Your weekly schedule has just appeared in your email inbox and it is time to sit down to consider the week’s training tasks. What track workout or tempo run is planned? When and where will that workout take place?
We know that the actual intervals of the workout will require our greatest expenditure of energy, so naturally we psych ourselves up for those. Far less often do we consider the importance of the warm up. This month, we will shed some light on this crucial aspect of your training and give the warm up its due.
Most workouts include varying amounts and variations on four very important aspects: Easy running, LIGHT stretching, running drills, and strides.
Easy running
It is not uncommon for an easy warm-up jog to be described as a way to “get the blood flowing.” Although that phrase is often uttered with a figurative meaning, the reality is, the easy jogging at the beginning of your warm up does exactly that. Easy running provides a bridge for your body to move from a static situation (sleeping in bed, driving the car, watching TV), to a place where your core body temperature has been raised. This prepares your muscles to accommodate increased blood flow, allows for more strenuous contractions as required by a hard workout, and starts the processes you’ll need to use your body’s stored energy effectively throughout the session.
Light stretching
The purpose of the warm up is to execute a string of activities that will conclude when your body is prepared to begin the hard work at hand. Taking a timeout to stretch for 20 minutes will certainly disrupt the progression of that process. However, taking a few moments to check in with the major muscle groups after (and only after) you have been able to light the fire with easy running can provide a helpful transition to the increasingly dynamic activities in the warm up routine. Hamstrings, quadriceps, calves, glutes, and iliotibial (IT) bands can be lightly stretched (finding a cozy position for 2x8-10 seconds without any strain or hint of pain) from a standing or supine position without taking more than 5-7 minutes away from the remainder of activities on tap.
Running drills
Running drills are exercises that mimic or closely resemble some of the types of repetitive demands harder running will make on your body. The intention of running drills are to help ensure your body has been prepared to handle these, and to also reinforce the type of angles and form habits practiced by efficient runners. Runcoach has outlined and created short videos for a basic canon of seven running drills. Each drill is meant to be practiced for the distance indicated immediately after which the athlete should run with good form at 1500 meter pace effort for the balance of 100 meters.
Strides
Consider the last time you observed the start line of a competitive road race or track race. Many times the athletes involved take complete repeated short running bouts of 30, 50, or even 100 meters just before the competition begins. These final preparations are called strides. These strides listed on your warm up are most definitely related (as their lower-key cousin) to these pre race sprints. A chance to concentrate on good form for 20-30 seconds and provide the body a few more sustained efforts that keep the body warm and prepared to work hard are the final touches on your warm up routine. If you have ever done a workout with a short warm up and felt rusty on the first effort, only to find yourself feeling markedly better on the second bout, then you know firsthand the importance of strides. Please see our video description of strides here.
While warm up is a crucial physical preparation process, it can also be an invaluable time to review the mental elements you’ll need to employ during the workout and distance yourself from the everyday cares that will be waiting when you return through your front door. Let your warm up free you of the world’s gravity and transport you to the weightless state of focus on your workout. Complete each step with care and you’ll find your workouts will benefit.
When post-goal race elation subsides and the physical recovery period is well underway, many runners have a difficult time turning the corner toward the next horizon. Some athletes come away from a goal race so hungry for the next one that they over-enthusiastically barrel down the road toward the next goal without giving their bodies ample time to rest. Instead, for many runners, a huge bucket list item is a hard act to follow, even if we know that goal setting has finally allowed us to move the needle on long sought hopes.
The knowledge that the physical challenge of a long race can be described as a “how” rather than the “if” it was the first time is a powerful tool. Addressing the “how” requires a bit of work above the shoulders, both before and during the races ahead. We’ve written about a few of these topics on the blog, including the areas listed below:
At runcoach, we love to see runners break through and achieve their goals week after week, but we know sometimes the immediate road ahead has a focus on general fitness rather than a big goal race. We are here for you either way, and your individualized program can adjust to meet your needs for the run tomorrow as well as your destination goal race in 2014!
Running can be a life-changing activity, a passion, an outlet, sometimes (hopefully not often), it can even feel like a chore. As many long-time runners can attest, running can also teach many lessons that are readily transferable to a wide array of life situations. Some of these examples are encapsulated in the encouragement runcoach (like many other running coaches through history) gives you along your training journey.
