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Lately there have been many comments about my new found form but with all things running there really is no secret to a winning formula. It really is just hard work. You can sugar coat it with different training methods, diet changes or weight loss but truth be told it all comes down to hard work. I’ll say it one more time so you don’t miss the point, hard work.
There are people who will always quote the ‘work smarter, not harder’ saying at you but with running the work smarter option will not get the same results. I’ve read books on ‘run less, run faster’ as well as books saying ‘run slower to run faster’. Sometimes you feel these authors are just bucking the trend and putting new ideas out there to sell more copies of their books. I mean who’s going to buy a book that says ‘Running is the most honest sport in the world, you get out what you put in’, it really is that easy.
Obviously if you work hard AND work smarter you will see better results so all you coaches out there, relax, you still have a role to play but relying on coaches alone without putting in the hard yards accomplishes nothing. I have pushed adding time on legs and distance in the last few weeks so this will be the last post on the subject and I’ll start to run though my golden rules for marathon success.
This morning when I awoke at 5am I was so tired and that dragged myself out of bed and was 50/50 when faced with putting on my running gear. I am always reminded of a famous Brendan Foster quote
“All top international athletes wake up in the morning feeling tired and go to bed feeling very tired.”
I actually normally reverse that and wake up really tired but normally go to bed just tired.
Steve Ovett backs up my statement about running being an honest sport but also puts a positive point to counter the initial findings.
“You find out a lot about yourself through athletics. If you’re cut out to be a winner or a failure or a quitter, athletics will bring it out of you. You’re always stripping yourself down to the bones of your personality. And sometimes you just get a glimpse of the kind of talent you’ve been given. Sometimes I run and I don’t even feel the effort of running. I don’t even feel the ground. I’m just drifting. Incredible feeling. All the agony and frustration, they’re all justified by one moment like that.”
I agree with Steve, sometimes when you run you really do feel like you are floating and you can just enjoy the changing scenery as you glide along. I must admit this doesn’t happen very often as remember the hard work bit I mentioned earlier, that can scupper these feeling of running euphoria. When it happens though enjoy it because it is what we all train for and maybe this is the ‘runners high’ we all talk about but seldom experience.
On my second run for the day, a pleasant 14k trail chasing run in Kings Park, my mind wandered to why my I have been improving this year. As I mentioned in my previous post I put a lot of it down to a new training regime, the double up days but also I missed out another important factor, weight.
I am currently 69kg which ,for someone who is just shy of 6foot, is pretty ‘light’. This is 2-3kg less than my previous running weight and I feel this has been another factor in my current ‘second coming’. On my lunchtime run I started to think about the current African domination of the marathon distance and I am convinced a large part of this is weight, or in their case, lack off.
The last real marathon runner I would consider a ‘normal’ weight would have to be Robert de Costella. An Australian icon he held the World Record from December 1981 to October 1984. He also won Boston, Rotterdam and Fukouka marathons, and had a marathon PB time of 2:07:51. All this while weighing in at 65kg, on a 5ft11inch frame. In todays professional marathon running world he’d be obese.
I have been lucky enough to meet ‘Deeks’ on a number of occasions and he really is an oracle of knowledge on all things running and always willing to share his experiences and insights.
Another reason for selecting Deeks is he did suffer with injuries as he was a big advocate of the distance training and unfortunately broke down on a number of occasions. I would probably put this down to his slightly heavier frame than the average professional marathon runner and nearly 10k+ heavier than the Africans who dominate today.
In 1990, the average top-100 guy marathon runner weighed 59.6 kg (131.4 lbs); in 2011, he weighed 56.2 kg (123.9 lbs). That’s a big drop. They also got shorter, from 1.73 m (5′ 8.1″) to 1.70 m (5′ 6.9″). The drop in weight isn’t entirely explained by the drop in height, as their BMI also decreased from 19.83 to 19.42. Of course, it’s important to note that there was a wide range of values represented, with BMIs reportedly from 15.78 (a value that again makes me wonder about the accuracy of the data) to 23.05.
