What the heck is a driving simulator, you ask? Since words don't really do a driving simulator justice, here's an example:
Basically it's a room full of seated consoles that are designed to look like the dashboard of a car, complete with gas and brake pedal, steering wheel, speedometer, gear shifts, and rear-view mirrors. The room lights are dimmed and in the front of the room is a giant screen on which a video is projected that is supposed to look like the view from a car's steering wheel. You were then supposed to follow along and "drive" the consol according to the video. Consider it to be a more hands-on version of a video game. Only, the instructional videos were from the 70s and always included very unrealistic obstacles such as a random man hurling his briefcase onto the street in front of you (in which case you were supposed to apply the brake firmly, without causing your wheels to lock up).
The consols would beep at you if you did something wrong, and I believe we got scored based on how many or how few beeps we initiated.
One day I'm in my consol "driving" along, and no matter what I do the consol is beeping at me. Even when the video had us sitting at a red light with our feet on the brakes, the consol would still beep. I was bewildered as to why this was happening, not to mention I was embarrassed at the incessant beeping. I went through the entire class like this!
At the end of the class, the instructor finally turned the lights back on and dismissed the class. Thank goodness - the beeping couldn't stop soon enough! Only then, I looked down... and realized that I had been driving in reverse gear. The entire time.
I know you're all terrified of me behind the wheel of a car now. But please know that when I'm driving a real car, I can tell pretty quickly when I'm in reverse gear. Trust me.
In short, though, there really is no substitute for the real thing, is there? You can read or study or simulate topics until you're blue in the face, but the best way to learn is to get out there and experience it firsthand. When it comes to training, the same theory applies.
This comes into play because I've been going back and forth on what kind of marathon training plan I will use in the spring. I am debating between Hal Higdon's Novice 1 plan, versus Jeff Galloway's "To Finish" plan.
Here's Hal Higdon's plan:
Marathon Training Schedule: Novice 1
Week | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thur | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Rest | 3 m run | 3 m run | 3 m run | Rest | 6 | cross |
2 | Rest | 3 m run | 3 m run | 3 m run | Rest | 7 | cross |
3 | Rest | 3 m run | 4 m run | 3 m run | Rest | 5 | cross |
4 | Rest | 3 m run | 4 m run | 3 m run | Rest | 9 | cross |
5 | Rest | 3 m run | 5 m run | 3 m run | Rest | 10 | cross |
6 | Rest | 3 m run | 5 m run | 3 m run | Rest | 7 | cross |
7 | Rest | 3 m run | 6 m run | 3 m run | Rest | 12 | cross |
8 | Rest | 3 m run | 6 m run | 3 m run | Rest | Rest | Half Marathon |
9 | Rest | 3 m run | 7 m run | 4 m run | Rest | 10 | cross |
10 | Rest | 3 m run | 7 m run | 4 m run | Rest | 15 | cross |
11 | Rest | 4 m run | 8 m run | 4 m run | Rest | 16 | cross |
12 | Rest | 4 m run | 8 m run | 5 m run | Rest | 12 | cross |
13 | Rest | 4 m run | 9 m run | 5 m run | Rest | 18 | cross |
14 | Rest | 5 m run | 9 m run | 5 m run | Rest | 14 | cross |
15 | Rest | 5 m run | 10 m run | 5 m run | Rest | 20 | cross |
16 | Rest | 5 m run | 8 m run | 4 m run | Rest | 12 | cross |
17 | Rest | 4 m run | 6 m run | 3 m run | Rest | 8 | cross |
18 | Rest | 3 m run | 4 m run | 2 m run | Rest | Rest | Marathon |
CARA uses Hal Higdon's plan for their group marathon training program (the one that meets every Saturday at 6 AM for group long runs), and Hal Higdon's plan is incredibly popular in the running field. I understand that his plan has an extremely high success rate. He is considered a living running legend by many! However, his plan still looks aggressive to me - the buildup of miles over 18 weeks seems very challenging!
