A scouting report is a valuable tool for any competitive team or athlete.  It’s a report of all of the opponents’ weaknesses and strengths – everything about their game in one succinct place.  A good scouting report will tell someone the best approach to defeating a team.  It leaves out no ugly detail and is brutally honest.  Yes, a scouting report on an opponent is beyond useful, but a personal scouting report may be even more useful.

A personal scouting report is a complete look at yourself and your training.  Not just a look at your fitness – “I ran THIS workout so I can run THIS time” – but a COMPLETE multi-faceted approach to all areas of training.  The success of this exercise will hinge on one thing – honesty.  Can you be totally honest with yourself?  If you are committed to long-term sustainable growth in anything, then you’d be wise to start seeing honesty as your best friend.  Be specific here – identify your exact weaknesses so you can work on overcoming them.

A runner’s scouting report should include 5 areas: fitness, technique, mindset, nutrition, and strength.  Let’s put in the work and take a hard look at each!

FITNESS

I’m starting with the softball topic of the group.  How fit am I?  When most people ponder how their running is going, they jump to this.  Fitness refers to your aerobic and anaerobic strength as a runner.  The crux of this assessment revolved around what sort of running have you done in the past.

Have I taken the time (2-3 months) to build an aerobic base?

Running more is the easiest and surest way to improve as a runner.  You can get faster by doing the right workouts, but the ceiling will really start to rise when overall mileage is increased.  You cannot truly know your potential until you’ve taken this step.

Am I mixing up my workouts?

So maybe you HAVE built an aerobic base and now you’re taking it to the next level.  Are you mixing up the paces?  All race distances will have different demands and focus, but a good training plan will always include a wide variety of paces.

Am I periodizing my training plan?

If you have a goal race, are you scheduling training blocks that will prepare you for the demands of that race?  Long runs for marathons, tempo runs for half marathons, interval speed work for 5ks.  They all have their place and if planned carefully, will leave you peaking at the right time.

Take some time to assess whether or not you have the fitness for your goal and if you’ve done the things above.  Then move on to technique!

TECHNIQUE

This could also be referred to as proper mechanics or even running form.  Is my technique limiting my running goals at all?  This is a tough subject for runners because it’s not immediately clear sometimes how to improve.  But rest assured, once you’ve mastered the movement of running, your efficiency (see less wasted energy) and injury resistance will send you to new heights (and PRs!).

Have I taken a video of me running?

That’s it.  Just start there.  Take a side view and a view from behind of you running at a moderate speed, then take a look.  Is that what you thought you looked like?  Does it look smooth?  Do you see any obvious improvements?  If you really want to get serious, get a gait analysis done – most physical therapy places have a person for this (or know someone) and can provide feedback.  A running coach may also be able to assist.

Have I assessed my weaknesses?

We all have weaknesses.  My right hip is stiff which causes it to internally rotate excessively when I run, which then causes more problems further down that leg.  I know this is a weakness and am relentlessly trying to fix it.  Others may have a strength weakness.  Start with this self-assessment from Luke Humphrey Running and go from there.

Do I properly warm-up?

This is a simple one.  Many runners simply move differently after they’ve gone through a proper 5-10 minute warm-up.  Your hips move more freely, your ankle extends further, little things like that to help improve movement and also reduce injury risk.

No one is going to have perfect technique, but we can improve greatly.  Have you taken the time to assess your mechanics?

MINDSET

The mind is a powerful tool.  Basketball hall of famer Kareen Abdul-Jabbar summed it up well when he said, “Your mind is what makes everything else work.”  This is one of the hardest items to measure on a scouting report, but don’t let that deter you.  Its impact is MASSIVE.

What sorts of things do I say to myself during tough workouts or races?

It’s easy to be positive when things are going our way, but adversity is part of the sport.  Where your mind goes in these moments can make or break your day.  Always talk to yourself in a positive way.  Instead of “This doesn’t feel right” think “You can get through this!”  Be overwhelmingly positive – there’s simply no reason to be negative at these times (though it IS the easier and more natural path).  Practice this in training and it’ll be there on race day.

How do I handle nerves on race day?

Everyone gets nerves on race day.  Some anxiety is normal and even helpful for good performance.  But too much anxiety can incite panic and trigger negative responses.  A few of my favorite tricks to fight anxiety include being well-prepared for the race, realizing that nerves are natural, and not taking myself very seriously.  It also can be helpful to schedule smaller non-goal races in the build-up to your goal race so you can get familiar with race day atmosphere.

Do I see myself achieving my goals?

One renowned swordsman said “See first with your mind, then with your eyes, and finally with your body.”  Visualizing goals is commonplace for elite athletes.  The good thing about this is that it doesn’t take much time.  Just 5 minutes a few times per week can really boost your mental game!  Start by creating an extremely detailed mental picture of your performance – the more specific, the better.  Then feel it and enjoy it.  Fully immerse yourself in it for the time you set aside.

