Marathon Training Update- Feb 11, 12

Wed, Feb 11- pm- 2 mile jog with Sumo,then 8 miles. The first 4 were slow, but I was able to pick it up for 3 miles heading back, feeling pretty good.
Total= 10 miles.

Thurs, Feb 12- pm- 4 mile easy jog with Sumo. I want to rest up and hopefully hit it hard tomorrow. 48 miles in 5 days

Where is Henry Rono Today?

At last reports Henry is teaching middle school in Albuquerque, New Mexico and coaching his team-rono athletes.
At age 56, Henry is back training with his sights set on age group world records.

Henry Rono Flashback- How Good Was He?

“I’ve been to the top of the highest mountain and then down to the bottom of the world,” says Rono. “Looking back now, I can remember what happened in 1978 (when he set four world records in 81 days, over 3,000 metres, 5,000 metres, 10,000 metres and the 3,000 metres steeplechase), but then the next eight years are more or less a blank.”

What happened in 1978 was that Rono started drinking. Nothing excessive at first, but rather a simple indulgence into the post-race or off-season practice that was then fairly common in distance running culture.

In 1980, when Kenya boycotted the Olympics, Rono began cursing his fate and his luck, and the drinking become a real problem.

The following year his weight was fluctuating severely, and Rono was fast succumbing to alcoholism. He somehow managed to put a track season together, despite drinking daily, and late in the summer was invited to small meeting in Knarvik, near Oslo, for a crack at his 5,000 metres world record of 13:08.04. As soon as Rono arrived in Norway he promptly started drinking, and by all accounts got hammered drunk in the meeting hotel the night before the race.

He woke the next morning with a massive hangover, naturally enough. Filled with remorse, Rono went running, practically flat out, for over an hour in an effort to sweat the alcohol out of his system.

At 4pm, and paced by the British pair of Ian Stewart and a young Steve Cram, Rono produced one of the greatest world records in distance running history – given the circumstances – when he improved his record to 13:06.20, closing with a 56-flat last lap. It was to be his last world record and one of his last notable achievements on the track. -Irishtimes.com

Marathon Training Update- Mon & Tues Feb 9, 10

Mon- easy 5 miles on trail with Sumo. Recovery following long Sunday run.

Tues- 1 mile jog with Sumo, then 14 x 800, 3 mile jog with Sumo.

14x800 with <60 sec recovery is a workout I have never attempted. I started out at 3:15 and got the last one down to 3:01. Ave was probably a 3:08 or so. It sounds worse than it was- think of a 7 mile tempo run with a 45 sec walk every 3 minutes.

Total miles= 11

Marathon Training Update Sun Feb 8

For the last 4 weekends I've run 18 miles- a 1 mile jog followed by a 17 mile out and back. My times have been dropping progressively each week- until today.

I could tell immediately that this was not going to be a good run, and my thoughts turned to all of the contributing factors. Why was my breathing more labored than usual?

1. Inadequate recovery from previous workouts
2. Lingering cold, and not yet 100%
3. Dehydration
4. Nutrition- muscles not fully loaded with glycogen
4. Environment- wind, heat, humidity
5. Weight gain- this could be extra clothing and not necessarily body fat
6. Actual decline in fitness
7. Onset of serious illness not yet detected
8. Just one of those days

In my case, 1,2, and 8 are the most likely candidates. Even though yesterday was an easy jog, the day before that was a pretty hard effort, and I may have needed 2 recovery days. I am still feeling flat from a cold, and unlike last week I wore an extra layer of outerwear. I also used a heavier pair of training shoes (following my intervals I noticed some slight foot pain so thought a little extra protection would be a good idea).

Last week, I hit the turnaround in just under 58 minutes. Today it was 61 minutes. Rather than force the pace, I decided to finish with a moderate effort, running the second half in 65 minutes.

Compounding the problem was some friction (hot spot) developing on my left arch. I rarely wear these shoes, and by the turnaround I knew I would have to do something to fix the problem.

For this reason, on long runs it's always a good idea to carry a band aid or 2. When I don't have one I usually start to look for something alongside the trail to put inside my shoe and protect the hotspot. Eventually I came across an old wax cup that did the trick.