Run through the Line
Running, belief, commitment, and a willingness to see the task to completion are crucial components to success. Many times a premature decision to evaluate a project or a race midway through eliminates the chance to enjoy the fruits of your labor, or a change of fortune in the late stages of the race. Marathoners go through rough patches, and can weather them and find success if belief and commitment are strong. Many a start-up or a long term project has also gone through a dark season or two before things finally look up. Commit to running the race until completion, and earn yourself the chance to enjoy the good that might still be possible.
Plan your rest days into the schedule
Although not every runner keeps the same schedule of rest vs. training days, every runner has a better chance of avoiding injury and training interruptions when they are able to plan regular rest into their schedule. Try to push through when rundown, or ignore a nagging sore spot, and an unplanned, and much less convenient rest period might be just around the corner. Similarly, a non-stop schedule of work and stress can often adversely affect our health. Although we don’t always have control over our schedules, most would agree a balanced life includes times of planned relaxation and recharging for the next challenge.
A positive attitude makes an enormous difference
Life and running have their fair share of challenges and unanticipated roadblocks. Depending on your perspective, many of these are temporary, and loom frighteningly large or completely manageable. When you retain a fundamental belief that a viable path exists out of your current bind, and when you attack a problem with the belief that the problem has a knowable and doable solution, you have a much greater chance of success than when a defeatist attitude emerges first. Get through that mid-race rough patch by reminding yourself of your training and the strength it has given you. Pick your way through a tricky professional patch by relying on the skills that have brought you to that point. Stay positive, and it will soon take the idea of giving up off the table.
Pace yourself
Life is a marathon, and not a sprint. We say this because we understand that a marathon takes a great deal of patience, training, and learning to succeed. We also understand that if you start out with a pace that throws caution to the wind, then your end result might be a bit unpleasant. A life a thousand miles begins with a single step. Stick to your plan, keep a steady, confident tempo, and arrive on time and in one piece, both in life and in the race.
Practice Makes Perfect
This saying, along with its cousin, “Perfect Practice Makes Perfect,” reminds us that it pays to consider our goals and to make sure we have rehearsed the requirements of the day as much as is possible beforehand. Just like that important presentation or pitch, rehearsing your fueling patterns during your long run or embarking on routes similar in topography to your goal race will teach you how to flesh out the tricky parts and handle them more confidently. We perform better when we can eliminate unknowns and focus on executing our plan. Running long distances can be a great incubator for us to reinforce that habit.
There are many other sayings and phrases out there that encapsulate the similar challenges and successes we go through as runners in and out of our training shoes. As runners, we are fortunate to have a great laboratory every day, and hopefully our lives are better for it even after we slip off our shoes.
Day Before
Whenever possible, pick up your bib number, timing chip, and goody bag the day before the race. This way, you won't have to worry about rushing to get it on the morning of the race. (Added bonus - you will be more likely to get your desired race T-shirt size if you pick it up early!)
Once you have your bib number, pin it to the front of the shirt you will wear on race day. (Don't pin it to the back). Most races will have boxes of safety pins for your use. Take four so that you can fasten all 4 corners.
Dressing The Part
For race attire, consider some "throw away" warmups for the start. These will protect you from the elements if it is cold or rainy. Old socks can come in handy for keeping your hands warm. Some runners will even wear the t-shirt for the first couple miles of the race until they warm up and then pull it off and throw it away. This is a good strategy to prepare for all temperatures.
Once the race starts, you WILL warm up. Be prepared by wearing lighter clothes underneath your "thow away" sweats. A good rule of thumb: Dress as if the weather is 15 degrees warmer than it is. That's how much you'll warm up once you start running.
Hydration
Drink Gatorade (or any sports drink that doesn’t include protein) and/or water frequently to assure you are hydrated before the race. Clear urine is a good sign. At some point (usually 10-20 minutes) prior to the race stop drinking so you can empty your bladder before the start.
Breakfast
We always recommend eating breakfast and an essential, light breakfast is important on race day. 2-3 hours before the race, try to consume 200-400 calories of food you are accustomed to and can easily digest. Your body will need that fuel in the latter stages of the race.