There is no way Deeks could compete against another professional athlete giving away 10kg. Makes my 69kg look obscene. Must mention that to my Wife who continually complains I’m a ‘bag of bones’, perfectly formed marathon runner is how i see it.
Anyway back to my point. I’ve lost 2-3kgs, I’m training more intelligently and I’m training more; add in the improved diet with less sugar and it all adds up to PB’s. Simple really.
To prove my point I’ve attached a photo of me next to the winner of the Melbourne Marathon in 2012., Jonathan Kipchirchir Chesooi. I look huge, I’d be probably nearly 20k heavier than Jonathan, easily accounts for the 30 minutes time difference. Maybe they should do an age adjusted and weight adjusted marathon time. I’d be world champion.
I was a firm believer in the 7 year PB rule that states whenever you took up running seriously you have 7 years of PB’s before you’d plateau and then start slowing down. This would obviously be a smaller window if you took up running really late of course. For me I would say in 2008 I started running ‘properly’ when I took on the Comrades ultra-marathon in South Africa. Before I had run a few marathons but no real consistency or long term strategy. From 2008 to 2013 I was pretty consistent in lowering my PB’s in all distances and had that luxury of knowing that nearly every time I put on a race number I would lower my PB time. This is a wonderful time for a runner as each race is a challenge and the reward of another PB makes all the training and hard work seem so worth it.
In 2014 I was coming off a great previous year and training harder than ever and was confident I was going to break the elusive 2:40 for the marathon. The previous year I had run a 2:41.xx twice and felt it was only a matter of time before I improved. My first marathon of 2014 was the Bunbury Marathon which I had won the year before. I was running great and confidence was high. Unfortunately the wheels fell off, I was racing in a group of four and setting the pace for the first 10k when I just mentally gave up. I was walking though the drink station at 14k and the second half of the race was a ‘slog’. I managed to stagger home in 2:54 in a race that I was in 2:40 form. After this my running stagnated and two more attempts at a sub 2:40 both resulted in failures. These failures in the marathons also then affected my shorter distances and before long I had given up on ever achieving the feeling if a PB.
Funnily enough when the time came I was actually more than happy to move on from my PB chasing stage of my running career to one that was more concerned with not slowing down too much, too quickly. The pressure of chasing the sub 2:40 was off and I could actually start just enjoying running for the pure love of running. I gave my 2:40 one more assault with the help of a coach, who did a great job rebuilding the way I trained but ultimately a possible stress fracture put an end to my last sub 2:40 attempt in the middle of 2015.
So fast forward to 2016 and with the pressure off and the lessons learnt from Raf at the Running Centre I start setting the challenges for the year. I decide to concentrate on shorter distances reasoning that there may be the chance of a PB as with Raf’s training I realised I had some speed left in the legs. Working with Dan Macey, a friend and ‘wanna-be’ coach, I set about chasing the 5k 16:40 time we had both talked about over the last few years. Running a few Park Runs ( www.parkrun.com.au) I managed to achieve this goal and then set about the 10k dream time of a sub 34minutes. (My PB was 35 minutes dead) I had not run a 10k for nearly 2 years so set about entering as many as possible. After a few false starts I managed to run 34:18 just recently in my sixth 10k of the year. So all of a sudden I was hitting PB’s again after assuming that stage of my running career was over in 2013.
What has changed since 2013 ? Changing the way I trained in 2015 with Raf was the foundation and he always said you would see the improvement but it would take time. What were the main things Raf taught me? Add distance was probably the main point but also vary your training. I was running 4min/k all the time pre-2013 and although it had served me well up to then its benefits certainly had plateaued. Adding in tempos, thresholds, recovery and fartleks reinvigorated my training schedule and success soon followed.