The only consolation on this run is I believe recovery will be quick. The other is the realization that you just can't expect to see a weekly progessive drop in times week after week. Fitness does not work that way. Just like racing, sometimes it just isn't your day in workouts either.

total= 18 miles

Kids and Running

Whatever happened to little Wesley Paul? Born in 1969, Wesley tackled his first 26.2 mile marathon at age 7. Running side by side with his dad, they finished together in a time slightly over 4 hours. In 1977, at age 8, Wesley set an age group world record at the first Chicago Marathon with a time of 3 hr: 15 min: 20 sec (footnote: I was also a participant in that race!). At age 15 Wesley ran the Houston Marathon in 2 hr 38 minutes, a 6 minute per mile pace. Future Olympian or potential burned out runner? Neither. Today Wesley is 6’2” tall and a graduate of Harvard law school residing in New York. Reportedly he still enjoys running, starting each day with a 2 to 5 mile run. Wesley Paul, Marathon Runner

"I trained 6 miles a day. The marathon wasn't my best distance, but I did 3:01 at age 10. I won Bay to Breakers three times and ran for San Francisco State. Running provided me with opportunities I never would have had otherwise." -Mary Etta (Boitano) Blanchard -halhigdon.com

MY COMMENT: Should your kids be running? Absoulutely! Should they be running marathons? Absolutely not! Go to kidsrunning.com for some great information on how to keep your kids in the sport- sanely.

Marathon Training Update- Sat Feb 7

am: Finished up the week with an easy 5 mile jog with Sumo. Again I was tempted to go long but decided the wisest course was to lay low and rest for a hard, long one tomorrow. 3 weeks until Napa Valley, so after this one I expect to start dropping the long run distance.

total for the week = 60 miles.

How to Even the Playing Field in Distance Running

Are you tired of running good times for your age and finishing back in the pack? Check out how you compare to the winner using the age-grading calculator at runnersworld.com.

U.S. Road Racing Participation Approaching 9 Million

runningusa.org

The largest races in 2007?

72,500: Bay to Breakers 12K, San Francisco
55,253: Peachtree 10K, Atlanta
47,318: Boulder Boulder, Boulder
40,362: Lilac Bloomsday, Spokane

Ragnar Relay- A 24 Hour, 200 Mile Party?

It's really quite simple. Get a bunch of friends together (or we can help you find team members who'll quickly become your friends) and start running. Okay, there's a little more to it. Your relay team will consist of 12 members. During the relay, each team member runs three legs, each leg ranging between 3 - 8 miles and varying in difficulty. So, from the elite runner down to the novice jogger, it's the perfect relay race for anyone.

Each team is responsible for providing two support vehicles, with six runners in each vehicle. The first vehicle will drop off the first runner, drive ahead a few miles, cheer the runner on, and provide them with water, snacks, and plenty of love. That vehicle will then drive ahead to the first exchange point to drop off the second runner, and pick up the first runner when that leg is complete. They will repeat this pattern for six legs until they hand off to their second vehicle. This leapfrogging pattern will continue all the way to the finish line.

Ragnar Contact Information:

Ragnar Events, LLC
1188 W. Sportsplex Dr. Suite 203
Kaysville UT, 84037

Phone: (801) 295-5536
Toll Free: (877) 837-3529
(877) 83-RELAY
Fax: (801)-499-5023

website: http://www.ragnarrelay.com/

Ragnar Relays are held in Arizona, Florida, Los Angeles, New York, Texas, Utah, Washingtion, Washington D.C., and Wisconsin/Minnesota

Unusual Races- Death Valley Marathon

This race begins on a gravel road near Beatty, Nev., at an elevation of 3,460 feet and goes through Titus Canyon, climbing 2,300 feet in the first 12 miles. Then it's a long decent to the 200 foot-level finish in the heart of Death Valley National Park. -marathonguide.com

Race website: Death Valley Trail Marathon

Empire State Building Run-Up is a Different Kind of Race

When the horn starting the women’s race sounded in the lobby, the group fought for position in their efforts to run freely into the stairwell. As the tightly bunched pack reached the door after a 20-yard sprint, Walsham was pushed hard to the side; she hit the marble doorway and fell full-length in the stairwell, badly bruising her face and left knee. Several runners inadvertently stepped on her. With the help of three of her competitors, she finally reached her feet. At that point, she was in about 20th position and in considerable pain, and the leaders were several floors above her.


