Embracing The Law Of Specificity In Your Training

In endurance sports, the Law of Specificity is one of those unsexy-but-essential truths that actually change the game. You can’t just “kind of” train for something and expect your body to magically figure it out on race day.

Your body adapts to what you repeatedly ask it to do—nothing more, nothing less. It’s the idea of Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demands (SAID). You want to run a hilly half marathon? Then your training needs hills. You’re racing in the heat? You better get cozy with sweating through your shorts now.

This is where “training smart” stops being a catchphrase and becomes a mindset.

Build a Plan That Respects the Demands of Your Race

A solid training plan should be specific—but not rigid. The goal isn’t to copy someone else’s Strava; it’s to train for your race, your body, and your life.

Start by looking at the key details:

• What kind of terrain are you facing?

• What’s the elevation and weather likely to be?

• What’s the timing—morning start, evening finish, mid-summer heat?

Then build around those answers.

Race Rehearsals: Think of key workouts as dress rehearsals for the big day. If you’re racing hills, run hills. If your race is on a Sunday, do your long runs on Sundays. You’re not just training your legs—you’re training your rhythm, recovery, and routine.

Fuel + Hydration: Don’t wait until race day to figure out what your stomach thinks of that mystery gel. Use the same fuel and hydration products you’ll have access to on the course. Train your gut just like you train your legs—it’s part of the system.

Strength and Cross-Training: The Secret Sauce

Strength work isn’t just for people who want abs (though hey, side effect). It’s what keeps your body resilient and efficient. Running is repetitive; lifting and mobility work build the support system that keeps everything firing smoothly.

Focus on single-leg strength, hip mobility, and posterior-chain work—the stuff that reinforces your gait cycle. And please, for the love of running shoes, stop skipping your warm-up. A five-minute mobility session beats ten extra minutes of junk miles any day.

Training Hard Without Losing Yourself

A typical training cycle runs 12–20 weeks. That’s a lot of miles, sweat, and early alarms. And yeah, it requires discipline—but not martyrdom.

You can be committed without being consumed. Make room for joy, social time, and rest. Burnout doesn’t build fitness; it builds resentment. The strongest athletes I coach know when to grind—and when to go get tacos.

When your training mirrors your race, your performance follows. The Law of Specificity isn’t a rule to follow—it’s a strategy to embrace.

Be intentional. Simulate the stress you’ll face on race day. Refine your fueling. Strengthen the systems that support you. And keep your life in the mix, because joy is part of performance too.

Ready to design a plan that fits your reality instead of someone else’s spreadsheet? Let’s build your next breakthrough.