Why “Fit” Doesn't Always Mean “Race Ready”

One of the easiest traps to fall into when you're training for an event is assuming that being fit means you're ready. It doesn't always.

• You can be strong.

• You can have a good aerobic engine.

• You can run a fast 10K and train four or five times a week.

• And still not be ready for the event you've entered.

I've learned this through my own training as well as coaching other people.

Fitness is general. Race readiness is specific.

Fit for what?

That's usually my next question.

• You might be very fit in a gym environment but not particularly prepared for running 30 miles.

• You might be able to run a fast half marathon but struggle with an ultra involving steep hills and technical terrain.

• You might be a very good runner but find HYROX difficult because you're not used to repeatedly lifting, pushing and pulling when you're already tired.

Fitness doesn't automatically transfer perfectly from one activity to another.

Start general, then get specific

There is nothing wrong with building general fitness.

• You want a decent aerobic base.

• You want reasonable strength.

• You want your body to be able to tolerate training.

But as the event gets closer, your training needs to look more like the thing you're preparing for.

• If you're training for an ultra, eventually you need to spend time on your feet.

• If it's hilly, you need hills.

• If you're carrying a pack, practise carrying it.

• If you're using poles, practise with poles.

• If you're racing HYROX, running alone isn't enough. You need to practise running when your legs are already tired from the functional work.

It sounds obvious, but it's surprisingly easy to spend months getting fitter without actually practising the thing you're going to have to do.

You don't need to replicate race day every weekend

Specificity doesn't mean running the full distance every Saturday.

It means gradually exposing yourself to the demands of the event.

That might mean longer runs, hills, back-to-back sessions, race-pace work, carrying some additional weight or practising your nutrition.

You're giving your body — and your brain — some experience of what is coming.

That's particularly useful when the event is long or unfamiliar.

Don't confuse exhaustion with preparation

A brutal training session isn't necessarily a good training session.

Being completely exhausted doesn't prove you're ready.

Good training has a purpose.

• Sometimes that purpose is building endurance.

• Sometimes it's strength.

• Sometimes it's speed.

• Sometimes it's practising something specific to the event.

• And sometimes the purpose is recovery.

The closer I get to an event, the more interested I am in whether the training is preparing someone for that particular challenge, rather than simply making them generally fitter.

Because that's the difference. You don't just want to be fit.

You want to be fit for what you're asking your body to do.