STOP Guessing About Your Training Paces

Here’s the bottom line. Training smart trumps training stupid. Obviously. Yet, the biggest mistake made over and over again is training at the wrong pace given one’s current fitness.

A perfect example is someone who races a 5K at 8 minutes/mile and trains at a nearly similar pace all week. No wonder they a) probably hate running and b) aren’t making any progress.

Proper training means training at a wide variety of paces, but mostly easy.

If you’re running a few seconds per mile slower than your 5K pace, that’s NOT easy. 1:30-2:00min/mile slower than 5K pace is more like it.

There are a few ways to determine your correct training paces, but one of the best (and simplest) is an all-out effort over a measured course or track.

For the motivation alone it’s hard to beat the atmosphere of a race, but let’s face it, sometimes races are just inconvenient and expensive.

Enter the time trial – a low key, inexpensive way to assess your current fitness accurately.

Remember, to get to Point B, you must establish Point A.

Attempting to just wing it and train ‘intuitively’ doesn’t work – unless you’ve got years and years of experience. Why waste your time and effort?

Join Us!

Oh hey – this Thursday night (3/14) at Run Club we will run a 1 mile time trial. Either meet at lululemon at 6pm sharp or at Penn Park at 6:15pm.

You get all the benefits of a time trial – establishing your point A and learning how to pace yourself – plus a positive group atmosphere which will help your motivation to push yourself. And let me re-iterate that you MUST push yourself hard for this to work.

Best part is that everyone who shows up will have they’re unique training paces emailed to them after the run. NO MORE GUESSING!

See you there?

An Experiment of One

It has often been said that we are each an “experiment of one”. Quite simply, we each have to discover what works for us as an individual. A well thought out fitness plan may bring incredible results to one person, yet mediocre results to the next.

If you're the one getting lousy results, do you just throw in the towel and say 'training doesn't work for me'? Of course not. You try something else until you figure out what works for you. PS: a coach can usually help this process move along much more quickly. Contact me if you're stuck!

When you're the one achieving great things it can be easy to assume that what you're doing should work for everyone. How many times have you heard someone say, “oh, yeah, as soon as I started doing [Crossfit, Zumba, yoga, long runs, speedwork, etc], I got WAY better. You should try it!”?

Take that sort of advice with a grain of salt. As a species we're pretty similar. But as individuals we've got enough differences that matter. Here are a few:

• Height
• Weight
• Age
• Gender
• Fundamental movement patterns
• Body awareness and coordination
• Training history and experience
• Current fitness level
• Basic strength levels
• Basic endurance levels
• Fast twitch muscle dominant (performs better, the shorter the event)
• Slow twitch muscle dominant (performs better, the longer the event)
• How you eat
• How you sleep
• Stress levels

I guess I could keep 'em coming, but you get the idea. To optimize your training, you've got to take all of those variables into account.

Maybe there's a nugget in the frustrating experience I had 2 weeks ago that will help you.

I was training like mad for the upcoming New York City Marathon, yet my times were actually getting slower. My easy run pace had eroded by close to 30 seconds per mile and I didn't need a race to tell me it wasn't a good sign!

Tapping into my experience and expertise, I questioned everything. Although I was training more – more miles and more cycling minutes – I was lacking speed training thanks to an annoying calf muscle that got angry with fast running. And due to the increase in mileage, I'd gradually allowed heavy strength training to fall by the wayside.

Sprinting and heavy lifts. Two things that have been proven to work – for me. They amp up my nervous system which allows my brain to recruit more muscle fibers for running. This gives me more power in my stride and delays fatigue, a pretty nice combo!

Fortunately, acupuncture and bodywork by the knowledgeable Chad Bong released the trigger points in my calf causing pain in my foot. I can finally do some faster running and not limp home afterwards!

So I put my theory to the test. I incorporated a small amount of fast running over the course of 3 sessions and did a few heavy lifts. What's heavy? A weight you can lift 3-5 times will do. I deliberately held back so as to not be an idiot and get hurt.  (This is NOT a strategy I would recommend for everyone.)  Remember the theme of this post. I had the experience and knew the risks.

Less than 10 days after my first attempt at speed all of my running paces had improved significantly. The nervous system wakes up and adapts quickly whereas aerobic adaptations take much longer. If I was actually out of shape aerobically, there's no way I'd see such rapid improvement.

As I type this (15 days later), I'm happy to report the MOJO is fully BACK! Whew!

When it comes to training, what have you noticed really works for YOU?

Slow Down to Get Faster?