In the latter half of 2016, since a good Perth Marathon, I have added double up days daily and this has been the icing on the cake so to speak. With distance and the variation in training as the foundation for the improvement the double up days has been the final piece in the jigsaw. It has, in my view, added the stamina and cardio fitness boost that has enabled me to run faster but also maintain that pace through the race distance whereas in the past I would drop off.
So it looks like 2013 wasn’t the final curtain on the PB play, there are a few more acts still to come before the curtain comes down. Of course it means more training, more pain and more suffering but if it was easy everybody would be doing it. In the last Olympics you just need to look at Mo Farah who went back-to-back gold in the 5000m and 10000m and Usain Bolt who went one better with three gold medal performances at three separate Olympics. These guys have been at their best for many years so you can maintain your peak if you keep putting in the hard yards. It’s not rocket science…..
After my 3rd recovery run I am again feeling totally spent. I understand the logic behind the recovery runs being good for you, allowing you to exercise on fatigued legs, but surely there must be a point when you have to basically throw in the towel and walk away for a period of complete rest. This got me thinking about the periodization approach to training where you build up the different layers of training for a specific goal race. You then take some time to recover before starting the next periodisation phase for the next goal, starting to build the layers again from the beginning.
This approach was pioneered by Arthur Lydiard who knew what he was talking about and was probably the most successful coach of his time. So it works. The bit that worries me, at my age, is I wonder if I have the time left in my running career at this level to take time off between goal races. At nearly 50 it’s not like I can take a year or two out of the sport and come back stronger. Me and Father Time are currently playing a game of Russian Roulette and for the moment the chambers are empty but eventually I’m going to get found out. So I need a different type of training, one that allows me to keep a high level of fitness ready to step up to a race with little extra training. This is Non-Linear periodization.
Both are described beautifully by, you guessed it, Matt Fitzgerald. ( http://www.mattfitzgerald.org ) My go-to man when I’m tired and ran out of ideas, albeit briefly. So enjoy the article from Matt first published in 2009 from his Training Peaks website ( http://www.trainingpeaks.com )
The most influential theorist in the history of run training was Arthur Lydiard. A New Zealand-born coach who reached his prime in the late 1950s, Lydiard developed the first major periodized training system for runners. Periodization refers to the practice of sequencing training stimuli in such a way as to produce a single peak race performance at the end of that sequence, or cycle. Before Lydiard came along, runners periodized their training primarily by increasing their overall workload as their fitness and their capacity to absorb training gradually increased. But Lydiard was the first to divide the training cycle into distinct phases and establish a proper order for the different types of training emphasized within them.
Lydiard-style Periodization
You are probably familiar with this order, because Lydiard-style periodization is still practiced by most competitive runners today. The Lydiard training cycle begins with a base phase, in which runners perform an increasing volume of mostly moderate-pace running. This phase is followed by a four-week strength phase, in which aerobic running is supplemented with hill training and other strength work. Next comes a short “anaerobic” phase in which short, fast intervals are prioritized. The final phase is a racing phase, in which the volume and intensity of training are reduced to promote freshness and fitness is sharpened through tune-up races culminating in a final, peak race.
Lydiard-style periodization is known as linear periodization because the various major training stimuli (aerobic, anaerobic, strength, speed, etc.) are largely segregated from each other in the training process and arranged in a line in which each gives way to the next. This approach is distinct from nonlinear periodization, in which the various major training stimuli are mixed together throughout the entire cycle and only the emphasis changes from period to period.
Most of the newer periodization systems—those introduced since 1980—are nonlinear. One example is the so-called multi-pace training method developed by David Martin and Peter Coe. In their book, Better Training for Distance Runners, Martin and Coe wrote, “One sensible method for injury-free performance progress over the course of a macrocycle involves harmonious interdevelopment of strength, speed, stamina, and endurance all during the year, never eliminating any of these from the overall training plan… We tend to disagree with coaches who prescribe large volumes of solely longer-distance running over an initial period of weeks, followed by a similarly concentrated bolus of solely higher-intensity speed sessions over succeeding weeks.”
