My Secrets for 51 Years of Running, Part 2: Be a Minimalist to Be a Maximalist
The second concept that provides a foundation for my running longevity is the concept of being a minimalist to be a maximalist. This is another concept promoted by running coach and writer Steve Magness.
There are many keys to minimalizing your running. First, though, this concept does not involve, necessarily, running less. Running experts universally believe that most runners who see great improvement can attribute that to more running volume. But you should only increase your running volume to a level you can sustain without getting injured. I’d rather be running a lower volume than not running at all.
The best way to increase your running volume is to do it slowly over many years. You can follow the 10 percent rule for increasing volume, which states that you should increase your volume no more than 10 percent per week. If you are an experienced runner, you can modify this rule to 15 or 20 percent. Just let your body be your guide.
However, if you are prone to injuries, running more may not be helpful. Every runner has to find their own sweet spot of running volume.
Simplify, Simplify, Simplify
Rather than becoming a running minimalist, a better idea is to simplify your running. There are many ways you can do this. One of the first places you can simplify things is with your training plans. Many of the training plans you can buy or find for free on the internet are over-complicated and are written more for the most competitive runners.
One reason some training plans are too complicated is that they ask you to do many of the workouts at quite specific paces. Unless you’ve been running by pace for many years due to the benefit of running competitively in high school and/or college, you are probably not a good enough runner to consistently hit the paces the workouts are asking you to hit.