The summer is a fantastic time to build your aerobic base for the fall racing season simply because its less stressful on the body to run easy when it's hot outside. And whether you want to race in the New York Road Runners 5^th Avenue Mile, the Running For Answers 5K, or one of Philly's great half marathons, you need a strong foundation of easy aerobic miles in order to be successful.

Time and time again I see people run amazing times after a solid period of “base” training, an extended period of lower intensity, higher mileage training. The longer the base phase, the better. About 12 weeks is both practical and effective for a seasoned athlete while a longer base phase will benefit the new runner.

Aerobic?

Briefly, aerobic refers to using oxygen as your primary fuel source as opposed to anaerobic sources like lactate. Since we have an unlimited supply of oxygen, as long as we keep the pace slow enough, we can train ourselves to sustain an easy aerobic pace for a long time. Think of those crazies people running 100 mile races in 15-25+ hours...

Even when I attempt to run a single mile as fast as possible, aerobic fitness matters. By achieving a large base of aerobic fitness, I can “stay aerobic” later into the race. This means that I will be able to sprint effectively during the last lap because I haven't had to tap into my very limited anaerobic reserves.

Thanks to the work of Dr. Phil Maffetone and others we've come to better understand why slow, easy aerobic running can have a positive impact on your fitness and race results. By training slowly:

• The body makes adaptations that simply don't happen as well with high intensity work.
• You are able to run farther and more frequently without breaking down and requiring lots of recovery.
• You establish a huge base of fitness on top of which higher intensity work can more effectively be performed. And the results are more impressive, too!
• You are imparting less stress on the body. Unless you do nothing but eat, sleep and train, you probably have lots of other sources of stress in your life.

The Gray Training Zone – Where You (usually) DON'T Want To Be!

If you're reading this, you may think you know how to run easy, but it amazes me how many people do not actually practice this correctly. Most people are out there running too fast. (not that they think so!)

Many of us settle into what we perceive to be a comfortable pace. Well, what if your perception of comfortable is leading you to run too fast? I guess that's great if you're racing, but not if you want all of those great aerobic benefits.

When running easily, you should be able to breathe solely through your nose. This will be very hard for the person who is not developed aerobically. If this is you, then you need to develop your base.

I think of the gray zone, where it's not that easy and not that hard as being between 80-85% of your maximum heart rate. Proper base training is done between 65-75% effort and is probably close to 180-your age +/– 5 beats per minute if you're healthy. See Maffetone's page for more details.

One exception to this rule is during marathon training specific runs. For most of us, marathon pace is gray zone pace. Although most of our training will be done below this zone and a little will be done above it, it is obviously important to do some long runs at marathon pace in order to adapt specifically to the demands of that pace.

If you don't have a heart rate monitor, then check out coach Greg McMillan's running calculator to determine the proper training paces. It may be surprising to learn that your easy training pace is 1:45-2:15 slower PER mile than your average 5K race pace. If you run a 5K in 8 minute pace, your easy run pace should be 9:45-10:45/mile.

The Runner's Paradox

As an athlete it can seem almost paradoxical to train slow, but trust me, you are MUCH better off if you coax your body to fitness rather than bludgeon your body to it.

New runners: gradually build a huge base and good races will follow. Have patience!

Old runners: after your goal race, return to base building for 2-4 months in order to reach loftier goals next time.

And PS: if you're using running as your primary way of losing weight, you might wanna check out one of my old posts.  Slow distance running is definitely not the best way to do it.

Have You Earned The Right To Run More?

Thanks to Gray Cook and his book, Movement, for inspiring this post. I like the following quote, “Historically, the environment forced us to adapt since our ability to modify our surroundings was limited. Today we seem to resist natural and practical adaptation at every turn, while we modify every part of the environment that touches us.” Next time you're at your local boot camp workout or group exercise class take a look around. Listen to the instructor. Notice how the emphasis on quantity often outweighs the emphasis on quality? Workouts are often judged on how much work we do in a given amount of time. How far did you run? How fast did you run? How many push-ups can you do?

Don't get me wrong, I love performance measurement just as much as the next guy. Heck, I just got the new Garmin Forerunner 610 to track my pace, distance, routes, heart rate, etc! The touch screen is pretty sweet, indeed.

But what I'm saying is that as a society we have gotten away from what really matters. And that's movement quality. What happened to progression? A gymnast doesn't start out rocking a mean iron-cross or an elaborate floor routine in year one just as (traditionally) a runner doesn't run a marathon in his first year of training.

Now obviously you can do whatever you want. But you also have to accept the consequences, ok?