Don't try a new food the morning of the race. Instead, experiment with different foods beforehand or stick to things that have worked for you in the past. The best breakfast foods contain both complex and simple carbohydrates and high-quality protein (in small amounts). Your breakfast should include some healthy fats, but also in small amounts.
Heading to the Start Line
There will often be race day traffic so allow plenty of time to get to the starting area. You will need time to stretch out, do a warm up jog, and use the bathroom. (Warning: The lines for the bathrooms at road races are always long. Don't wait until the last minute to go!)
Pace
Remember this is an endurance race and the key to success is pace. As soon as the gun goes off remind yourself that you have a long race ahead of you. Check your breathing, body tension and other physical markers to gauge your pace. If you are running faster than a pace you can maintain throughout the whole distance, slow down immediately. The goal of any successful race is to run every mile within 10% of your average pace.
Remember the 3 ‘C’s’
Confidence: Have confidence in your ability and your training. Remember all those hard workouts you did. Remember those early mornings, late nights, sore calves, tight hamstrings etc. - they weren’t in jest.
Control: Feel comfortable with the pace for the first 1-2 miles. Stay relaxed and controlled.
Collection: Keep your thoughts collected and on your objective. In the typical big city race there will be thousands of distractions along the way. The further you get in this race the more you need to focus on yourself, goals and race strategy. Don’t let the fans and competitors into your zone.
You Always Have One Cup Left
That’s right – you always have one cup of energy left. The difference is that some people find it and some don’t. Remember what normal, untrained people do when they feel discomfort – they slow down and feel better. You are not a normal un-trained person.
You are a running machine!
As a machine you will have to dig down at the end to determine if you will have a good effort that you can be satisfied with or not.
Go get that last cup!
In July, many athletes begin training in earnest for a fall goal race. We’re glad that this year, more runners than ever are doing so with runcoach.
A runner announces their new training cycle with a fresh pair of shoes brought home from the running store, or an acknowledgement they are about to embark on their first official long training run. Then, he or she often gets the fun questions to answer – Wow! When / how did you decide to run a marathon? Why did you choose that race? What time do you want to run? In contrast, runcoach wants you to be able to answer the questions no one will ask – Wow! What is your predicted half marathon time? Do you have access to a treadmill? Can you run on Thursdays?
In short, one of the significant ways runcoach is different than almost any other training solution is the amount of focus we place on you and your current profile, rather than your hypothetical goals and hypothetical self. Don’t get us wrong – we are completely invested in providing a path to progress your running as far as you can go. However, instead of taking a random target and working back from it, we take your actual current profile / performances (or if there are no current or relevant races, we instruct you how to produce a hard effort to approximate a race). From this, we forge an appropriate, sustainable path forward. Achieve mastery at your present level, then recover, adapt, and perform at peak productivity.
What if your goal was to break 4:00 hours for the marathon, but in 20 weeks, it turns out you might be actually better prepared to run 3:45? What if you had in mind a 1:35 half marathon time, but forgot to factor in the crazy hills and stiff headwinds notorious on that course. Goal setting is an important motivational cornerstone, but we know at runcoach that each person begins at a different spot – in their experience level, in their current fitness, in their weekly schedules, and in their natural strengths and weaknesses. Our system provides our athletes with a program that is unique to each person, because each person is indeed unique.
As with any new coach/ athlete relationship, initially an athlete might be skeptical if the assigned workouts differ from what is expected. Often we hear from runners who are used to a “go until you can’t go any more” approach to workouts, or a pattern of going hard everyday out on the roads. Other athletes have never followed a structured plan before and maybe sell themselves short on what they can do over various distances. Hundreds of thousands of workouts and successful goal races have reinforced for us that an approach including proper stress based on your current fitness profile, followed by sensible recovery, will lead to racing at peak performance.
