Weekly Training Tip Archive
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WEEK ONE - SETTING GOALS
WEEK TWO - BE PREPARED - PROPER EQUIPMENT
WEEK THREE - FORM FACTS - TIPS FOR RUNNING BETTER
WEEK FOUR - ENDURANCE NUTRITION - WHAT TO EAT AND WHEN
WEEK FIVE - RACE PACING – HOW FAST CAN I GO?
WEEK SIX - MID-TERM CHECK UP – HOW’S MY TRAINING GOING?
WEEK SEVEN - SPEED SELLS – WHY SHOULD I RUN SPRINTS?
WEEK EIGHT- THE DREADED LONG RUN – HOW FAR, HOW FAST, HOW OFTEN?
WEEK NINE - GETTING READY FOR YOUR RACE – COURSE LOGISTICS
WEEK TEN - TIME TO TAPER
WEEK ELEVEN - GOAL SETTING - WHAT TO EXPECT FROM YOURSELF ON RACE DAY
WEEK ONE - SETTING GOALS
Now that all your equipment needs are dialed in, it’s time to start thinking about your form. Good runners are tall runners. One of the best moves you can make is to concentrate on core strength to develop the muscles that hold your posture strong and tall while running. Not only does this increase running efficiency, but helps pull oxygen into the lungs to keep the motor running longer.
Arm swing is important, but should remain in the range between the front of the shoulder and the rib cage (not too high and not too low) and the hands should never cross the midline. The harder, faster or steeper the run, the more your arms should be engaged and assisting with forward movement.
As you run, your head should be still; this keeps forward motion at a premium without wasting energy in other directions. Finally, any forward lean should come from the ankles. Yes, momentum should be in front of the feet and not leaning back, but you don’t want to hinge at the hips or shoulders because of the importance of posture mentioned above. A coach, video camera or a treadmill in front of a mirror can be a great aid in running more economically!
Visit Training to download our free training plans or learn more about Coach Jeremy.
WEEK TWO - BE PREPARED - PROPER EQUIPMENT
Healthy running starts with your shoes. Picking a shoe off the shelf without knowledge of the shoe itself or proper fitting can be one of easiest ways to get injured during your training. Expensive shoes aren’t necessarily good either. Just because it costs a lot doesn’t mean it’s the right shoe for you. FitRight NW is my choice for great service and selection in footwear and other running accessories and clothing, they would be happy to get you set with any equipment needs!
After good footwear, a solid training plan and proper running technique become key. Use the training maps laid out on the Race for the Roses website to help guide your weekly workout calendar and seek the help of a coach, personal trainer or running group to aid with proper running mechanics. Strength work geared toward core development, hip and knee stability, and lower leg strength can also help produce faster running times while reducing the risk of overuse injuries.
Visit Training to download our free training plans or learn more about Coach Jeremy.
WEEK THREE - FORM FACTS - TIPS FOR RUNNING BETTER
Now that all your equipment needs are dialed in, it’s time to start thinking about your form. Good runners are tall runners. One of the best moves you can make is to concentrate on core strength to develop the muscles that hold your posture strong and tall while running. Not only does this increase running efficiency, but helps pull oxygen into the lungs to keep the motor running longer.
Arm swing is important, but should remain in the range between the front of the shoulder and the rib cage (not too high and not too low) and the hands should never cross the midline. The harder, faster or steeper the run, the more your arms should be engaged and assisting with forward movement.
As you run, your head should be still; this keeps forward motion at a premium without wasting energy in other directions. Finally, any forward lean should come from the ankles. Yes, momentum should be in front of the feet and not leaning back, but you don’t want to hinge at the hips or shoulders because of the importance of posture mentioned above. A coach, video camera or a treadmill in front of a mirror can be a great aid in running more economically!
Visit Training to download our free training plans or learn more about Coach Jeremy.
WEEK FOUR - ENDURANCE NUTRITION - WHAT TO EAT AND WHEN
During training and racing, one of the biggest limitations in athletic performance can be nutrition. What you eat leading up to workouts or races, during the session, and following can be as important as any of the miles you log. And, bad nutrition choices can ruin an otherwise great race very quickly. So, what’s the best way to navigate all the nutritional options?