There are three major criticisms of linear periodization systems, two of which are specifically alluded to in the above quotation. Many coaches and athletes with experience of such systems believe that the sudden introduction of high-intensity running after a strictly low-intensity base phase carries a high risk of injury. A second criticism of linear periodization systems is that the various important aspects of running fitness are not developed “harmoniously”. Why devote several weeks to developing strength only to let this attribute slide again by replacing strength workouts with speed work? Finally, linear periodization systems are also criticized for requiring months of buildup for a rather brief opportunity to race at the very end.
Nonlinear Periodization
Nonlinear periodization attempts to address all of these shortcomings by mixing together the various major training stimuli throughout the training cycle. The presence of strength and speed training at all times keeps the muscles and joints well adapted to the stress of hard running, thus minimizing injury risk. It also gives runners more flexibility to race when it suits them. Because their running fitness is always “well-rounded”, they can peak for races fairly quickly by increasing the training load and emphasizing race-pace training. There is no need to wait for layer upon layer of fitness components to be added one by one.
Linear periodization still has its defenders, though. The proof of the pudding is in the tasting, they say, and indeed it is hard to argue against the tremendous success that runners all around the world have achieved through Lydiard-style training. Perhaps the greatest virtues of Lydiard’s system are that it limits the risk of overtraining and that it enables runners to peak right when they want to. By contrast, in nonlinear periodization, because high-intensity training never ceases, there is greater risk of overtraining, and because there is not much distinction between training phases, it can be difficult to time a peak accurately.
I discovered these risks the hard way earlier this year while training for the Boston Marathon using a program based on Pete Pfitzinger’s nonlinear periodization method. My plan had me doing higher-intensity running (although not always very much of it and not always very fast) three times per week for more than 20 weeks. It started off great, but I peaked when I was barely halfway through the plan and then turned stale.
I’m still trying to decide what to do differently in training for my next marathon. One option is to switch over to a Lydiardian plan, something I have never really tried. The other option is to modify the Pfitzinger approach, specifically by reducing the amount of high-intensity work I do until closer to race day. It is very likely that either approach would give me better results than I got from the overambitious nonlinear approach I took last time. But the question is, which approach would give me the very best results?
This question leads me to the point of this article, which is: that different training approaches work best for different athletes. I don’t believe that either linear periodization systems such as Lydiard’s or nonlinear systems such as Martin and Coe’s multi-pace method are clearly better for every athlete. You may need to experiment a little to find out which one works best for you. Start by trying the approach that is most appealing to you, and if that doesn’t work out, move in the direction of the other. So, if I take my own advice I will probably go Lydiard next time!
After my PB half this morning I couldn’t wait to get the compression tights on and get back out there for an afternoon recovery run. Over the last 2-3 months I am convinced these second runs every day are the foundation on which I have built my PB’s. As I posted last week a recovery run is more than just a slow run serving little or no purpose. This is how it is seen by a lot of the running community. I now feel it is so much more. It is an opportunity to run on fatigued legs and this increases fitness. This is supported by Matt Fitzgerald, my go to man when it comes to just about everything ! ( http://mattfitzgerald.org ) In an article he wrote for Competitor.com in 2013.
In short, recovery runs do not enhance recovery. Nevertheless, recovery runs are almost universally practiced by top runners. That would not be the case if this type of workout weren’t beneficial. So what is the real benefit of recovery runs?
The real benefit of recovery runs is that they increase your fitness — perhaps almost as much as longer, faster runs do — by challenging you to run in a pre-fatigued state (i.e. a state of lingering fatigue from previous training).
There is evidence that fitness adaptations occur not so much in proportion to how much time you spend exercising but rather in proportion to how much time you spend exercising beyond the point of initial fatigue in workouts. So-called “key” workouts (runs that are challenging in their pace or duration) boost fitness by taking your body well beyond the point of initial fatigue. Recovery workouts, on the other hand, are performed entirely in a fatigued state, and therefore also boost fitness despite being shorter and/or slower than key workouts.