“I didn’t come all this way to pull out,” Walsham thought, and started to run.

-nyrr.org

Marathon Training Update- Sat Feb 6

am: 1 mile jog with Sumo, then 8 x 800, 2:57 ave on trail. Not a bad workout coming off a cold. Did not feel very efficient, and I finally started to tax my cardiovascular system hard on the last one.

total= 5 miles
total for the week = 55 miles

Shalane Flanagan and Running Drills

We just squeeze them in when we can. It's like an extra little workout, especially right now because I find that it's an easy way to get fit without actually having to run intervals. My teammate Erin Donohue was actually a really big fan of them and that is how we somewhat started them. She went online and found some information about them from this ultimate fighter that she found and so we started incorporating that. -Olympic 10K bronze medalist Shalane Flanagan commenting on her drill routine

letsrun.com

Tie Your Shoes Correctly!

This great video clip from runnersworld.com may save your next race! I think I've been doing it wrong all these years.

Marathon Training Insight by Olympian Dathan Ritzenhein

source: Runningtimes.com

Training: For me, coming from a track background, I think I can only train for the marathon for 10 to 12 weeks. If I train more than that I get stale. What happens in the marathon prep weeks is that I’ll raise my volume up to 120 to 130 miles per week for most of those weeks—maybe eight or nine of those weeks will be high—and then the workouts just become specific to marathon pace. They will be very long. I’ll run like a 24-mile tempo run that is within ten seconds per mile of my marathon goal pace. I’ll do a lot of things like that. I’ll need a lot of recovery. So I’ll end up doing a huge amount of volume a couple days a week with rest days afterward, and then I’ll do it again. There’s no goal on a specific amount of mileage per week or that I have to run the workouts on a specific day. It’s on a day-to-day fashion. I think you can only train like that for a limited period of time

Rehearsing: Everything’s down to a science as far as when you drink and how many calories you take in. We practice all that. We rehearse, even down to wearing the race-day uniform to ensure no chafing.

Recovery: For the recovery, I’ll take a nap every day; I’ll take an ice bath every day; I’ll get a massage three times a week. It turns into this thing that it’s so focused, if you do it for too long, you just become so obsessed. It turns into a mental drain more than anything else. That’s why I think if you train longer than you need to, it can wear you down mentally. For me, my coach and I try to use the analogy that it’s like a prize fight. You train 12 weeks all for one thing

Note: Dathan is currently preparing and looking for a fast time at the London Marathon April 26.

2008 London Top 10
1 1 1 » LEL, MARTIN (KEN) M25............................. 2:05:15
2 1 4 » WANJIRU, SAMUEL (KEN) M20............... 2:05:24
3 1 10 » GOUMRI, ABDERRAHIM (MAR) M30.......... 2:05:30
4 2 3 » MUTAI, EMMANUEL (KEN) M30 ..................2:06:15
5 2 11 » HALL, RYAN (USA) M25............................ 2:06:17
6 3 5 » MERGA, DERIBA (ETH) M25....................... 2:06:38
7 3 9 » KIFLE, YONAS (ERI) M30........................... 2:08:51
8 4 2 » LIMO, FELIX (KEN) M25.......................... 2:10:35
9 5 13 » SOKOLOV, ALEKSEY (RUS) M25............ 2:11:41
10 1 6 » RAMAALA, HENDRICK (RSA) M35........... 2:11:44

(Wanjiru went on to win Olympic Gold in Beijing)

The 6 Day Running Week

Most runners I know are fully aware of how many miles per week they run. 70 miles per week means you averaged 10 miles per day. 100 miles per week means you are hitting close to 15 miles per day.

I like the idea of a 6 day running week, especially for young runners and those 40 and over that perhaps could perform better with a little added rest. Here is how it works:

Run 60 miles in 6 days with a day off and you've averaged 8.5 miles per day for the week.