Unfortunately, there’s no one perfect way to do it. Most athletes will experiment with different strategies for years before finding a formula that works consistently and effectively. Here are a few basic ideas to think about:
• Carbs prior/carbs and protein after Carbohydrate is the body’s main source of energy and carbohydrate-rich foods are most easily converted to the fuel your body needs to perform. Protein helps rebuild muscle tissue damaged by working out and is a key ingredient to recovery. Before races, limit protein in favor of carbohydrates, but try to get a good mix of carbs and protein soon after the session has ended to replenish energy supplies and assist in the recovery process.
• Carbs and fluids while active During a race or workout session, especially one lasting more than 60 minutes, carbohydrates are the key to staying energized during the event. Most athletes need between 150-300 calories per hour to maintain athletic performance. Add to that the body’s needs for fluids and electrolytes to stay hydrated, and sports drinks become a key component in any nutritional plan. There are many to choose from, so try a few and find what’s right for you. After that, typical energy sources include gels, bars, and fruit. Again, read the label to know what you’re getting (some bars are higher in protein than others and therefore more appropriate for after the race) and try to meet the specific needs of your body for the distance you are traveling.
• Never try anything new on race day! During your training you’ll hopefully find a strategy that works well for you. Try to follow this exactly on race day, even if it means carrying a little more product instead of utilizing the race aid stations. Trying something new may create difficulties for you and your belly during the event!
Visit Training to download our free training plans or learn more about Coach Jeremy.
WEEK FIVE - RACE PACING – HOW FAST CAN I GO?
Race pacing can be a tricky thing, especially when stepping up to a new distance. There are a few ways you can check your current fitness level and project a finishing time, but ultimately, changes in weather, nutrition and race conditions can all affect your running time. That’s why it’s best to have goals other than just chip time.
One of the easiest ways to get started with pacing is to go to the track and run an easy mile. Keep effort as comfortable as possible for the mile and record heart rate during and immediately after the run. Use the time for that mile to project out 13.1 miles, while possibly adding a five to 10 percent buffer. Then, try to maintain that same heart rate during the race, especially from miles six to 10.
Another way to manage your race pacing is to set a goal, like finishing under two hours. That means you have to average 9:09 miles for the duration of the race. Now head to the track and work from the other direction: if you want to run 9:00 miles on race day, you have to practice 9:00 miles beforehand! The track or treadmills are great controlled environments for doing this. Doing “repeats” at or faster than target race pace can be extremely helpful for race-day pacing.
Keeping track of pacing on training runs is the most accurate way to judge progress and pacing, but you have to know exact distances. Running a 9:00 mile versus a 9:15 mile during a half marathon adds more than four minutes on your finishing time, so accuracy is important. If you don’t have a watch that tracks distance, use the speedometer in your car to mark the exact distance of a few routes that you can then test on.
Whatever method you decide to use, try to be consistent and realize that not every run is going to go faster. Make sure to allow for easy days, off days and days where your legs just don’t work well. Over time, you should see marked improvements with consistent and accurate testing!
Visit Training to download our free training plans or learn more about Coach Jeremy.
WEEK SIX - MID-TERM CHECK UP – HOW’S MY TRAINING GOING?
Six weeks to go until race day! Over the next month and a half, you’ll be building your weekly miles and long runs, and then tapering before the race. Both are extremely important, so make sure they are integrated in your plan.
On the half-marathon training plan available in the Training section, the long run this weekend is 10 miles. This is a critical point in training, because once you cross into double digits on mileage, factors like nutrition and overall stamina become really crucial. Use this weekend’s run as a barometer for where your training is and how you can pace yourself on race day.
We’ve covered nutrition and pacing in previous tips, and your 10-mile run will be a great way to put this into practice. Mark out a course either with your car or mapping software and then set a plan for nutrition. If you can’t carry everything you need, loop back to your house for a quick refuel before heading out on the second loop. Remember that nutrition is a full-time process. Drinking and eating regularly, not just when you feel thirsty or hungry, are crucial to staying well fueled.
You should be able to complete this run without walking. If that is not the case, it’s probably time to evaluate your consistency throughout the week to make sure that training days are getting checked off. Missing the same training days over and over will affect your results, so you may need to re-adjust the schedule to fit your life better. If you blow through the 10 miles without any problems, and feel you have gas left in the tank, you can re-evaluate pacing and heart rate goals and perhaps be a little more aggressive with your race goals.
Either way, this week marks a big chance to evaluate your training. Be honest with what you’ve done and where you want to get. If you’re going to make changes, now is the best time to do it! Best of luck over the next six weeks!
Visit Training to download our free training plans or learn more about Coach Jeremy.
