Running IQ
This past weekend, I was watching a college football game and the announcers talked about a player having an high football IQ. Then last night, during one the college basketball games, again announcers talked about a basketball player having a high basketball IQ.
To my knowledge, I have never heard of a runner being described as having a high Running IQ. I suspect that has more to due with the limited amount of TV coverage and analysis given to running as apposed to other sports like football and basketball.
But this did start me thinking, what would it mean to have a high Running IQ. Again, this is probably something that pretty much open to interpretation. And everyone will have their own perspective of what it means to demonstrate a high degree of running knowledge.
Now, that I have given you a level set, let me be the first (well maybe not the first) to suggest what it means to have a high Running IQ.
A high Running IQ could probably span anything from diet to stretching with running included in the middle. From my perspective, a high Running IQ covers three areas: Training, Racing, and Recovery.
So what does it mean to have a Runner IQ related to training. Well, the runner must understand the principles of conditioning and how it effects the human body. There are a lot of ways to gain this knowledge. Most of them involve reading running magazines and attending clinics. But this is just part of it. They will need to demonstrate this knowledge through the results of their training. The main point of any training program and thus a high running IQ is to have a training program that allows the runner to improve while keeping them healthy.
Then what does it mean to have a Running IQ related to racing. From my perspective, this runner needs to demonstrate during race that they understand what is going on around them i.e. how the other runners are performing. Based of this information, they are able to react in such a matter that improves their chances of besting these other runners. Now, there are many ways to do this i.e. throwing in surges or running just of another runner's shoulder. The key here is that they make decisions during the race that put them in the best position to be most successful.
The final attribute and arguably the most important of a high Running IQ is recovery. Knowing how to train hard and how to race well are very important to successful running but recovery also has its place as well. Knowing when to back off and allow the body rest and start to rebuild is a crucial aspect any Runner's ability to run well. Being able to recognize when a recovery i.e. downtime is needed and take this downtime is the best technique to demonstrate high recovery running IQ that I know of.
So there you have it, three areas to determining if a runner has a high running IQ. Or this is how I would describe a runner having a high running IQ. I suspect when you break down most runners, you will find they will do well in most of these categories. For my self, I do well in two of the three phases. Taking downtime has never been a strong suit of mine. I also suspect that you will have your own opinion of what make a high running IQ. That is what makes this country great.
To my knowledge, I have never heard of a runner being described as having a high Running IQ. I suspect that has more to due with the limited amount of TV coverage and analysis given to running as apposed to other sports like football and basketball.
But this did start me thinking, what would it mean to have a high Running IQ. Again, this is probably something that pretty much open to interpretation. And everyone will have their own perspective of what it means to demonstrate a high degree of running knowledge.
Now, that I have given you a level set, let me be the first (well maybe not the first) to suggest what it means to have a high Running IQ.
A high Running IQ could probably span anything from diet to stretching with running included in the middle. From my perspective, a high Running IQ covers three areas: Training, Racing, and Recovery.
So what does it mean to have a Runner IQ related to training. Well, the runner must understand the principles of conditioning and how it effects the human body. There are a lot of ways to gain this knowledge. Most of them involve reading running magazines and attending clinics. But this is just part of it. They will need to demonstrate this knowledge through the results of their training. The main point of any training program and thus a high running IQ is to have a training program that allows the runner to improve while keeping them healthy.
Then what does it mean to have a Running IQ related to racing. From my perspective, this runner needs to demonstrate during race that they understand what is going on around them i.e. how the other runners are performing. Based of this information, they are able to react in such a matter that improves their chances of besting these other runners. Now, there are many ways to do this i.e. throwing in surges or running just of another runner's shoulder. The key here is that they make decisions during the race that put them in the best position to be most successful.
The final attribute and arguably the most important of a high Running IQ is recovery. Knowing how to train hard and how to race well are very important to successful running but recovery also has its place as well. Knowing when to back off and allow the body rest and start to rebuild is a crucial aspect any Runner's ability to run well. Being able to recognize when a recovery i.e. downtime is needed and take this downtime is the best technique to demonstrate high recovery running IQ that I know of.
So there you have it, three areas to determining if a runner has a high running IQ. Or this is how I would describe a runner having a high running IQ. I suspect when you break down most runners, you will find they will do well in most of these categories. For my self, I do well in two of the three phases. Taking downtime has never been a strong suit of mine. I also suspect that you will have your own opinion of what make a high running IQ. That is what makes this country great.
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