Vary Your Key Workouts

"Within four weeks [the body] has probably made all the adaptations it's going to do. I never understand why people train every day the same way and expect to improve. Within a few weeks, or certainly a month or two, you're going to hit a plateau, and the only way you can break out is to change your training in some way." (runningtimes.com)

-Tim Noakes

MY COMMENT: Food for thought. I am probably guilty of spending too much time doing the same workouts.

Discovery Trail Marathon Update (Sunday)

The course has been marked- weather has been very warm the last few days. A late 9 am start has me worried, but the long range forecast for Sunday calls for cooler temps. moving in and 49% cloud cover. weather forecast for Sunday . My other concern, since the course runs point to point east to west, is wind. As of now the 11 am forecast calls for NNE winds at 6 mph.

I am in the middle of taper week, but I prefer to call in "peaking week". This is the week I try to do something nearly every day at a pace that is equal to or quicker than marathon pace. Yesterday I did a 5K in 20:30, while today I hit 6 x 800 back on the Discovery Trail in 3:05 down to 2:54.

Race Before Your Big One

So what you do is create blocks of races. Once you are in shape, you are in shape. Then you can go for weeks, and that’s what we do. So now you look at the calendar, if you need to go the championships, you need to go to the trials. To go to the trials you need some build-up races before you go to the trials to make sure you qualify. -Dieter Hogen, who coaches a number of African and European runners, is founder of KIMba Athletics (interview from Running Times)

Running Drills

Marathon Training Tip

The truth is that pace, not training mileage, is the crucial element to success in marathons. -George Sheehan in Better Runs 25 Years' Worth of Lessons For Running Faster and Farther by Joe Henderson.

MY COMMENT: George reportedly ran just over 3 hours at 61 years of age on 30 miles a week- 3 x 10 mile runs. It turns out he was a very gifted runner as well as writer and speaker. Preparation for a marathon requires a balance of quantity and quality, and that may vary with every individual. Certainly age plays a role- rest and recovery is much more important after 40 and especially after 50. Perhaps weekly miles are more important for younger runners that recover faster, and older runners that require additional rest should focus more on tempo miles per week. All I know is that now (after 50)I need very good rest prior to a good workout.

Running Calculators

Ok so I ran a 10k this weekend and had a good effort- 37:31. I know that sounds slow, but using an age graded calculator it's the equivlant of a 31:30. Much better.

According to the McMillan Running Calculator, I should be able to run a 2:56:04 marathon and a 5:12 mile. I've done the marathon time, but I need some work to run 5:12.

Low Mileage Blamed for Poor Performance in England

He was shocked to discover the low weekly mileage count of several of Britain's top male runners. "Some of the boys have been running only 20-30 miles a week," he says. "Now we've got people like Mo [Farah] jacking up mileage of 100-120 miles a week.

"It's a big lifestyle change. In the last 10-15 years there was a groundswell of opinion that said 'less is more'. We had runners doing more work in the gym.But they're not doing that in Kenya or Ethiopia, they're getting miles undertheir belt." guardian.co.uk

-Ian Stewart (the guy that outkicked Pre for the bronze medal in Munich)

MY COMMENT: Nothing more needs to be said. Same thing happened here in America until people started waking up.

A Must Read -Especially If You Are Running Boston

Boston is a downhill course!

...that a series of eccentric strength exercises done two weeks before a downhill run reduced both DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) and the amount of strength loss. The researchers believe that the prior training does two things to help your muscles adapt to the stress of downhill running. It builds more sarcomeres which build a longer, stronger muscle. The prior training also teaches your neuromuscular system to dole out the force more equally among your muscle fibers reducing the chances of damage to one motor unit. -runningtheplanet.com

It's not too late to make a huge difference- if your legs are not prepared for the downhills I guarantee you will be very sore after this one. According to this article just one or two hard eccentric workouts will help.

Why Miles are Important in Marathon Training

"Where you may get some advantage in high mileage--if you can stand it--is in the substrate, the metabolic level that relates to glycogen storage. With volume over 100 miles, you're depleting yourself on a chronic basis and forcing yourself to replenish your glycogen stores day after day."

