He ate a whole chihuahua!
Well not exactly.
But first a random factoid alert…
Chihuahuas were actually bred for eating.
Anyway, I was listening to a podcast the other day and the guy was talking about how much fruit and veg he ate.
When he totted it up it came out as the equivalent of an adult chihuahua…
Or 2.5kg of fruit and veggies every day!
Now I like my fruit and veggies…
And I’m definitely an advocate of getting your 5-a-day…
But 2.5kg of fruit and veg is extreme.
And, to be fair, he did admit it wasn’t for everyone.
He also went to pains to point out that he didn’t wake up one day and start eating that amount.
He built up to it over a few months.
But the jump in, all guns blazing approach is one many adopt when they start a new programme…
And then wonder why they crash and burn.
It happens with beginners and more experienced athletes.
They’ll jump into a programme without having done the preparatory work.
Then 3-4 weeks in they find they can’t tolerate the sessions and get injured.
It’s why periods of base building are essential.
You can’t work hard all the time.
There need to be periods of downtime.
Weeks and months dedicated to laying the foundations on which you build to a PB.
These easy periods are what allow you to run faster or lift more.
Too often runners fall into the trap of thinking it’s the intervals, tempo runs, etc that build their speed but it’s not.
Slowly building up the volume and gradually increasing the intensity IS the route to success.
As you work in tandem with your body’s ability to adapt, your ability to do more improves.
You can tolerate harder running sessions.
Add in lifting in the 80-90% range.
Perhaps start using harder, more intense plyometric drills.
Not only that but it’ll be easier to sustain.
So, like the Chihuahua muncher slowly built his veggie intake, take the time to build your base.
You’ll be surprised how much faster and stronger you get as a result of taking your time.