Evidence of the special benefit of pre-fatigued exercise comes from an interesting study out of the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. In this study, subjects exercised one leg once daily and the other leg twice every other day. The total amount of training was equal for both legs, but the leg that was trained twice every other day was forced to train in a pre-fatigued state in the afternoon (recovery) workouts, which occurred just hours after the morning workouts. After several weeks of training in this split manner, the subjects engaged in an endurance test with both legs. The researchers found that the leg trained twice every other day increased its endurance 90 percent more than the other leg.
Additional research has shown that when athletes begin a workout with energy-depleted muscle fibers and lingering muscle damage from previous training, the brain alters the muscle recruitment patterns used to produce movement. Essentially, the brain tries to avoid using the worn-out muscle fibers and instead involve fresher muscle fibers that are less worn out precisely because they are less preferred under normal conditions. When your brain is forced out of its normal muscle recruitment patterns in this manner, it finds neuromuscular “shortcuts” that enable you to run more efficiently (using less energy at any given speed) in the future. Pre-fatigued running is sort of like a flash flood that forces you to alter your normal morning commute route. The detour seems a setback at first, but in searching for an alternative way to reach the office you might find a faster way — or at least a way that’s faster under conditions that negatively affect your normal route.
Here are some tips for effective use of recovery runs:
* Whenever you run again within 24 hours of completing a key workout (or any run that has left you severely fatigued or exhausted), the follow-up run should usually be a recovery run.
* Recovery runs are only necessary if you run four times a week or more. If you run just three times per week, each run should be a “key workout” followed by a day off. If you run four times a week, your first three runs should be key workouts and your fourth run only needs to be a recovery run if it is done the day after a key workout instead of the day after a rest day. If you run five times a week, at least one run should be a recovery run, and if you run six or more times a week, at least two runs should be recovery runs.
* There’s seldom a need to insert two easy runs between hard runs, and it’s seldom advisable to do two consecutive hard runs within 24 hours.
* Recovery runs are largely unnecessary during base training, when most of your workouts are moderate in both intensity and duration. When you begin doing formal high-intensity workouts and exhaustive long runs, it’s time to begin doing recovery runs in roughly a 1:1 ratio with these key workouts.
* There are no absolute rules governing the appropriate duration and pace of recovery runs. A recovery run can be as long and fast as you want, provided it does not affect your performance in your next scheduled key workout. In most cases, however, recovery runs cannot be particularly long or fast without sabotaging recovery from the previous key workout or sabotaging performance in your next one. A little experimentation is needed to find the recovery run formula that works best for each individual runner.
* Don’t be too proud to run very slowly in your recovery runs, as Kenya’s elite runners are famous for doing. Even very slow running counts as pre-fatigued running practice that will yield improvements in your running economy, and running very slowly allows you to run longer without sabotaging your next key workout.
In Matt we trust, so if Matt recommends recovery runs that is all I need to take it onboard and I recommend you do the same. So get out there and smell the roses so to speak while you gain the benefits of one of the most under rated runs in everybodies arsenal.
One last plug for today is compression tights. ( https://www.skins.net/au/?gclid=Cj0KEQjw1ee_BRD3hK6x993YzeoBEiQA5RH_BIFsTBDtuRlHC3OyGJztj7LFtYlqXV04GHreid8abVoaAuQz8P8HAQ ) I wear these on my recovery runs and again I’m a big believer in these articles. I’m sure there’s lots of information and data supporting this but trust me, these things work. If you running on fatigued legs while on your recovery run you do run the tightrope of injury, compressions tights will help you I guarantee it.
McManus, C., Murray, K., Morgan, N. (2015)
The University of Essex, Human Performance Unit
During steady state running at a fixed intensity of 60% vVO2max(12.1 ± 1.3 km/h), running economy was significantly lower (p < 0.05) in correctly fitted compression tights when compared with running shorts. When wearing correctly fitted compression compared to running shorts, the runners demonstrated that they used less energy when running at a sub maximal speed. They were more economical and efficient. It is widely accepted that runners who are more economical during sub maximal speeds have the ability to push harder or run longer during their training and/or events.