"If you can push the depletion level of the body in races from 60-90 minutes to two hours by training, you can maintain a higher intensity, which translates to a better running speed. That is where volume mileage has the advantage over high intensity training." -Al Claremont

William J. Fink of Ball State University suspects Claremont's assumption may be correct, but also suggests that volume training may result in a neuromuscular training effect, a more efficient recruitment of all available muscle fibers, which allows the work load to be parceled out over the distance more effectively: "When a runner doubles his training mileage, we often see no change in his maximum oxygen uptake (max VO2), his ability to deliver oxygen to the muscles. So we are forced to look to other areas to determine why volume training results in better performance." (Note: Bill Fink was head of the Biochemistry room in the Human Performance Lab at Ball State- I spent 2 years in there doing whatever I could "not to screw something up." He definitely knew his stuff, especially with a Ph D in Theology!)

"If you're talking about the reasons high mileage results in fast times, I'm not sure we know what we're looking for yet. Most scientists probably have not zeroed in on the real causes." -Jack Wilmore

article by Hal Higdon for ultRunr.com

MY COMMENT: 100 mile weeks are common among world class marathoners. I did it in college and for a short period after I graduated. I clearly remember feeling pretty beat up by Wednesday, however just one easy day was all I needed to bounce back and feel great. How fast you run those miles is also a consideration. 100 mile weeks will leave you feeling very strong after a taper, however to sacrifice quality for the sake of a reaching a mileage goal is not the best idea for running a fast marathon. You need to find a way to inject some quality in those weekly miles in the form of intervals or sustained tempo runs. Finding an ideal mix of distance and quality is the dilema all serious marathon runners must face.

Intervals VS Tempo Runs- Yes There is a Difference!

Since the Napa Valley Marathon I've been running some nice 7 mile, sub 7 minute per mile tempo workouts and feeling very strong. Tonight I switched gears a bit and went back to the 800 meter repeats at sub 3 min pace, and wow, what a difference! I immediately felt my legs getting heavy and early onset oxygen debt. At first I blamed yesterday's bike ride and figured I was in for a bad day, however my average times ended up 3-4 seconds faster than I was hitting at my peak prior to Napa.

While I attribute the improvement to the tempo runs, research that has been done on this topic clearly favors the intervals.

The Best Training Stimulus to Increase VO2 Max

Don't Stray Too Far From Intervals

Intervals VS Tempo Running

Intuition tells me that if my tempo workouts have improved my interval workouts, and intervals are superior for boosting VO2, it makes perfect sense to figure out a way to integrate both strategies into your race preparation.

Training Update- Wed Mar 18 Does Biking Help?

am: very easy 4 miles with Sumo
pm: 20 miles on the bike

It's getting warmer out, so I am finally getting an opportunity to enjoy biking on the days after a hard workout. I believe if you cycle consistenty in between your hard run days, yes it can improve your race times.
Just make sure you don't go so hard on the bike that it affects your run the following day. You may be negating the benefits if you have to sacrifice running miles by adding bike workouts.

Need Motivation?

This book comes highly recommended by an Aussie runner friend of mine I correspond with. I haven't read it (to this point motivation has not been a problem), however it received a 5 star average rating in Customer Reviews on Amazon.

Facebook Training Log

I just discovered a nifty training log on Facebook called I Just Ran. All you need to do is sign up for Facebook and log in.

Short Hill Sprints

"Every runner I coach does regular sessions of short hill sprints. Should you?" -Brad Hudson

Hudson recommends short 8-10 second uphill sprints (8% incline) to improve running leg strength. When do you fit them in? The day before a hard workout.

This is something to consider if you are like me and looking for answers on how to improve. This is a tough little workout that should be easy to fit in. Be sure to read the article and ease into these gradually to avoid injury.

Post Marathon Recovery

It's been 9 days since I ran the Napa Valley Marathon, and today is the first decent run I've had- 1 mile with Sumo, then a good pace for 7 miles, with a 1 mile cool-down. I felt pretty good hitting sub 7 minute miles coming back.

There is no secret to marathon recovery- rest. Unless you are a member of the marathon manics, there should be no rush to resume your training. In fact, the faster you try to come back, the more suseptible you'll be to injury or illness. The 1-2 weeks following a marathon should be reserved for nothing more than a little cross training and some light jogging if that. From personal experience, 6 days is about the average length of time that I stay away from running all together.

