80/20 Running: Run Stronger and Race Faster by Training Slower
by Matt Fitzgerald
In "80/20 Running: Run Stronger and Race Faster by Training Slower," Matt Fitzgerald challenges conventional training wisdom by emphasizing the importance of low-intensity, high-volume workouts for developing fatigue resistance and suffering tolerance. He argues that most recreational runners mistakenly push themselves too hard, which undermines their performance and hinders their ability to build endurance. By advocating for a training regimen that includes four easy runs for every hard run, Fitzgerald highlights the detrimental effects of running at excessively high intensities. The book underscores that the duration of exercise is more critical than intensity for enhancing brain fatigue resistance, positing that mental endurance is key to physical performance. Fitzgerald introduces the concept of a "week of slow," likening it to a juice fast, to reset training habits and foster a healthier approach to running. Central to Fitzgerald’s message is the idea that suffering tolerance can be cultivated, leading to a shift in a runner's perception of effort. He posits that skillful running is characterized by minimal mental effort, which allows for more efficient movement. Overall, "80/20 Running" serves as a guide for runners seeking to optimize their training and improve their racing performance through a balanced and mindful approach.
5 popular highlights from this book
Key Insights & Memorable Quotes
Below are the most popular and impactful highlights and quotes from 80/20 Running: Run Stronger and Race Faster by Training Slower:
Low-intensity, high-volume training develops the sort of suffering tolerance that enhances fatigue resistance more effectively than does speed-based training. Fast runs may hurt more, but long runs hurt longer. The slow-burn type of suffering that runners experience in longer, less intense workouts is more specific to racing.
The vast majority of runners, however, seldom train at a truly comfortable intensity. Instead, they push themselves a little day after day, often without realizing it. If the typical elite runner does four easy runs for every hard run, the average recreationally competitive runner—and odds are, you’re one of them—does just one easy run for every hard run. Simply put: Running too hard too often is the single most common and detrimental mistake in the sport.
It is important to understand that the duration of exercise matters far more than does the intensity of exercise with respect to the goal of enhancing fatigue resistance in the brain. What counts is not how hard the muscles are working but rather how long the brain is required to stay focused on the task at hand. In fact, research has shown that the brain can be fatigued at rest in a way that increases fatigue resistance and physical endurance.
Tolerance for suffering is also trainable. Once a runner has discovered that she can suffer more than she thought she could, her perception of effort changes in a lasting way.
The week of slow is the running equivalent of a juice fast. Some people use short-term juice fasts to hit the reset button on their diet. The fast is not an end in itself. The goal is to make permanent changes to their diet, replacing bad habits with good ones. But instead of just making these changes from one day to the next, they first take a few days to break their attachments to the old habits by consuming nothing but healthy fruit and vegetable juices. Then, once they are no longer craving potato chips or whatever else, they return to a normal but improved diet.
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