You can have all the physical tools in the world but a weak mind can severely lower the ceiling you have during races.

NUTRITION

Poor nutrition can ruin the best of runners’ intentions.  If you haven’t taken a good hard look at how you’re fueling your body (aka – your nutrition), then you have untapped potential.

Am I fueling properly for workouts?

Some athletes will sabotage a workout before it even starts by not giving their body the nutrients to use for that workout.  Simply put – you can’t burn for energy what you don’t have.  The most efficient nutrient to burn for energy is carbohydrates.  If you have a hard workout on tap, do you get in some form of carbohydrate beforehand?  Even the night before is acceptable during training.  For easy efforts, you can get by on an empty stomach.  It also helps to be hydrated, but that’s a whole other topic!

How is my post-run recovery nutrition?

Great, so you’ve properly fueled for your tough workout/race, you’ve completed the run, now what?  RECOVER!  The best way for the body to recover is to get in a good mix of carbohydrates and protein within 30 minutes of the workout.  Why 30 minutes?  Because your body is in crisis mode.  You’ve used up all its carbohydrates and damaged its muscles.  The body, now more than ever, is trying to store up those precious carbohydrates which means you’ll be in a better place for your NEXT hard effort in a couple days.  The protein is primarily for repairing and building muscles.  Science tells us the best mix is a ratio of 4:1 carbs-to-protein in grams.  The overall calorie intake will obviously depend on exactly how big the workout was.

Am I eating a healthy diet for an endurance athlete?

This is a catch-all for general eating decisions.  I’m not going to prescribe a specific diet or anything, because I think there’s a lot of variability in there (except that carbs are a necessity for endurance athletes).  But everyone knows areas of their diet that can be improved.  I’m speaking mostly to the frequency of poor decisions – excessive snacks, excessive junk food, etc.

Some people say “I’m not in the Olympics, I don’t need to eat like a gold medalist.”  I say to them, “But what if you did?”  Would that be so bad?  Would you reach your goals sooner?  Or maybe even exceed them?  How can you improve your nutrition to better align with your goals?

STRENGTH

This is last on the scouting report but don’t be fooled – strength matters in running.  Injury prevention, fatigue resistance, force application – all are improved with a consistent focus on strength.  Many runners’ shortfalls can be addressed and overcome with a renewed focus here.

How much am I strength training?

Keep a log of your weight training.  How much are you really in the gym?  The nice thing is that runners don’t need to live at the gym.  2-4 focused sessions of 30 minutes per week can do wonders for performance though.  Two sessions for legs, two sessions for core.  This is not the article (this is!) to go much further in-depth, but it’s enough to give you an idea of what to shoot for.  I know, I know, it’s just “one more thing” to add to the to-do list.  But in the ‘bang for your buck’ category, this is high up there!

Am I actually committed to improving my strength?

The best training plans progress clearly from point A to point B.  The workouts get longer, tougher, faster as the weeks go by.  If they didn’t, we would be missing out on major training benefits.  Contrast this with strength training – how often do runners do the same thing over and over (and over!) again in this area?  The same lunges with the same dumbbells for an entire season.  As with anything, if the stimulus is the same for too long, the body will stop adapting sooner or later.  Commit to the same attitude in the weight room as you do in running.  Seek to get better either by making an exercise more difficult (usually by adding weight) or by adding variety (a different movement or muscle group).

What muscle group is my weakest and how am I addressing that?

Let’s get to the heart of it.  Where are you weakest?  Glutes?  Hamstrings?  Core?  Hips?  Do your shoulders hunch?  Do your calves always cramp late in a race?  You might know your weakness already.  If not, I like to use this self-assessment from Luke Humphrey to at least get started.  Sometimes it could be a flexibility weakness and not strength-related at all.  You could be in the gym 7 days a week, working out like crazy, but if you’re not addressing the real weakness, then it’s likely you’re making it worse.  What muscles cramp the most?  Get injured the most?  Ache the most?  Chances are they are aching because you are asking them to do more than they are trained to do – whether that’s because they are too weak or too inflexible.

We spend all this time building a better aerobic engine by running.  If you put that engine in a car (body) that is weak, however, it won’t last!

ASSESS AND REASSESS

So how’d you do?  Better than you thought?  Hope so.  But it’s likely that one or two areas stood out to you as areas to improve.  The next step is to ACT!  Stop being okay with the status quo.  Get uncomfortable and go after your weakness just like an opposing team would.  Reassess your personal scouting report in three months to see how your weaknesses are coming along.  You’d be amazed at what can be accomplished in just a few months.  This idea of honest assessment and constant improvement is what a successful runner needs to reach the heights.  Good luck!

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