WEEK SEVEN - SPEED SELLS – WHY SHOULD I RUN SPRINTS?
Like many things, being a faster, stronger runner requires either great genes or hard work, and most likely some of both. Hard work in running comes from distance, hills and speed. We’ve discussed distance work a little, tips about hills are coming soon, and this week we’ll cover the reasons and benefits of speed work.
Put simply, if you want to run fast, you have to run fast. Going out and running consistently at a 9:00 pace and then expecting to run at an 8:30 pace on race day is inconsistent. You haven’t trained the muscular or physiological systems to perform at that level, so you’re likely to struggle a lot on race day. However, doing the work ahead of time isn’t as hard as you think, and it can add a lot of fun and variety to your workouts—okay, a lot of variety.
Speed work is easily accomplished on a track or a treadmill where you can monitor pacing and distances easily. A good way to start is by running mile repeats at your target race pace. When you’re doing a 5 mile speed workout, warm up easy for 1 mile, do 3 x 1 mile at 8:30 pace on :60 rest, then warm down for the final mile easy. Quarter mile and half mile repeats at paces greater than race pace are also popular and effective speed sets. Progressions may include faster paces, longer distances or less rest and should build gradually and consistently over time. Try not to build two different items at once. Instead increase pace or decrease rest—not both at once.
Speed work helps train the body to work efficiently at harder efforts, helps the muscular system adapt to greater forces and develops stronger physiological systems, allowing you to push faster paces at the same work load on the body. It is an essential part of all balanced running programs and should be easy to work into your program one time per week.
Visit Training to download our free training plans or learn more about Coach Jeremy.
WEEK EIGHT - THE DREADED LONG RUN - HOW FAR, HOW FAST, HOW OFTEN?
By this point, the long run has definitely come up in your training plan. The long run does several things besides the obvious: preparing you physically to run long distances.
First, the long run gets you comfortable with the distance mentally. For a lot of us, the longer the run, the greater the chances for negative self-talk. Your body might hurt in places, you may have other stressors at work, and the longer you exercise, the more these things seem to impact you. Having both the confidence and the mental conditioning to go long is a huge help on race day.
Second, long runs give you a chance to practice nutrition. We talked earlier about how important nutrition is to your race goals and also about how everyone responds a little differently to calorie intake during long workouts. These long runs will give you a chance to make mistakes and correct them before the important race. If something doesn’t work, change it and keep tweaking things until you are comfortable with the plan. Once the plan is in place, you just have to follow it on race day.
Third, long runs help you dial in clothing and other gear. Maybe your favorite shorts don’t feel so good after 10 miles. There are few things worse than having clothing issues on race day, especially since they are avoidable. Practice with different clothes and layers until you find a combination that feels right for long distances, and then make sure to have it laid out the night before so you don’t forget anything.
Finally, long runs help the body adapt to the stresses of exercise over long periods. The muscles, tendons and ligaments all grow stronger and the physiological systems become prepared to provide energy over longer and longer periods of time. These are the things you would expect and are the foundation for doing the tough stuff.
Long runs are typically performed once a week, at a slightly slower pace than target race pace, and progressively get longer throughout your training cycle. It is common that every third to fifth week is a shorter “long” run to allow the body an opportunity to recover from the stress you’re putting it through. Up until the half marathon, long runs may exceed your race distance, getting as high as maybe 15 miles for people who have really followed a consistent training program for a substantial period of time. Over-distance runs are not absolutes though, and anything within 10 percent of the total race distance will suffice in getting you ready for the race.
As you prepare for your long runs, consider the first three points mentioned here and it may be easier to get through these runs than if you just the focus on distance training. Good luck, we’ll see you on race day!
Visit Training to download our free training plans or learn more about Coach Jeremy.
WEEK NINE - GETTING READY FOR YOUR RACE - COURSE LOGISTICS
Before any big race, it’s always good to know what you’re dealing with. In this tip, we’ll take a look at the half marathon course and what you need to know in order to be successful on race day. By now, you’ve got a race pace in mind, which will help at the start.
Logistics of the race are quite easy. Because we start and end at the Convention Center, you have a warm and dry area to get ready. Arrive in plenty of time to park, utilize the dry clothing check and have some time to warm up before hitting the course. Once the race is ready to start, you’ll leave the Convention Center and follow the signs to the starting line and your pace group. Pace signs are marked by “Minute per Mile,” so line up with the group that best fits your target race pace. You don’t have to stay with that group once you’re running, but it keeps you on track and it helps the race start smoothly for all racers.