Today, an aggressive approach and an ASAP mentality are present in many of the products we buy. It is easy to be antsy over a five-minute wait when you are used to getting your Starbucks latté made in two. Remember when traveling across the continent or the ocean meant a risky wagon or boat ride and the very real possibility that waving goodbye to home was forever? Now, we are grumpy when a five hour plane ride is delayed one hour. Patience is in short supply. At runcoach, we want you have fun answering the enjoyable questions from friends and family, but we also want you to be knowledgeable and confident enough about your present fitness to answer the tough questions as well. We’re ok being the ones with the answers to the unpopular questions, and we’re excited that as our athletes achieve these goals, these unpopular questions are becoming much less so.
At runcoach, we love the enthusiasm of runners fired up after a successful first marathon or long goal race. Many athletes find the cycle of goal setting, progressive workouts, and solid race performance to be an enticing combination, one which quickly beckons them again. As a runner becomes more confident in the ability to complete the training cycle, execute the race, and recover, he or she may begin to look further down the road and plan two or three goal races ahead. But, how many marathons are too many?
Each athlete comes equipped with an experience level, injury history (or lack thereof), and other daily commitments specific to them. Each race also has its challenges and advantages – course difficulty, transportation set-up, weather, etc. A tough combination of these factors might produce a decision to take things one goal race at a time, but if things are aligning well, we suggest taking about three-four months between marathons. At most we recommend 4 marathons per year.
Many avid marathoners have found a rhythm with an annual fall or spring marathon, or maybe two marathons per year with plenty of time to recycle and train between each. Other runners prefer to include goal races of different lengths interspersed between marathon attempts. That could mean a target half marathon in the spring and a big marathon goal for the fall, or a season of running shorter races such as 5Ks and 10Ks to work on speed, while leaving a longer distance race for later in a particular year. There is no “one size fits all” answer for these race choices, except our desire to make sure you leave enough time to train properly and arrive at race day ready to do your best.
It is not uncommon for runners to go through a period of time where enthusiasm is high and things are coming together so nicely a successful string of narrowly scheduled races can come off well. However, it is also not uncommon for runners to change that pattern by necessity only after something has not gone well or nagging soreness has turned into an injury. Your runcoach schedule is designed to progress you toward your short-term goals but also keep you healthy so that you can keep striving toward other long-term goals. It is far better to have six excellent experiences over the course of two years with more to look forward to, than three experiences followed by a long string of injury and uncertainty.
Yes, there are those that can manage a spectacular workload and race frequency, but there are also those who must take the greatest of care to arrive intact at one goal race per year. Most of us are between the two, and are hoping to continue our running and racing for years and decades to come. Stay patient, and keep a sane race schedule. We’ll help you train well, and together we can plan for many congratulations and “high-fives” ahead.
40 years ago, the Boston and New York Marathons had only a couple thousand finishers between them, and the average running shoe was pretty spare (we’d say “minimal” today), without a great deal of cushioning and support. Today, the average wall of a specialty running store yields a bewildering array of shoes. Options include maximum cushioning, support, stability, and motion control. Meanwhile, New York will likely have upwards of 45,000 finishers this year, and the increased popularity of Boston means that having a qualifier no longer means you will actually be able to secure a spot in the race.
These trends are related.
The increased technological complexity of running shoe design has provided a gateway to the sport of running for many individuals who are outside the physical “ideal” for world class running. In fact, the definition of “ideal” itself has arguably been shifted as many recreational runners who strive for personal bests and accomplishment take pride in the capabilities of their bodies to finish, regardless of how fast. Along the way, the number of runners who may not be built for speed in the Olympic sense have been protected from injury by new technologies offering previously unheard of support and cushioning in a shoe. That said, the shoes they wear may also have unintended consequences.
One of the major ways in which the average running shoe has changed from a generation ago is the amount of heel cushioning coupled with a higher incline off the ground for the back of the foot. While many runners have a natural stride that lends itself to landing first on the heel, these shoes make it much more easy for anyone to land first on the heel. Here’s why:
Hitting the ground first with your heel can have a couple of problematic results.
Essentially, landing heel first isn’t the most efficient way to get from Point A to Point B.
