5 Huge Mistakes Runners Often Make

I've been running for almost a decade, and in that time, I've made a lot of mistakes.

Though I've been fortunate enough to recognise my error, I see these five mistakes all the time -- often from seasoned runners.

That being said, every runner is unique. These are broad points that are, in my view, universal. But the specifics of each point will absolutely vary runner to runner.

That being said, let's get into it.

Mistake #1: Running too fast, too often

Have you ever looked an "easy run" on your training plan and thought something along the lines of: "alright, I'll go easy, but if I go fast, that's a bonus."

In other words, you believed that you could go slow, but going faster would somehow be more beneficial?

I've made that mistake a million times. But let's be clear: it is a mistake.

Easy runs are meant to be ran at an easy pace. The pace should be considerably slower than your race pace.

Why?

The reason is simple: in running, volume is the best metric for success and low-effort runs is the only way to achieve high volume.

Running fast offers better physiological benefits mile-for-mile when compared with easy efforts, but faster runs are also much more taxing on the body.

If all your runs are fast, you don’t give your body the chance to recover. And when the body takes on too much stress, you can’t actually sustain a high volume without getting injured.

That means that, if volume is the greatest metric for getting better as a runner, if you run fast all the time, you’re holding yourself back.

One of the best pieces of advice I was given for running is that you should follow whatever the elites are doing.

You might not be as fast as them, but as Matt Fitzgerald points out in Run Like a Pro, you can apply the principles of elite runners to any runner, from beginner to pro.

So how much fast running do elites do? Probably a lot less than you'd expect.

The 80/20 rule

Most pros roughly follow (directly or by chance) a rule called 80/20. Here's Kipchoge's training plan, for instance.

The rule is simple: run 80% of their runs at an easy pace, and the remaining 20% at a moderate-to-high intensity.

"80/20 is the holy grail of running fitness" - Runner's World

By "easy," I mean runs that are generally in heart rate zone 1 or 2, or those which follow the "conversational rule" (that you can hold a conversation while running).

But "easy" isn't some abstract notion. It's measurable: your VT1 (Ventilatory Threshold 1) is the most accurate gauge of "easy."

VT1 is the point at which the body begins to switch from aerobic energy to anaerobic energy use.

Finding out what your VT1 threshold is easy. You can conduct a 6 minute max-effort test.

1. Find a flat course, or a track.

2. Do a 15:00(ish) warmup.

3. For 6 minutes, run as fast as you can sustain for that time. You should be pretty wiped out at the end.

4. Convert your pace from the 6 minutes to speed, multiply the speed by 0.65, then convert the speed back to pace.

That's it. That number is the upper-limit of your easy pace.

Is VT1 important? In short, yes. As mentioned earlier, all runners are unique. That means everyone has a different "easy" pace. In fact, the pace will vary for a given runner depending on fitness levels. So it's important to periodically check what your VT1 is. All you have to do now is make sure that all your easy runs (which should be around 80% of your total volume) are below that pace.

In terms of making sure your training is setup for 80/20, if you're following a training plan from a reputable source (e.g. Runner's World, a reputable coach, etc.) then they're likely already following this system.

Mistake #2: Race too often

I used to turn up at the parkrun every Saturday morning, Vaporflys on, drills and strides complete, ready to absolutely race past 13 year olds, grandmas and dad's with prams.

But that was dumb.

Racing takes a toll on the body. When you really race (as in, with the goal of getting the best time possible), you're essentially hitting your limit for that distance. You're giving everything you've got.

If you do that too often, you don't give yourself ample time for recovery. And after each race, there's a potential for mental and physical burnout, and even illness from a weakened immune system.

It might be different for track runners, an area I have limited experience of. But for endurance events, if you race too often, you don't give yourself enough time to actually train properly.

When you race, you have to taper before the race, and you have to recover after. That means less time to properly train. If you spend all your time tapering and recovering, when do you have the time to actually train?

The amount you should race depends on yourself and the distances, but again, we should emulate the elites.

Let's take the marathon (my favourite distance.)

Elites don't race more than 2 marathons per year, maybe 3 at a push - all with lots of rest after the race. Sifan Hassan, for instance, took 4 months off after winning the marathon at the Paris Olympics.

That’s a good reference point. If you’re doing 5 marathons a year, you’re probably not reaching your peak. You’ll see diminishing returns.

The best way to approach racing is to pick a handful of key races for the year. These are your "A" races. The longer the distance, the more A races you can have.

Build your training plan around these races. Other races you can categorise as "B" or "C" races.

