Marathons
As you will know I have entered my first ‘real’ ultra marathon early in the New Year and a week before I turn 50. I have ran 16 ultra marathons before with the longest being the Comrades ultra in South Africa (http://www.comrades.com ). This race varies between 87k and 89k depending on road closures and race direction, they have an UP year and the following year a DOWN year, so to complete Comrades you have to run them both, a marketing man’s dream. (They even gibe you a back-to-back medal if you run the UP and DOWN in consecutive years for your first two Comrades. A free medal, what runner could resist that, not mo that’s for sure!)
The ultra in January is 100k but on a flat 12.5k loop, ( http://australiadayultra.com ) which means you run the out and back loop eight times. The midnight start will also be challenging as grabbing any sleep pre-race will probably be difficult, especially when you add in the pre-race nerves. It will also take an hour or two to set out all the food and drink I intend to consume over the 100k race, it is an ultra remember. I have described running an ultra in another post as an ‘eating and drinking competition’ with the first person to consume enough food and drink to get them to the 100k mark first the winner. More about the eating and drinking apparently ? Remember my mate Jon put on weight after running this event last year. He also finished second ! Could he have eaten less and done better , who knows as it’s a fine balancing act. Eat too little and you’ll burn out and not finish as you’ll run out of fuel. Eat too much and you’ll probably go to sleep, only joking, you can do as much damage with too much fuel onboard, probably blow a seal or worse the head gasket; love my engine comparisons. Saying that I’m typing this while consuming an apple crumble and ice cream so does this count as ultra training , interesting concept, my mate Jon would probably concur with me that eating is actually ultra training as much as the exercise part.
The other 13 ultras I have run have all been less than 64k and as such have needed no extra training on top of the regular marathon training I embrace weekly. I adjust my target pace down and then off I go, into the ultra world with a skip and a jump. Can this approach also get me to an end of a 100k ultra and , on top of the distance factor, will it be able to allow me to compete for a podium finish. No point running if you haven’t got a serious goal to aim for, otherwise we’d all be ‘joggers‘ and that would not do at all.!
100k with no real long runs over 30k, probably not the best way to train for an ultra but I’m relying on my double days and high average mileage (currently around 140-160k a week) to get me through this one. I’m betting my cardio fitness coupled with my stubborn running personality will be enough to get me through the hard times which, apparently in ultras, is a given. Never DNF’d a race in my life and won’t be starting any time soon. I’ve got my race goals all set out of course, there’s a few of them. 1. Podium, less than 8 hours finish. Highly unlikely given my lack of real distance in training. 2. Podium, time unimportant. 3. Sub 9 hours and a finish that doesn’t kill me. 4. Sub 10 hours. There is no number 5. Funny even typing this post I can see the major flaws in my master plan but hey, it’s ultra running.?
I’ve added an article on some tips for ultra success. Reading through these I may have a few ‘challenges’ ahead but if it was easy everybody would be doing it, wouldn’t they ?
The Medics Know Best: 10 Tips For Ultramarathon Success
Crossing the finish line at an ultra requires a sound gameplan.
The medics at ultramarathons get a first-hand look at where races go wrong. Here is their advice to get you to the finish line.
When it comes to participating in ultras, the medical team is one group of volunteers you usually don’t think about until you need them. And they have the privilege of seeing you at your worst—from ankle sprains to dehydration, vomiting to compromised kidney function, blisters and more.
Runners are a stubborn lot, often viewing the medical team as a last resort. But, believe it or not, their goal isn’t to pull you from a race.
“I want everyone to finish,” says Dave Heckman, a firefighter paramedic from Engine 7 of Woodside Fire District in the San Francisco Bay area and a 12-year volunteer at the Badwater Ultramarathon, a 135-mile race in July through the California desert. “I always hope people recover and keep going.”
The medical crew at Badwater sees its fair share of heat-related sickness, dehydration, exhaustion, sunburns (cover up!) and blisters. Many of the medical team members are ultrarunners and endurance athletes themselves, a benefit when it comes to understanding what racers may be experiencing–not just physically, but mentally as well. During the 2014 race, members of the medical crew shared lessons they’ve learned along the way.