Preferably for most of us, the first surface to touch ground on each stride should be the midfoot to forefoot, or right around where your shoe is the widest. This is for a couple reasons: one, it is really hard to land that far forward on your foot when your foot is extended out in front of you. In fact, unless you are a ballet dancer, it is hard to even walk like this. So, in order for you to land on this part of your foot, it will be closer to your body, or ideally, pretty much right underneath your body. This means that you will spend less time horizontally transferring your weight over your foot before push off, and can use the large muscles of your body to both land with everything aligned, and push off immediately, lessening the chance for the type injuries caused by your hip and knees absorbing chain reaction forces when heel striking. Two, if you are taking steps that allow for your foot to land under or close to underneath your body, you are likely taking more frequent steps, what we might call a quicker cadence. Although it might be tempting to think of long extended strides as the way to pick up speed, all that time in the air is just spent slowing down. So, a quicker cadence means you are likely making more rapid progress in the direction you want to go.
“Minimalist” shoes, which have come into vogue over the last few years, have a much lower heel profile. This discourages heelstriking Particularly for anyone who makes the big jump from a highly cushioned shoe into a minimal model without a gradual transition, the extra work required for your calves can be felt without much need for explanation upon waking the next morning. For some runners, these shoes are a good supplemental tool or solution if their bodies are ready for that type of transition and their stride naturally might lend itself to a more midfoot to forefoot strike already. For heel strikers, these shoes might be a supplemental tool to help encourage good posture and start to work on running form, but should be used with caution. If the support of the current shoe has been a positive injury prevention tool, it should continue to part of a runner’s arsenal.
Sometimes, we think of ourselves as a completely different brand of runner than the African athletes we might see at the front of the pack in races. However, when researchers studied the foot strike patterns of Kenyans, they found that those who grew up running to and from school without shoes were more often forefoot strikers than those who grew up wearing shoes. So, even among a group that we as recreational runners tend to see as homogenous, significant differences have been found based on their history of footwear.
While more research has yet to be done on this, what can we conclude about those of us who currently heel strike? Regardless of how our foot strikes the ground, we all want to move forward efficiently. Practicing short stretches (30 seconds or 2 minutes at a time, etc) with a quicker cadence will help teach yourself how to increase speed when finishing in a race and allow you to experiment with what it feels like to land more toward the midfoot. If you are a steadfast heel striker who has relied on padded shoes to stay healthy, quicker, more frequent strides vs longer, bounding strides is still the way to go.
In short, we are in an age where shoe technology has allowed more people than ever to run for recreation. Some of that technology has also reinforced not entirely ideal habits our body may naturally have, even as it allows to stay healthy enough to run at all. We may be content to enjoy the race from our spot in the pace or we may be anxious to move up the standings. Either way, mindfulness about how our foot strikes the ground and how we can increase our efficiency can allow us to have more fun along the way.
Even the most experienced among us was once a rookie. Those of us who have raced for years at shorter distances can also feel like beginners when it comes to the humbling aspects of the longer events. Whether you are trying something new this training cycle or hope to in the future, read on to inoculate yourself against these common pitfalls.
Don’t OverEXPOse yourself
Two to three weeks of taper, deliberate sleep hours, and careful treatment of your body cannot be completely undone by spending hours walking and shopping at the expo on the day before the race, but it definitely won’t help! Resist the urge to spend hours walking up and down the aisles of the expo at your first big race. If possible, visit the expo two or three days before when there are smaller crowds. If you have things you need, like a particular souvenir for someone, some gel packets, or a container of body glide, look at the map before heading over. Then, stick to your list and keep a hard time limit after which you promise yourself (in advance) that you will leave. Combined with what may include lots of walking to get into the facility and any other activities you may do, minimizing the walking at the expo is in your best interest to keep the legs feeling fresh.
Read My Lips, No New Gear (the day before the race)
A rookie racer might be tempted to try cool new shoes (without breaking them in), a new pair of shorts (without testing if they will chafe), a new fueling item (my friend said this gel works really well for her!), and so on. The enticements of the expo can make this one even more difficult. As the saying goes, “dance with the girl you brought.” Your weeks and weeks of training have helped you to figure out the shoes, shorts, and fuel that will work best on race day. You’ll be a bit nervous anyway – no need to leave more to chance with the essentials!