Let's say you're a brand new runner who wants to run a half marathon with your friends who are already runners. With or without shoes, you can run 2 minutes before tiring. If I give you shoes, what will happen? Most likely you will be able to run farther and faster than without shoes, right? Clearly the shoes will cushion and protect your feet and that will prevent injury ...at least in the short term.

Now, what would happen if I instructed you to build up your mileage without shoes? What do you think that progression would look like? A lot slower, huh? Why is that?

The reason is that you are forced to focus on quality of movement first, before considering quantity.

If you run with poor technique, your body will let you know because it will hurt! Over-stride and your heel will let you know. If you're feet are weak, then they will start to ache after only a few minutes of running. This is one of the reasons barefoot running can be considered a “self-limiting” activity. You can only do as much as your current ability or weakest link allows. Some other examples include jumping rope, surfing and climbing. If you don't own the movement, you won't succeed.

With consistent training you would eventually build up the necessary strength in your feet and the proper coordination to run for as long as you would have been able to with shoes. Your body will tell you when it can handle more and it absolutely will tell you when it's had enough!

The difference between the two scenarios above is that shoes allow you to modify your environment to allow you to do something you otherwise wouldn't be able to do.

They allow for the possibility of an over-striding gait pattern. They allow you to run farther than your tendons and bones would otherwise permit. They allow you to push yourself harder and run faster. The problem is that you didn't really earn the right to run fast and long.

Cook states the following messages your feet will send you, if you listen:

Let me help you refine the most authentic stride for your current limits and abilities.

I have lots of nerve endings that provide information about how and when to use all the right muscles most efficient sequences to create a low-impact efficient stride customized to your unique qualities.

I can actually do most of my teaching automatically, so you will not need to memorize anything —you’ll know when you are doing it wrong… trust me.

Just listen to me every now and then, and if you choose to opt for the extra protection of shoes that’s cool. Just revisit me every now and then so we can stay connected and I can give you some feedback.

You may think the point of this post is to convince you to ditch your shoes and run barefoot. Not at all. I just chose to use barefoot running as an example. The point is to focus on quality of movement before adding on quantity. Earn the right to train more. Make sure your push-up technique is dead on before doing 100 per day. Balance on one foot and perform a squat with complete control, alignment and balance before adding weights to an ugly squat or lunge. Dedicate some of your training time to a self-limiting exercise like the turkish get-up or walking on a balance beam.

Again, in our society we want to be able to do things NOW. We don't want to wait. Patience? What's that?! Well, if I'm your coach I'm going to make you earn it. I'm going to make you earn the right to run a long distance race. Just gotta run that half marathon in 3 months? I'm sure there's a coach out there that will gladly take your money, but that ain't me.

What Does Speed Training Really Mean?

How many times have you read that proper run training should include three types of runs – a speed workout, a tempo run, and a long run? Well, I agree! You should certainly have some form of each of those in your program. The long run is usually slow paced and long in duration – up to 30% of your weekly mileage. The tempo run is usually 20-40 minutes of sustained, faster paced running. And the speed workout? Well, it should definitely be faster than the others!

I sense a lot of confusion regarding speed workouts, though. Exactly how fast should you run? Why this speed and not that speed? How often should you run that fast? Let's find out.

The first thing that you should know is that you are capable of many different speeds. Think of a spectrum that begins at walking and ends in an all-out sprint. I have found that it is good to train at every one of those speeds to develop as a runner. ALL speeds have benefits!

Here are all of my “speeds” or gears. There are at least 11 of them:

Walk

Jog

Slow Recovery Run

Easy Run

Moderate Run (marathon pace)

Moderately Hard Run (10K-Half Marathon)

Hard Run (2 Mile-5K)

Very Hard (1 Mile)

Long Sprint (400-800m)

Short Sprint (100-400m)

Max Power (20-50m)

A beginner will have less speeds to choose from while an experienced, fast racer will have more. For example, a low-mileage marathon rookie will likely run the marathon at their Slow-Easy pace. A fast, high-mileage 5K'er will be comfortable all the way down to 5 minute pace.

When I think of the general programs I've seen in other online sites and running magazines, they often describe speed as running close to your current 5K race pace. This leads many runners to believe that if they do their weekly speed workout of 6 times 800 meters at 5k pace, they will become faster. Makes sense, right?

Well, no. You'll develop the ability to use less energy while running your current 5K pace, but you won't really get faster overall. I mean, wouldn't it be cool to run faster at all of your race distances?

Yes, please!

Ok, so here's what ya gotta do. The faster you are at a short distance race, the faster you can be at a long distance race. This is happens for at least two reasons: more muscle power means a longer stride & speed training makes you better coordinated so you use less energy at slower paces. It's one of the reasons I recommend beginners do slow running and sprint training – and less “in-between” stuff.