Run 60 miles in 6 days and you've averaged 10 miles per day. Sounds a lot better.

In marathon training, most runners probably benefit by taking the day off following the weekly long run. By using a 6 day week, you resist the temptation to run just for the sake of adding to your weekly mileage total.

Just a thought.

Marathon Training Update- Fri Feb 5

pm: 2 miles with Sumo, then easy 6 miles. Felt sluggish with the cold still lingering and feeling yesterday's workout.

Total = 8 miles
Total for the week = 50 miles

Marathon Training Update- Thurs Feb 4

Feb 4 pm- 2 mile jog with Sumo, then 8 miles in 60 minutes, jogging the last mile. Good run despite the cold. I was surprised.


total for the week = 42 miles

Marathon Training Update-Wed Feb 3

am: 4 miles with Sumo, then 8 miles easy. Fighting off a cold but fortunately not feeling so bad that I can't run. Nothing yesterday though, however I was beat up from that hard 17 on Sunday.

Total for the week= 32 miles

Mary Slaney Has Had Surgery 35 Times

At 50, the legs and feet that have undergone an estimated 35 surgeries hurt too much when she gets up on her toes and pushes the pace. -signonsandiego.com

MY COMMENT: Mary Slaney was a talented runner (she set 6 world records in 1982 from 1 mile - 10 K) but her imaged was tarnished by the 1984 Olympic debacle (the Zola Budd incident), and finally when she tested positive for high testosterone levels in 1996. She was cleared by USA Track and Field the following year but not by an IAAF arbitration panel, who stripped away her silver medal won at the 1997 indoor world championships.

Oh yea, and she had her share of injuries and lower leg problems.

Japanese Marathoner Runs 2 hr 36:30 at Age 60!

Yoshihisa Hosaka of Japan broke the existing world record for men 60 and over at the 58th Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon on Feb. 1. According to the post at Japan Running News, Hosaka averaged 30 kilometers per day training for his record attempt.

MY COMMENT: Truly amazing. I would love to study his training- he must do huge volumes at a slow pace in order to recover. It's hard runners in their 20s to average 18 miles a day!

Marathon Training Advice

It is not possible to reach ultimate potential without first establishing enough of a lifetime base to make your training count when you become physically mature. Most Americans do not understand this; they try to get a quick fix in this sport, and it simply doesn't work. A runner absolutely must obtain the ability to train at 120-150 (or more) miles per week by the peak of the career in order to reach fruition. There are no exceptions to this

-Four Principles To Correct Training For Elites by John Kellogg

MY COMMENT: Pretty strong statement here, but certainly food for thought. There aren't many world class marathoners (sub 2 hr 12 min) running less than 100 miles per week.

Marathon Training Update- Feb 1

am: 1 mile jog with Sumo, then 17 mile loop in 1 hr 55.

This is my 4th weekend in a row doing this run. I tried to run this one faster- no run the day before, wore lighter-weight racing shoes, carried about 24 oz of Gatorade, and took a 5 Hour Energy. I am very pleased- just under 58 min at the turnaround. Napa Valley Marthon in 4 weeks!

4-week progression at 17 miles

3 weeks ago- 2 hr 20 min- HARD 8:12 per mile
2 weeks ago- 2 hr 06 min- HARD 7:24 per mile
last week- 2 hr 00 min- HARD 7:03 per mile
today- 1 hr 55 min- easier effort relative to the others - 6:45 per mile

Did I Just See a World Record?

photo by Dave Elger

Tony Young of Seattle, age 46, decided to mix it up with college runners at the University of Washington Indoor Invitational yesterday and turned in a stunning 4:13.25 mile.

According to Mastersathletics.net, the mile world record for 45-49 is 4:16.75 by David Sirl of New Zealand set way back in 1987.

World Masters Athletics (WMA)lists Albin Swensen as the current indoor mile record holder at 4:21.90, however the track at U of Washington is over sized so Tony's mark may not qualify as a record.

Young is listed by WMA as holder of the outdoor mark at 4:16.09, so where does a 4:13 on an over sized indoor track fit in?