After yesterdays post about trusting in your training I put this into practice today at the Fremantle half marathon. As with last weeks 10k I went out way too quick but decided to ‘roll the dice’ so to speak and see where it would take me. It took me to the lead pack for the first 10k and then even to the lead at around the 17k mark. I felt good at this point but when the two other runners put in a push I was able to maintain my pace but not increase it. I kept the first two in sight and probably finished within 30 seconds of first and 15 seconds of second place, so one very happy runner. To add to my podium (and best ever Fremantle finish) I also set a new PB (PR for the American’s amongst us) of nearly a minute, 1:15:01. With hindsight it would have been nice to get a couple of seconds quicker and get in the 1:14.xx territory but still over the moon with the time.
So what have I learned about today. I have yet again ran faster than I ever though possible and am determined to build on this for the Rottnest half in a few weeks and then the World Masters in early November. It seems this distance training is the way to go as I have never had such great times with previous training methods. As well as the extra distance I am racing at least once every 2-3 weeks and I think this compliments the distance , as most training is at a relaxed pace. Racing is never relaxed and I try to maintain the Matt Fitzgerald recommended 80%/20% rule, with 80% at a relaxed pace and 20% at a tempo or race pace. A good way to do this is the 5k park run on Saturday mornings if there is one in your neighbourhood. ( http://www.parkrun.com )
As I talked about yesterday Fremantle was meant to be an ‘indicator race’, one where you would test yourself but no spend too much time in the ‘pain box’. Unfortunately I failed in this respect. Deciding at around 10k to hang onto the leaders was always either going to end in a big PB or disaster. I trusted in my training and luckily this time it was a big PB. It could have gone the other way of course but this time , yet again, I didn’t have to pay the piper. I’m sure he’s out there waiting for payment but not today Mr.Piper !
So what next. This was week 2 of my five week racing calendar. Week off racing next weekend so it’s back to good old double days and a long run with the boys Sunday. After that it’s off to Rottnest Island for a week with the family. I shall use this time for some last minute marathon training and it’ll be the first of a two week taper. Not too much distance, just a 10k run every morning and then maybe some speed or tempt on the afternoon. Aiming for about 80% of my normal training workload. This reduces to two easy 10k’s the week of the marathon.
Still plenty to do but for the moment I am just enjoying the post race glow you get when you achieve something you thought beyond you. Final word from Raf, the best coach on the planet from the Running Centre, Perth, ( http://therunningcentre.com.au ) “Ticking boxes consistently means success will continue to breed success”.
Tomorrow is the Fremantle half marathon. I’ve ran this race at least 5 times but the last two have been disappointing, both times finishing just over 80 minutes, and just outside the podium places. In both cases I had entered the race in a racing ‘slump’ of sorts. My 2013 times were a distance memory and the objective was to try and get close to my previous best times. I had convinced myself that 2013 was the finally year of running PB’s and the times reflected this.
Fast forward to 2016 and I’m hitting PB times again and have a new passion for running, not that it ever really left me truth be told. Where as previously I’d look forward to my one run a day, I now have two. Distance wise this has helped enormously and it seems to be the answer , for me anyway.
So can I PB tomorrow at Fremantle ? I’d say no at the moment. The 10k win last week took a lot of out of the legs and as I mentioned in a post earlier in the week I’m a believer in a day a kilometre to recover after racing. Also with the Rottnest half marathon in 2 weeks and the Masters Marathon 2 weeks after that I have two goal races to aim for. Fremantle, tomorrow, should be more of an indicator race. A race were you set yourself a goal time, normally just short of a PB time, one that will test you but not do the damage a PB run invariably does.
