In Defense of Doing the Basics

In today's digital world, we're constantly confronted with running and wellness influencers selling the "only exercise you need," or "the workout that helped me cut 15 minutes off my marathon," this-or-that supplement or recovery tool (check out Dr. Kacy's Recovery Hierarchy of Needs Blog for more on this), as well as the latest and greatest super shoe and other gear.

When we're talking about pro-runners, where a fraction of a second is the difference between breaking a World Record or making an Olympic team and all of the financial implications that come along with these, focusing on the small changes to squeeze out an extra 1% is a worthwhile endeavor. But for most of us, running isn’t our career. We aren’t getting paid to do this. We are doing our best to fit in our training and recovery alongside our work schedules and responsibilities to friends and families.

Daily, clients and friends ask me if they should be doing cold plunge, using the sauna, sleeping with mouth tape, buying Normatec boots, using super shoes etc. While these interventions are not necessarily bad adjuncts to training, they create noise that is a distraction from the meat and potatoes of training. These are beliefs that I have held for a long time, and was fired up about after listening to Kara and Des on their Podcast “Nobody Asked Us”. In the episode, they were discussing the use of sodium bicarbonate and super shoes specifically with younger athletes, and Des Linden said “so many people want to do the 1% but suck at the 99%”. She went on to say that even she could be doing better at strength training, hydrating properly, etc and thinks that she - a professional runner! - should focus on these before trying bicarb.

The hard part is that the 99% - the going to bed early, completing your workouts as prescribed, adding in strength training, fueling properly - they’re not cool. They’re not trendy. They are boring basics. But they work, and these strong building blocks lay the foundation for success. Easy runs build endurance. Speed work and hills build power and improve your pace. Lifting weights build strong muscles, tendons, and bones to withstand the load of running. Proper fueling and rest help you to reap the benefits of your training. If you’ve mastered these, then great! Add in that cold plunge, or sports massage, or compression boot that you've been wanting to try. But until then, know that you will see improvements in your running just from being consistent in your training and recovery. Your basics are the cake, the extras are just the frosting and sprinkles. A thick coat of frosting can't cover up a dry, crumbling cake that is barely standing upright.

Thanks for reading! Now close out all of the tabs on your phone about building an at home cold plunge and go for a run.

Dr. Elizabeth Karr PT, DPT