Before the race, you’ll want to study the Course Map and identify the aid stations, port-a-potties and first aid stations. That way, you can plan your nutrition and be proactive with when you eat and drink during the race. While you can always carry your own water bottle on the course, it’s much easier to take advantage of the aid stations.
During the run, you’ll find a pretty flat course. After working across the Broadway Bridge, you’ll head out Front Ave and Barbur Blvd. Barbur is a bit deceptive, while driving, it doesn’t seem like there’s a hill, but running is a different story. The hill work you’ve done so far will pay off in an easy cruise up this first incline, finishing at about the four-mile mark. After that, it’s a long downhill / flat section back through downtown and north into the industrial area. While the industrial area may not provide the best views on the course, it will be fast and will be rocking with bands along the way to help you keep pace! As you head back south, there’s one more climb as you go up and over the Steel Bridge before getting to the finish line. This climb is short, steep and deep into the run. Finishing your long runs in training with a little climb or a strong burst of speed will help get the legs ready for this added effort late in the race. Walkers will be going along the pedestrian section at the base of the bridge, runners will be on the street going over the bridge itself. After the bridge you’re almost home, with just a turn or two before hitting the finish line.
Once you’re done with your run, you can head back inside where there will be a huge spread of food and refreshments to aid recovery, sponsor displays and information, and the awards ceremony.
Visit Training to download our free training plans or learn more about Coach Jeremy.
WEEK TEN - TIME TO TAPER
At this point, you’ve finished what will likely be your last hard run and are starting the countdown to race day. For a race of this distance, the taper can last anywhere from a couple days to two weeks, depending on the workload over the training period and the athlete’s ability to recover. For this training program, we’ve leaned toward the conservative and put in a two-week taper.
The basic premise of the taper is to allow the body to recover from the rigors of training and get the legs fresh for race day without losing the benefits of the hard work that you’ve done over the last couple months. To do this, we’ll take a step down in overall volume, but continue to push a little bit of intensity for muscle memory.
We’ll start the taper this week by cutting back the distance of our long run, and then next week, we’ll cut overall volume by about 50 percent. On the shorter workouts, including cross-training, your goals will be to continue to push a little effort (maybe 90 percent perceived exertion) by incorporating short, hard intervals or “pick-ups.” Pick-ups, or strides, are typically done as either part of the dynamic warm up or cool down from a run session. They involve accelerating over short distances to build foot speed and increase stride rate. Five to 10 pick-ups are a great way to maintain some muscle memory during the taper phase.
If you feel like you’re battling through some injuries, the taper may also be a great time to take an extra day off or two to recover. The trick is remaining fresh without resting too much, which could make you sluggish on race day. It’s best to listen to your body, because everyone’s needs are a bit different, both in training and for the taper.
If, towards the end of the taper, you find yourself really antsy to get rolling again, then things are probably going well for you. That energy will soon be directed into having a great race on April 11th!
Visit Training to download our free training plans or learn more about Coach Jeremy.
WEEK ELEVEN - GOAL SETTING - WHAT TO EXPECT FROM YOURSELF ON RACE DAY
You now have six days until race day, and the “hay is in the barn” as they say. Congratulations on getting through a tough training program in preparation for what will hopefully be a very successful race.
Safely inside the taper, your goals for the week should be to listen to your body’s needs, get a lot of rest and make sure your nutrition is on track. If possible, try to plan a little extra sleep every night to ensure that your muscles have plenty of time to recover from the training loads over the past couple months. Since your diet should already include a good mix of complex carbohydrates, eating a well-balanced diet will eliminate the need for big “carbo-loading” the night before the race.
Spend a little time planning for the event: what time to leave, where to park, etc. That way, there won’t be any surprises or undue stress on the morning of the race. Visit Your Race for complete race day info, including our 2010 Race for the Roses Info One-Sheet.
Most of all, enjoy this week and likely the nerves you’re starting to feel about the race. Most athletes have pre-race jitters, so you’re not alone. They’ll be gone the second the gun goes off…promise!
Finally, a huge thanks from all of us at Race for the Roses. Your support of the race and Albertina Kerr is instrumental in bettering the lives of hundreds of people across Oregon facing mental health challenges and developmental disabilities. We hope you have a great day, a great race, and that you’ll come back and join us again in 2011!
Visit Training to download our free training plans or learn more about Coach Jeremy.
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