Comparatively, here is Jeff Galloway's plan:
Week | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday (p) | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
1 | off | 30 min run | off | 30 min run | easy walk | off | 3 miles |
2 | off | 30 min run | off | 30 min run | easy walk | off | 4 miles |
3 | off | 30 min run | off | 30 min run | easy walk | off | 5 miles |
4 | off | 30 min run | off | 30 min run | easy walk | off | 2.5 miles/MM |
5 | off | 30 min run | off | 30 min run | easy walk | off | 6 miles |
6 | off | 30 min run | off | 30 min run | easy walk | off | 3 miles |
7 | off | 30 min run | off | 30 min run | easy walk | off | 7.5 miles |
8 | off | 30 min run | off | 30 min run | easy walk | off | 3 miles/MM |
9 | off | 30 min run | off | 30 min run | easy walk | off | 9 miles |
10 | off | 30 min run | off | 30 min run | easy walk | off | 4 miles |
11 | off | 30 min run | off | 30 min run | easy walk | off | 10.5 miles |
12 | off | 30 min run | off | 30 min run | easy walk | off | 4 miles/MM |
13 | off | 30 min run | off | 30 min run | easy walk | off | 12 miles |
14 | off | 30 min run | off | 30 min run | easy walk | off | 4 miles |
15 | off | 30 min run | off | 30 min run | easy walk | off | 14 miles |
16 | off | 30 min run | off | 30 min run | easy walk | off | 5 miles/MM |
17 | off | 30 min run | off | 30 min run | easy walk | off | 17 miles |
18 | off | 30 min run | off | 30 min run | easy walk | off | 5 miles |
19 | off | 30 min run | off | 30 min run | easy walk | off | 6 miles/MM |
20 | off | 30 min run | off | 30 min run | easy walk | off | 20 miles |
21 | off | 30 min run | of | 30 min run | easy walk | off | 6 miles |
22 | off | 30 min run | off | 30 min run | easy walk | off | 6 miles/MM |
23 | off | 30 min run | off | 30 min run | easy walk | off | 23 miles |
24 | off | 30 min run | off | 30 min run | easy walk | off | 6 miles |
25 | off | 30 min run | off | 30 min run | easy walk | off | 7 miles |
26 | off | 30 min run | off | 30 min run | easy walk | off | 26 miles |
27 | off | 30 min run | off | 30 min run | easy walk | off | 7 miles |
28 | off | 30 min run | off | 30 min run | easy walk | off | 6 miles |
29 | off | 30 min run | off | 30 min run | easy walk | off | 7 miles |
30 | off | 30 min run | off | 30 min run | easy walk | off | MARATHON |
31 | off | 30 min run | off | 30 min run | easy walk | off | 7 miles |
32 | off | 30 min run | off | 30 min run | easy walk | off | 6 miles |
Jeff Galloway's plan advocates a run-walk method, whereby you take frequent walk breaks at specified intervals. The theory is that when you run nonstop, you use the same muscles continuously and thereby fatigue those muscles quickly, which cause you to slow down at the end of a long run. However, by adding frequent short walk breaks, you distribute the workload across a variety of muscles, allowing you to stay fresher for longer periods of time. This alleviates the need to slow down at the end.
Jeff Galloway also advocates that his plan results in fewer injuries, and I can certainly see why based upon the much more gradual increase in mileage. I understand that his plan is highly successful as well. However, his plan has you doing long runs of 20, 23, and 26 miles in your training, whereas I've heard from many sources that going above 20 miles in training is not recommended due to the strain it causes.
I am torn between the two plans (both plans have group-training offerings). One plan seems a bit more aggressive than I would prefer. The other seems much more palatable but, save for the very, very long runs towards the end, is so much lighter in overall mileage that I wonder if it's almost too light? And I've read many instances of folks who oppose the run-walk method basically because they feel that pure running is just that - not run-walking.
The only way to know which plan works best or better for me is to try both, of course. Learn from experience and from going out there and just doing it!
But there are so many variables that come into play. All else equal, most people improve their race results over time simply because they know more of what to expect and become better runners over time. So if you do one method one year and the other the next, who knows if how much of the improvement is due to experience versus the different training plan? And you obviously want to do as best you can the first time around... but what happens if the first experience was so draining that you lose the desire to try again? You might never know what you're missing... but at the same time maybe the first reaction is usually the correct reaction and there's a reason for that. I know I'm getting ahead of myself here.
To get philosophical again, there's a common saying that life is not just about the end destination, it's also about the journey. At the same time, sometimes the end result is NOT worth the blood, sweat, and tears to get there... but other times it is MORE than worth it. Since we never really know when venturing into uncharted territory, I say that the worst possible thing we can do is remain motionless.
With that in mind, regardless of which plan I ultimately end up using, I hope to live by the standards of simply always trying to stay in motion. No matter which path I take, I will try to move forward confidently, always give it my all, and have no regrets along the way.
Unless, of course, I am unknowingly in reverse gear and I have a driver's ed simulator beeping the living daylights out of me.
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