Recovery is an important time to continue your efforts to ward off illness. I came down with a cold just 2-3 days following the Seattle Marathon in November. Continue to take a good antioxidant supplement and wash your hands frequently.

I like to take time during this recovery to analyze what I did right and what I could do different in order to run better next time. I did plenty of long tempo runs and interval workouts, and as a result those 6:30 mile splits through 15 or so felt very comfortable.

What could I do to improve? A few longer runs. My longest workouts leading into this race were 2 hours give or take (not counting a 1 mile warm up). I think I might benefit from slowing down and going longer, like 20 miles every other weekend.

I am also going to give evening stretching more of a priority. I think it's clear that the older you get the more you need to stretch.

(c) Dave Elger, 2009, All rights reserved.

Top 10 Marathon Tips

I recently took a peek at a marathon training website that gave the following Top 10 marathon tips.

1. Keep hydrated:

2. Check your shoes:

3. Eat your big pasta meal two days before the race:

4. Relax the day before:

5. Pace yourself correctly:

6. If the weather is bad – adjust your finish time:

7. Be careful with power gels and energy replacement products:

8. Mentally divide the race into sections:

9. Try walking:

10. Walk around after the marathon:


Here are 10 that I came up with:


1. Taper. I like to cut mileage but maintain or even increase intensity in the week prior to a marathon. Short but quick runs or mini-interval sessions work best. This will maintain blood volume without muscle breakdown

2. Run something very hard or very long 3 weeks before your race. This is a very effective strategy. Three weeks is ample time to recover and come back even stronger. I recommend a half marathon race or your longest run here. You'll be amazed!

3. Avoid the temptation to run long the week before the marathon. It won't do anything to help you and will likely hurt you.

4. Acclimatize. Recall recent years when Chicago and Boston were run in unseasonably warm tempertatures and thousands were caught unprepared. If there is a chance temperatures will be warmer than you are training in, put on some extra layers- enough to make you sweat. Acclimatization takes 7-10 days.

5. Dress appropriately for the weather. What you wear on race day is a crucial decision. Typically temperatures are cooler at the start, than proceed to increase as the race progresses. Four hour marathoners could be looking a significant difference in temperatures from start to finish. You can also underdress and run the risk of hypothermia if temperatures stay cool, the wind picks up, or it rains.

6. Calories. Consuming calories is extremely important during a run exceeding 90 minutes. The average marathoner should target 200 calories per hour.

7. Hydration. Drinking is important to keep up with your losses during a marathon, however, during the week prior it makes little sense to hydrate, urinate, hydrate, urinate, hyrdate, and urinate. It's not like your body has the ability to store excess water a week in advance. Drink an adequate amount of fluid the day before and the morning of your event, but make sure you stop drinking about 2 hours before your start time or you'll looking for some privacy during the race.

8. Run even pace. Good advice here. Your goal should be to run the second half of the marathon within a couple of minutes of the first half.

9. Run the shortest distance. Cut the corners and turns as closely as possible. You might be able to save up to a minute on some marathon courses.

10. Run behind somebody into the wind. This can be a huge energy saver on a windy day.

Bonus: TAKE PRECUATIONS NOT TO GET SICK! Prior to and during the Tour de France, cyclists go to extremes to minimize risk of catching colds or flu. Don't touch door knobs, handrails, and other commonly touched objects without washing hands after. Avoid contact with people who are sick. I like to make sure I get my Lifepak Nano 2 x a day.

Running While Sick

If your symptoms are located above the neck -- a stuffy or runny nose, sneezing -- then exercise is probably safe. Start slowly, and if you feel better after 10 minutes, continue, if you feel worse, stop. If you have below-the-neck symptoms, for example, muscle aches, hacking cough, fever of 100 degrees or higher, chills, diarrhea, or vomiting, you should avoid exercise -webmd

Improve Your Sprint Speed

Maximum Speed Phase

Foot meets ground with ankle slightly extended (plantar flexion) directly under center of gravity. Bodyweight is balanced so that only the ball of the foot touches the ground -Sports Fitness Advisor

Quick Core/ Ab Workout

Laird Hamilton demonstrates 9 moves he guarantees will burn your abs. Not a bad little workout for runners.

The Plank for Core Strength