Keep Anthony Boudrain away from your table
A fun new city, maybe a great dinner spot the night before your race…seems like a great time to ask the waiter what the “specials” are, right? Wrong. Running a marathon or a half marathon can be a gastro intestinal adventure with a number of twists and turns, and there is no need to court danger. Avoid adventurous eating the night or two before. Plan on eating food that your system will recognize and that you know will digest according to plan. Again, you might have some butterflies anyhow. Do not risk anything here.
Hydrate, but don’t overdo the water
One of the most common tips a newbie racer likely hears is to STAY HYDRATED. However, too much water in the final day or two before a race can wash crucial electrolytes from the system when they are needed most and leave you in the portapotty when the gun goes off. Balance your water intake with a sports drink your body trusts. Very light yellow or almost clear urine is a good sign you have consumed enough. If you proceed incrementally, you should only need to sip a bottle the morning of the race, thus lightening the near term load on your bladder.
Plan to Work and then Work the Plan
With a first big race looming on the calendar, a race plan or splits schedule towards a goal time can be helpful to ease the feeling of the unknown going into the race. When a big wave of adrenaline carries you out to sea on the first few miles of the race, do not fall prey to the urge to throw your plan out the window. Stick to the plan you have formulated when thinking logically and with plenty of time. If during the second half of the race you realize you have undershot the mark, you will still have a chance to finish strong. However, the reverse situation (going out way too fast and trying to hang on for dear life) can be much more difficult. Use your first race as an opportunity to try something new. This debut experience will then establish a baseline and create a springboard that will give you the confidence to move on to faster and more adventurous performances in the future.
Quick Guide to Running Lingo
Like athletes in many other sports, runners have a vocabulary that may seem completely foreign to beginners. Even experienced runners may be confused by some of the lingo. At runcoach, we’re here to help! Read on for a list of some common running terms.
For more info on specific terms used in your workout schedule, mouse over terms on your pace chart or contact us with your questions!
Negative Split/ Positive Split
Contrary to what these terms might imply, usually negative splits are more fun than positive splits. A negative split is when the second half of your run, race, or interval is faster than the first half. A positive split means you slowed down in the second half. It only takes a few painful positive split efforts to remind you of the difference!
Kick
This is a general term for the final part of the race when an athlete is really going for it. Another term used when talking about the kick might be “change gears.” The runner increases frequency of their stride cadence and embarks upon a faster pace or harder effort level. Don’t start kicking too early! Make sure you have enough energy left to sustain this pace through the finish line.
Shake-out
This term can be used to describe a run that is light and easy and done just to get the kinks out. We often describe the last run before a big race as a shakeout. You might hear, “I went on my three mile shakeout this afternoon, before heading to the pasta dinner.”
LSD
Although running can indeed provide that “natural high,” when athletes refer to LSD, they are usually talking about Long Slow Distance, which is known on our runcoach schedules as aerobic runs or Easy / Long pace.
Fartlek
Eeeew!!! No, no, fartlek is a term for “speedplay” in Swedish. It can mean a semi-unstructured run with varying periods of up-tempo running interspersed with easy recovery running. These days, fartleks are often structured, but unmeasured sets of work at a perceived effort, such as 8x 2minutes comfortably hard with 90 seconds of easy running in between each.
Hitting the Wall
No need for a definition if you have felt it even once. Hitting the wall can be described as a sudden and steep decrease in energy level and ability to perform at the previous pace due to the onset of fatigue, a lack of fueling, or both. Mile 23 is a fairly common place to “hit the wall” in a marathon. See “Bonked”.
Chip Time vs. Gun Time
In races where your time is recorded by wearing a computer chip that is read while traveling over mats along the pavement, you will often be given 2 different times in the race results. The gun time is the time elapsed since the race was started,. The chip time is time that begins when you actually cross the starting line mat.
PR or PB
These stand for Personal Record (usually US speaker) or Personal Best (usually everyone else).
Taper
The portion of your training cycle where you cease the really difficult workouts and attempt to get cumulative rest with lighter workouts while preparing for an upcoming race.
Bandit
A competitor running in the race without having officially entered.
Rabbit
An athlete charged with setting an early pace for the benefit of (usually) the top athletes in the race. The rabbit usually then drops out at the agreed upon time, although there are examples of races where the pacer continued on and won!
