Racing Frequently vs Racing Well

One of the great things about being part of running in Brisbane at the moment is that there is always another event on the calendar. Parkruns, club races, fun runs and major events give us plenty of opportunities to pin on a race bib.

The temptation is to race every one of them.

While there is nothing wrong with enjoying the competitive side of running, every race comes with a recovery cost. If every weekend becomes an all-out effort, it becomes difficult to train consistently through the week. Over time, that consistency is what leads to improvement.

Ask yourself what the purpose of each event is before you stand on the start line. Sometimes the goal is to race as hard as you can. Other times, the event is simply another quality training session.

A race can be used in several ways:

• A genuine race effort where you test your fitness.

• A tempo or threshold run within a race environment.

• An opportunity to practise pacing, fuelling or race day routines.

• A social run with friends while still enjoying the atmosphere.

There is no right or wrong approach, as long as it matches your training goals.

Parkrun is a great example. It can be an excellent opportunity to race, but it does not need to be a personal best attempt every Saturday. Some weeks it is far more valuable to run at marathon pace, complete a progression run, or simply enjoy an easy run before a longer session afterwards.

Pay attention to how you recover after racing. If your legs still feel heavy several days later, or your key sessions start to suffer, you may be racing too often or recovering too little.

Remember, fitness is built during training. Racing is simply where you get to show it.

Choose your goal races, enjoy the rest, and make every event serve a purpose.

Train with purpose, race with confidence, and let consistency do the hard work.

See you out there.