Of course if there’s a podium place up for grabs all this ‘indicator’ talk goes out the window. ! The 10k and 21k race start together and it’s a trait of the Marathon Club that you can decide en-route which race you decide to complete. I remember last year at the DeepWater Point 7.5k/15k race I was sitting in 5th place at the half way mark and doing the numbers realised I was 3rd for the 7.5k. A medal was too good to miss, so even though I planned to run the 15k I sneaked over the line for the 3rd place in the shorter distance and then continued for the second lap anyway. So rather than finish 5th with nothing I had a medal for 3rd in the shorter race. I did take a bit of a ribbing from the boys afterwards but as I said to them at my age chances of medals are becoming slimmer and slimmer, you got to take them when you can. It’s all about the bling.
So back to Fremantle tomorrow, as an indicator race it would be nice to get a 1:17.xx time, anything quicker would be a bonus and be dependent on how I pulled up from the 10k last weekend and also conditions on the day. Currently as I type this post I’m listening to the wind and rain outside, not perfect conditions. A lot can change overnight of course. As with all races you need to trust your training. If you are an experienced runner you normally know within a few minutes what time you will run. The shorter the distance the more accurate of course. For a 5k I can get to within 30 seconds, a 10k probably a minute and a half maybe 2-3 minutes. So anything over 1:19.xx would be deemed a bad race, but I would be playing the ‘tired legs’ card to keep up my confidence for Rottnest in two weeks. It’s important to be in the right ‘mind space’ for racing. Racing is a very mental thing and the right attitude will certainly gain you a few minutes. You need to trust in your training and don’t be intimidated by the runners around you. No point going out too hard with runners who will run a lot quicker, it may feel nice to punch above your weight initially but with running you will be found out. That being said because we live in such GPS watch dominated times I sometimes feel we hold ourselves back as per our training plans and goals. The days of the racing at ‘suicide pace’ and hanging on seem to be behind us, I mean imagine running without a watch, just by feel.
A big win this morning for the blog site. An email from Anuj Agarwal from ( http://blog.feedspot.com/running-blogs/ ) Feedspot.com informs me I made the top100 running blog list. Entering at number 54. Not bad for a blog that only started 2 weeks ago. Being the competitive animal I am I will be doing my best to rise to the top of the list. It may take some time but who really needs sleep and food; one or the other will do surely.
My blog did get a boost yesterday as due to tapering I was free to scour the world via Facebook and submit as many posts as possible to drum up followers to my site. (currently only 25 subscribers, c’mon people, subscribe and you get a daily dose of ‘bk’ wisdom) I may have to add anther category for blog related activities, rather than running. Note to self : runner first, blogger second. When that changes things can go downhill very fast…..I need to be more like RunHelenRun who only posts once a month (and she’s above me !)
Only downside to drumming up blog business is you visit all these wonderful sites on the internet showing amazing scenery and discovering new races. Couple this with the inability to run due to tapering and it’s a recipe for disaster. Luckily no text from Mark yet so confidence is high I can survive one more day of no running.
So far so good. Having a lie in this morning helped and no running gear made the lunch time run difficult. I did run the lunchtime 10k in a pair of speedos once but that’s another story and was the result of a stupid comment alone the lines of ‘if Iceland beat England at football I’ll run in a pair of budgie smugglers !’ . There is evidence of said smugglers but I want to keep some resemblance of followers.
So not run today, (I am assuming I don’t break tonight and sneak out for a slow 10k?) which just leaves tomorrow pre-race. I’ve planned an early morning brekkie with my Wife, read the papers and spend some time on the internet researching blogs and ‘stuff’. Maybe even check out a few sites on the best way to run a half marathon. All the good advice normally goes out the window when the guns goes off. The first 1-2k’s is nearly always run way to fast and before you know it you’re in Threshold and VO2 territory. This is a place you cannot stay for too long, if you try tit will end in tears.