Take a look at your weekly schedule. How many different speeds do you engage every week? If you aren't doing any speed training, you'll need to start at the far end of the spectrum by working on your Max Power.

--Tack on two sprints at the end of two of your weekly easy runs.

--Sprint all out for 7-8 seconds (up a slight incline for best results).

--Take 2 minutes between sprints and just walk to allow your central nervous system recover so that you can hit that next one just as hard.

--Every two weeks add two sprints until you reach 8 sprints.

Where to take things from there can depend on many factors like your goals, muscle fiber make-up and time available to train, but this is a great place to start. Once your muscle power and coordination has improved significantly, then you are ready for longer speed sessions. However, without this base of basic sprint speed you are leaving speed on the table and won't reach your potential.

I've helped lots of folks who have plateaued and low muscle power is one of the most common weaknesses. Strength training is another route to achieve this goal, but that's for another day. Stay tuned!

Next week I'll discuss eating and hydration and how to do it right when it comes time for the Broad Street Run. 3 weeks to go!! Are you on track? Let me help you right the ship before it's too late.

The Ugly Truth About Marathon Training

I'm probably gonna piss off a few people with this one. I can hear it now, “Um, John, you make a living by helping runners achieve their goals – including running marathons – you sure you wanna go there?” Yep. I am going there.

Now don't get me wrong, there are all types of runners with all levels of goals and ambition and this post is not to make anyone feel badly about their commitment level. There's only so much time in a day, right? You're an amazing person in my mind for simply desiring to run a marathon.

But what's up with the 30 mile per week marathoner? Or, if you're a triathlete, the 5 training-hours-per-week marathoner? In my opinion, this is just nonsensical. You do know that you're training for a marathon, right?

If you have no intentions of improving as a marathon runner, then cool. Feel free to stop reading here.

I'm concerned about the person who wants to improve (or at least says they do). They seem to think that as long as they do the necessary long runs that they will run well. As if that's all it takes to run a good marathon!

Here are some of the one-liners I hear on a routine basis:

“I'm 4 weeks out from my race. Gotta get that 20 mile run in!”

“And this time, I'm gonna run three 20 milers! Maybe even a 22 miler!”

“I only ran three times this week – 5 on Tuesday and Friday was 6 miles. But Sunday I ran 18!”

Ever heard those phrases? You don't hear smart marathon runners uttering such nonsense. Here's why:

After you graduate from Marathon Finisher to Marathon Competitor, you have to train differently. In order to improve you can't simply modify your beginner program by running longer on the weekend. Weekend warriors belong at the recreation center!

To improve your marathon you must live a certain lifestyle. You must add mid-week miles and there's no getting around it.

As a recent Scottish study confirmed (though experienced runners and coaches have known this for a while), running more miles per week means more glycogen (sugar) depletion than running less miles per week. This is important because endurance improves through the repeated depletion of muscle glycogen stores in training.

A runner who runs 50 miles per week will have more glycogen depletion than the runner who runs 40 miles per week even if the 40 mi/wk runner does a 20 mile long run. Therefore, when I coach a marathoner, I usually try to talk them into running longer mid-week. For example, a 90 minute Wednesday or Thursday run will sufficiently raise your mileage and deplete that glycogen. Plus, you are completing your longest run of the week on tired legs – just like in the final miles of the race.

But beyond the performance benefits of increased weekly mileage, would you believe there are injury prevention benefits?

It's true. You are much less likely to get hurt if you run consistently high mileage than taking extended breaks between training blocks. In other words, by shutting it down and ramping it up, you are de-training significantly and then risk breaking down when you increase your training. Your body has to try to re-adapt to the stress of running every year. No wonder you keep getting hurt!!

Remember, high mileage is relative. Everyone is different and it's a process. It takes time to adapt to a higher mileage level. So take your time!

And so the problem, assuming you're motivated, is that you will need to devote more time to training. Therefore the question becomes, “how badly do you want to improve?” Do you really want to qualify for the Boston Marathon? Or do you just kinda want to? Do you really want to break 4 hours? 3 hours?

So the “ugly truth” is this:

How much of a priority is marathon improvement and are you willing to spend more of your valuable time training?

Running a marathon is an AWESOME experience and flying by depleted, cramping runners while crushing your PR is pretty cool, too. And at Boston it's even sweeter. In fact, it's probably the single greatest feeling I've ever had while running.

I'll get you there if you want.  Fill out my contact form and let's get on with your success!