Why Consistency Can Make Running “Easy”
Running isn’t easy.
There’s no doubt about it.
Luckily, there are ways we can change our mindset when it comes to running that can make it “easy.” Maybe easier would be a better word.
Every day, we’re faced with a fundamental question:
To run, or not to run?
—That is the question.
More specifically, though, we’re faced with a choice that could extend running as a habit intrinsic to ourselves, or call it a day and avoid running altogether.
Now, I’m sure many can’t go a day without running, and for many more, it’s the opposite, but the manner in which we view running daily is still important to recognize. The way we view running as part of our day, on an individual basis, is largely what determines how running fits into the larger framework of our lives.
As a student trying to balance education and family responsibilities, I’ve faced the compromises that come with trying to train and hold myself accountable to other commitments. There have been many a day where I find myself, in the late evening, faced with the fundamental question. In this situation, running can be most definitely hard.
Not hard in the physical exertion sense of the word, but hard as in hard to develop as a concrete habit. I’m sure this scenario sounds familiar. For anyone new to the sport or still forming their running schedule, just logging runs can be a battle.
The Principle: Consistency
The concept of consistency can be defined, in a running sense, as intentionally dedicating a part of your day to going on a run over the course of many weeks, months, and years. Consistency is what allows one to build a habit over time—which is no surprise.
Repetition of action = habit formation
So how do we get consistent?
The key here is to start with micro-habits and develop an environment conducive to running. Author James Clear, in his best-selling book Atomic Habits, is famous for popularizing this “small changes” approach to building habits.
First, you minimize your desired habit by reducing the effort it takes to carry it out. In terms of running, this could mean shrinking the length or duration of your run—or even switching the mode of exercise to cross-training. This makes the daily load of a new behavior significantly more bearable.
Second, you craft your surroundings to optimize the “availability” of your habit, of running. In other words, you lower the daily barrier to entry in relation to what you need—physically and mentally—to run. This means getting out your running clothes the night before, leaving your shoes by the door, packing nutrition, pre-planning some routes, or even leaving post-it reminders on your walls.
Consistency To Relieve Pressure
Once the habit of running is ingrained in you, consistency still remains a useful concept. One could say there are multiple levels of consistency, and that the first milestone of running regularly is only the primary level.
In intermediate and more advanced runners, consistency becomes a tool to reduce the mental strain of strenuous training blocks.
How so?
As runners, we often intensely focus on the quality of our runs. The pace, heart rate, cadence, etc.—we obsess over how well each individual run played out. Viewing our training through the lens of consistency, on the other hand, allows us to zoom out and see each run as a stepping stone to the next.
When we make running consistent, progressive mileage (for example), the goal, the exact pace and intensity to get there doesn’t seem nearly as important. Running with a consistent mindset means having a long-term perspective, and that makes the day-to-day worries of training far less “tragic.”
In a year, we won’t be thinking about how a particular interval session or long run meant we needed more recovery time, or how an easy run was run off-pace. We’ll be thinking about how many miles we put in overall, and how the general trajectory of a training block impacted our fitness.
Consistency for Results
“It’s better to be consistently good than occasionally great.”
This is the central philosophy of the successful Jeff Cunningham, a coach known for his sub-3-hour marathon “formula.” Jeff is known for coaching both intermediate runners and Olympians alike to fast times.
His mantra helps us understand why consistency, along with lightening the mental load of training, can lead to substantially better race outcomes. When we prioritize consistency as the focus of our training, each workout is intentional and never overreaching. Instead of pouring everything into a single track workout and not being able to walk for days, we should strive to produce smaller stress responses we can actually recover from. Consistency also lowers our injury risk by preventing spikes in training volume that may produce an acute, adverse response—muscle strains, tendonitis, etc.
Consistency, viewed this way, is the secret sauce of training. Jeff, in a conversation with sports nutrition company CEO Nick Bare, says that the fitness “insidiously creeps in.” To have our fitness “creep in” is truly optimal. That is when we’ve slowed down and dialed in our training to the point where progression feels natural.
Why rush our running? We can be patient, stay consistent, and know that improvement is guaranteed to come—and come easier.
Before you go…
My name is Nathan Hammerschmitt Le Gal, a college student and aspiring scientist with a passion for the intersection between health and sustainability. I’m infatuated with learning and exploring to make an impact, whether it be through research or the arts.
I hope you enjoyed reading and please share if you found something interesting! I sure find it interesting :)
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