Runners, You Are Built To Handle This

Ciarán ó Lionáird was born and raised in a dairy farm in Ireland and later went onto compete at Florida State where he was an All-American and record holder. ó Lionáird was a European Championships medalist, World Championship finalist and competed in the 2012 Olympics. He is currently living in Portland, Oregon and working on a book about the psyche of long-distance runners, set to come out this fall.

As runners, we are creatures of habit. We are as defined by our routine as any single community of people, perhaps more so in most cases. Through my career, I learned that healthy repetition is the greatest single determinant of long term success in endurance running. Find what works, then do it again, and again, and again.

We are in a crazy time right now. COVID-19 has shaken the world. If you’re a runner reading this, I’ve no doubt it’s greatly impacted if not shattered your routine. Days when “what trail should we run?” may have been the greatest dilemma facing a team that has been replaced by “when will racing resume?” Or “is it even safe to train?”. We are in uncharted waters. There are many variables we cannot control. For runners, that can be especially difficult. In this piece though, I’ll offer a few suggestions from my limited bank of advice that may hopefully assuage some fear as well as provide a framework for long term improvements in your routine. 

I’m a firm believer that for everything you get in life, you have to give the same amount, someway, somehow. For every big PR you’ve ever run, it’s balanced by the weight of the work it took to get there. A pound gave and a pound took away. Today, you may feel like you’re giving up a hell of a lot. You may feel like you’re giving your structure, your season’s ambitions, your eligibility even. This can be hard to swallow. However, trust me, you will get it all back, once you control the variables you can control, train smart, retain optimism and more than anything, exhibit the grit that will separate you from the competition once racing starts. This is an opportunity here, even if it feels hidden in a sea of adversity currently.

I spoke earlier about routine. We all have ours. But look at yourself today. Is your routine as good as you might like it to be? Or as good as you can make it? With racing on halt and organized practice/class likely gone with it, there will be a massive vacuum of time with which you can work. It’s a chance for you to evaluate all parts of your approach to training and lifestyle. It’s a chance to look at your sleep schedule, how you eat, some of the lifestyle choices you make every day that may not be conducive to performance. You have the chance to make tweaks to your approach to running that could yield massive long term gains. 

Injury. The dreaded word. God knows I got to know injury quite well in my time as a collegiate and pro runner. Not to say we were friends, injury used to feel like someone I’d get stuck on a remote island with that yammered constantly. Can’t kick them off the island, can’t quite find a way to shut them up. A constant irritant. Anyway, I was always chasing the next race and next time, often the next paycheck in my career. I very rarely had time to pause and actually think of what was causing many of my injuries. I was rush-treating symptoms without focusing on the cause. This strange time is the perfect time for athletes to take a look at their physical imbalances. Call a PT, do a self-evaluation. Work on your core and balance work. As your coaches about exercises beyond running that will enhance your long term durability. And if you are dealing with a long term injury - REST. This is a chance for you to finally get on top of this thing. Find a good book (I’m currently reading Hells Angels by Hunter S Thompson) and zone out for a while. One thing you have been given here is space in time. Use it wisely, you’ll be a better athlete.

Call your teammates. You may read this, feel positive and amped up and use this time to your advantage. Some of your teammates may be struggling. Nobody knows often what goes on inside the minds of others. Even those who are outwardly showing the most light conceal the most darkness. Runners, in general, are cerebral creatures. Enough hours on the trails will make you think, that’s for sure. I’ve had some of my most open conversations on the trails and built the strongest friendships. For many, those interactions keep them sane, remove them from some of the other hardships life throws at them. Organized community running or team runs are not feasible now, so do your part and call your teammates. You never know the difference you’ll make. You’ll be a leader, build a stronger team but most importantly be a solid friend and person.

Visualize. Some of my best performances shocked most people, even those that knew me. In my senior year of college, I went from a 4:04 mile to the equivalent of a 3:51. People were surprised. I wasn’t. I had visualized it so many times, during so many hard tempo runs or nights in watching a movie while my friends were out partying. You’ll never accomplish what you want if you can’t close your eyes and see it. When you see it, you’ll believe it. From there, you simply execute. Take this time to refine your individual goals. Work with teammates. Group FaceTime and create team goals. Visualize together, see together and commit to achieving. You have space in this unique time. Use it well.

Lastly, remember that as a long-distance runner, you know isolation better than anyone. You were built for it. Runners are a strange breed. We’re quirky, strange, odd. The winding trail to nowhere lures us. We are at home in the quiet, the sound of our footsteps and breathing the only reprieve from silence. As such, you are built to handle this current time better than anyone. Believe in yourself and take care of those who may not be as equipped as you. This time will allow you to truly display the type of runner, but more importantly the type of human you are.

All the best, stay healthy, stay safe, train smart and race hard when the time comes.

Follow Ciarán on Twitter and Instagram: @Gociaran