In this Dr. Phil age, what more appropriate way is there to evaluate your running performance than with that all-too-asked question: How do you feel?

Forget Dr. Phil. The question, and the well-reasoned concepts behind it, have long been the cornerstone of coach Brian Clarke's training programs for runners and triathletes. And it just may help you achieve your next triathlon goal.

Endurance athletes, regardless of their level of ability, are notorious numbers freaks. They obsess about time and distance, sometimes to the detriment of their overall training and race fitness.

"People get hung up on time," Clarke said. "If you feel like you had a great race, if you had great energy, time doesn't have to play into that. It's better to wish for great energy than for a great time."

Of course, the two aren't mutually exclusive. Smart, patient training and proper preparation allow for such great energy on race day, and that in turn often translates to a best-case finishing time.

The keys, Clarke says, are to establish a solid running base, build and diversify your workouts incrementally, and always be mindful of how you are feeling.

Because running is so seemingly fundamental to athletics, many beginning runners mistakenly assume that it's best to get a, well, running start.

A better approach, according to Clarke, is to take it slow and get it right. He recommends starting with easy runs at a "conversational pace," a pace at which you are able to maintain a conversation without getting breathless. Slowly work your way up to being able to maintain this pace for one to two hours.

"People attack too quickly," Clarke said. "You want to start at a point where you almost feel it's too easy, then work your way up until you feel like it's a moderate challenge, but not ever a chore."

Base established, the next step is to add on shorter but more challenging hill workouts to build stamina and muscle strength. This involves a small but important change in running style.

To run hills efficiently, you should push off on the balls of your feet, a movement that will also builds calf power.

Next comes relatively short but quick interval workouts. These should be performed at your intended race pace.

"It's a quicker pace with a higher level of heart rate and breathing," Clarke said. "You want to do it so that you feel relaxed and in control. Make it feel like the first half of the race."

Toward the end of your training cycle, add on an endurance workout to acclimate yourself to the specific sort of discomfort you will feel over the course of your chosen race.

"It will simulate the discomfort you feel during the second half of the race," he said.

In his triathlon program, Clarke also includes "brick" workouts, short runs after bike workouts. This simulates the physical transition triathletes experience between the last two stages of the race.

"The goal is to make it automatic," Clarke said. "It doesn't have to be fast. The more they do it, the better they'll feel."

And, again, so much depends on how you are feeling — in training and on race day.

"It all depends on what your energy is like," Clark says. "You might want to run at race pace, but if you don't have the energy to do it, it doesn't matter what the schedule says.

"If you don't have the energy, it usually means you've overtrained," he said. "So, if you push it, you just get sick or injured, which is discouraging, and then you have to start all over again."

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.