A half is a good distance as you have got time to work your way into it, and finish strong, without the need to redline it straight away; unlike a 5k or a 10k when really it’s on from the gun. That being said you’ll always have your runners who you aspire to match or beat and when they go you normally follow. On Sunday I’ll be setting the pace around the 77-79 minute finish time; around the 3:40min/k pace. Depending on who turns up that may be enough for a top 5 finish. This will go out the window of course if any ‘real runners’ decided to pop along for a tempo run. If that happens it’ll be all about going under 1:17 and an age group win.
In any race you need a goal and a few alternatives if the first goal all of a sudden evaporates. For me on Sunday it’s a top 5 finish first (this could be a stretch goal!); then a sub 1:17, then an age group win and finally a sub 1:20. The last two years I achieved none of these with a 6th and 7th and both times running 1hour 20minutes and change. I may have won my age group last year but it was still a disappointing run. You can normally predict your half time if you have done enough of them and your training has been respectable. A marathon is a different animal and can always throw up the odd curve ball to totally destroy your pre-race predictions.
Sunday will also be race two in my five race, 6 weekends series. Next weekend I have a week off before another half on Rottnest Island ( http://www.rottnestisland.com , a magical place and I’ll be spending a week there after the half with the family. This is a ‘Matthews’ tradition as I have done the Rottnest full 10 times and each time me and the tribe stay on the Island for a week afterwards) . After my week break on Rottnest I return for the World Masters 5k on the 29th October and finally the reason for this training block the World Masters on November 6th ( http://www.perth2016.com )
There is the opportunity to race the Rottnest half starting at 7:30am and then the 10k starting at 10:30am, but that would be silly, wouldn’t it….?
Looking at my training diary over the last 8 years I always take 48 hours off pre-racing (bar last week of course when Mark texted me and we ran a relaxed 10k the day before?) I have decided to go back to this strategy which has worked so well in the past. I must admit to being a tad concerned that last year I ran a good 10k pre-Fremantle but paid the price on race day, I certainly ran 1-2 minutes slower than planned. It will be interesting to see if the increased workload of the last few months has allowed me to race, train and recover quicker than previous years.
Good start to my 48 hours of no running, pre Fremantle half. Managed to not put my running gear in my work backpack and not go for an early morning run. So worst case scenario I can only run once today, after work. Small steps, or in this instance no steps !
I’m not sure how I got to this state of affairs as in previous years I always looked forward to a few days off pre-racing. When I first started racing marathons I would always give myself 3 weeks off, much to my friend Jon’s disgust. In the last few years this has dropped to a 2 week taper using the 80% and then 20% rule. I.e. 80% of normal training load two weeks out and then 20% on the week of the marathon. I would always keep up the intensity for the 2 week pre-marathon workouts but in the week of the marathon it was (and still is) only 2 * 10k at a very relaxed pace, no intensity. Taper time is to be embraced in my view. The last week there is nothing you can possibly do to improve your marathon time by running, nothing. The best you can do is maintain your fitness and, with the right carbo-loading strategy , knock off a minute or two. I’ll discuss proper tapering when I have to do it for real in a few weeks for the Perth Masters Marathon ( www.perth2016.com )
I go by the 1k-1day (estimate) recovery time from racing. So for a 10k I reckon you need a good 10 days to recover, similarly for a marathon it takes me about a month. I have friends who recover quicker but also ones who take longer. I’m sure if I was in my twenties the recovery time would be shorter but for me personally the 1k-1day is pretty close. I have run a marathon twice after a 10k the previous weekend and both times I faded so this is something I no longer do. I will consider a 5k a week pre-marathon and have booked myself in to the Perth Masters 5k track race on the 29th October, a week pre-World Masters marathon. As I have mentioned before I am a big believer in racing and its benefits. So far this year I have raced 21 times and have another 7 planned, love racing.
Right so far so good. All this talk of taping has made me hungry, can I carbo-load for a half. Probably not a good idea but it’ll do more good than going for a run, have I mentioned Yelo before. ( http://www.yelocornerstore.com.au/ )