runners do help us have resiliency.

For example, you might find that you are out of work and now you need to find a new job. Interviews are terrifying for most people. It is likely though that you won’t nail that first interview or even the second. But the more you show up the better you get and ultimately you’ll end up exactly where you were meant to be.

I always like to view the first race as a starting point which helps me to determine where my athletes' training needs to go.

After a long layoff, you should begin by rebuilding a base. A proper base period should be anywhere from 8-12 weeks. The next phase of training you are doing some races but training is still the focus. This is referred to as the pre-competition phase; this phase can last anywhere from 4-8 weeks. The final phase is the competition phase and that also can last anywhere from 4-8 weeks. This will allow for a full build up and 2 peak races per year. All other races should be viewed as part of training and preparation for where you want to be.

Resiliency really comes from having a solid plan and giving yourself grace. How often are the Olympics? Every 4 years. This allows athletes to have some down periods both mentally & physically. When we talk about high school or college athletes, we need to have a 4 year plan for them. Making gradual improvements year after year not biting off more than we can chew. Have a steady mileage build with no sharp jumps. After time off or illness gradually return to your base level not the following week. Yeah it stinks but if you jump back in too soon then you are likely to have another bump 4-6 weeks later and will never feel like your training is working for you.

Like Sonja, I’ve been running since about the age of 12 and now I’m 48. I have had so many obstacles to overcome. I’ve shared many of these publicly before. This is why training should have a long term view and not every 3 months comparing yourself to last week or even last year. Establishing proper phases of training will help you keep your goals reasonable for that first race back and make things a little less scary.

Thank you so much for taking the time to ask us questions. The best way for you to support us is for you to share this blog with others. Next week we’ll discuss pregnancy and training.

Sonja and Jennifer are sharing their personal experiences. This is being provided for informational purposes only. We are not giving medical advice and you should always consult your own doctor for advice related to your own health.