For a casual runner like myself, it is simply not practical to expect that I’m going to run six days a week every week during the season. It’s easy to get frustrated by this fact, but I’ve started to look at my training differently.
Since December 9, I’ve run 63 workouts for a total of 43.5 hours of running. That is a whole lot of workouts that I wouldn’t have run had I not started training mid-winter. It is the equivalent of running two months straight seven days a week.
Do I get into just as good a shape after 63 workouts in four months as I do if I do those same 63 workouts in two months? There are probably advantages and disadvantages either way. Like, for the four month version I’m less likely to get injured. For the two month version, I’m faced with a higher level of training stress, which might mean that I get into better shape.
Does a higher level of fitness come from following one workout immediately after the next? Or is it simply the fact of doing more workouts in a shorter period of time that gets you into shape more quickly?