These races are still important. These are so-called "tune-up races" as recommended by Pete Pfitzinger. They're a good chance to prepare yourself physically and mentally for the "A" race, but with a shorter distance. If you're training for a marathon, a tune-up race may be a 10K or a half-marathon, for instance.

You might do mini-tapers for these races, but save proper tapers and rests for the "A" races.

Other races? You can still sign up if you really want to, but don’t RACE them.

Mistake #3: Avoiding caffeine

I regularly drink caffeine, but I used to avoid it before runs for fears of impact on performance or laxative effects.

Now I realise that's mental.

If you're a regular coffee drinker like me, I want you to imagine your day if you don’t have coffee. It’s horrible, no? Now why would you put yourself under the strain of running without it?

Most of the fear around caffeine stems from the laxative effects. Nobody wants to shit themselves on their long run, let's be clear.

The solution is simple, though. Just go to the toilet before the run.

Aside from an unplanned toilet break, for most people there's no harm to drinking coffee before a run. In fact, studies indicate that it's likely a legal performance enhancer.

Caffeine makes running feel easier by reducing the "perception of effort" - i.e. it makes the run feel easier in your head, and so it becomes easier. The brain is interesting.

If you respond well to caffeine, you can see a 1–2% improvement in your race times — that's 4 minutes in the case of a marathon.

But, unfortunately, this isn't applicable to everyone. There are some unfortunate souls out there whose bodies lack the ability to properly break caffeine down. For these people, caffeine can cause jitters, anxiety and stomach discomfort.

This is a genetic predisposition. If this is you, I feel for you.

For the rest of us who can break coffee down, we absolutely should drink coffee (or tea, or mate, or whatever) before your runs.

Mistake #4: Avoiding sugar and salt

When I was trying to be "healthy" back in the day, I started switching out my running gels for bars made from dates and other healthy stuff.

That's not a good idea if you’re thinking about performance.

Many people try to do this to avoid sugar. I know people who fuel their runs with sugar-free sweets, for instance.

Avoiding sugar makes sense from a general health perspective, but when you're running, the rules are different.

The way we metabolise sugar when running is different from when we're sedentary — that sugar is used immediately for energy. We don't need to worry about blood sugar spikes and the like.

Carbohydrates is essentially essentially. And put simply, sugar is the most refined and efficient form of carbohydrates. It's super easy to direct and can be rapidly converted into energy.

That's great during exercise when you need immediate energy. Dates, oats, or whatever other "healthy" carbohydrates you might consume on your run will eventually turn into energy, but the body takes longer to process them and these may also upset your stomach.

Now, if you don’t care about your performance, you can stick to date bars or whatever.

But if performance is the consideration, you should consume sugar during your runs.

It's a similar story for salt, too. Generally, people consider salt (sodium) "unhealthy" so they tend to avoid it.

But sodium is essential for survival in general, and it is essential for runners, too.

Sodium is essential to avoid dehydration, which in turn impacts performance. It helps maintain electrolyte balance, supports nerve function, and assists in muscle contraction.

If your sodium levels get too low, your muscles stop working properly, you rapidly dehydrate and, worst of all, you slow down!

If you care about performance and/or recovery, you should consume ideally sugar and definitely salt on your runs: gels, salty food, energy drinks or home-made concoctions on your runs.

How much salt and sugar should you consume? Here's a rough guideline:

• 30–60g carbs per hour (if doing efforts over 1.5 hours or longer races)

• 300–600mg of sodium per hour

Mistake #5: Ignoring weight

Running makes you hungry.

Chemicals called endocannabinoids are naturally produced in the body and released when running — these are a type of cannabinoid, the same group of chemicals as THC found in weed.

After a run, you essentially get the healthy version of the "munchies."

This means you can eat a lot.

So even if you're covering lots of miles, it is still possible to overate as a distance runner — I’ve maintained or even gained weight while training, believe it or not.

Why is that a problem?

Well, because simply put: the lighter you are, the easier running becomes.

Weight and body fat have a higher correlation with finishing times than training variables (such as weekly training time).

Body fat is the enemy of performance in endurance sports. A runner that weighs 160lbs needs 6.5% more energy to run at the same pace as a 150lb runner.

Lighter runners have an easier time running. It's as simple as that.

So if you want to be as fast as possible, it’s worth thinking about weight.

Though that being said, it's not about weight per se. It's about body composition (the ratio of lean body mass and body fat).

Essentially, we shouldn't think about being as light as possible, but rather as lean as possible. Our goal should be to reduce body fat as much as possible and retain muscle.

Body fat requires oxygen (which could be used elsewhere), whereas muscle helps performance.

I've already wrote a guide to losing body fat, which you can read here if you're interested.