Thanks to Heckman (who circumnavigated Death Valley National Park in 2012 during the hottest month in U.S. history), Chris Frost (an EMT from Parker, Ariz., with nine Badwater 135 finishes to his credit) and Dr. Darryl Macias (an Albuquerque, N.M.-based ER doctor, runner and climber who has climbed Aconcagua and runs mountain races) for their insights.
Preparation is 90 Percent of Success
In addition to running and training, ultra preparation involves studying the course, knowing what conditions to expect, dialing gear, testing hydration and fueling strategies.
Practice Hydration and Electrolytes
Dehydration and electrolyte imbalance can end a race. Practice it during training and stay on top of it while racing.
Train For the Race Environment
That may mean sauna or heat training for hot temperatures, hill running for a course with significant elevation changes or spending some time at altitude for a high elevation race. It’s important to acclimatize yourself and know how you’re going to handle the conditions.
Keep Moving
That is, unless you need to take a break. Constant forward motion gets you to the finish line, but sometimes a few minutes of sitting or resting can be an energizing boost. It’s important to know what works for you. And remember, walking counts as moving.
Recover on the Run
Learning what to do when you feel bad and sticking with your goal, even through low points (because there will be low points), is critical. Taking on food, water and electrolytes can help you recover physically, and mental diversions (talk to your pacer, sing, map out a truly relaxing vacation) are often useful in making it through low points.
Keep a Positive Attitude
This is supposed to be fun, relatively speaking! At some point in time, you actually wanted to run whatever race you are in. Remember that and stay positive.
Take Good Care of Your Feet
Address small hot spots before they turn into angry blisters. Put on fresh socks when needed and try to keep your feet dry. Your feet are your transportation to the finish line, and proper foot care cannot be emphasized enough.
Eat Real Food
Many runners get to a point during a race where not only can they no longer stomach gels and chews, but nothing sounds appetizing. Have options and test food during training. Know what works for you. Peanut butter, honey, bananas and soup are good options. When you do take on food, slow down for a few minutes to allow your body to absorb the calories. Your heart rate needs to be below 160 to absorb calories. Take advantage of slower uphill portions to take on food.
Trust Your Crew
You chose your crew for a reason. Their goal is to help get you to the finish line. Remember that when you’re exhausted, sore and (possibly) grouchy. Listen to them, pay attention to their advice and trust them. Being kind is always appreciated too.
Accept That Ultras Are About Suffering
There is nothing easy about an ultra. Accepting that before you get to the starting line means you won’t be surprised when things become difficult. Pain management, sleep deprivation and low points are all part of it. But they also make your successes that much more rewarding.
The things you do for your blog. Realising I could be ostracising a whole group of runners who cannot relate to most of my posts, (Because of my constant highlighting of race pace not because most of the time I’m talking….<inset comment > … be nice.) I’m talking about ultra runners, I have entered a 100k ultra marathon a week before my 50th birthday. ( http://australiadayultra.com) These runners would consider what I post normally alien to themselves and their fellow ‘long is the only way to run’ brothers (or sisters) in arms. Not for them the ‘gush of the pain train’ as you explode into a 5k sprint or the mental torture of the 7th and 8th kilometre in a 10k race. Ultra runners are all about the slow drip-drip mental torture of going long and consider marathon runners and any distance runner less than 50k as show ponies. It gets even worse when you add trails and mountains into the equation. That’s when they all turn a bit weird in my view but each to their own. As I love my concrete big city marathons they love getting out there and reconnecting with nature. (I much prefer to connect with nature via a nice cafe selling decent coffee and fruit, albeit cocooned in a muffin?)
I’m not a complete novice to ultra marathons having ran 16 in my time ranging from 46k (remember anything longer than a marathon, albeit it even 4k, is considered an ultra.) up to 89k but I have never broken triple figures. My ultra running career includes seven 6-inch finishes, ( http://www.6inchtrailmarathon.com ) (ranging from 46k to 50k, I have got lost twice on this run.) four WAMC 40miler finishes (64k), two 50k’s (including the ADU last year http://australiadayultra.com ) and three Comrade finishes, albeit 6 years ago now. ( http://www.comrades.com )
In Perth the marathon season begins with the Bunbury marathon in April ( http://bunburyrunnersclub.org/3-waters-marathon/ ) and then moves onto the Perth marathon in June, Geraldton next before the City to Surf marathon in August and finishes with the Rottnest marathon in October. Between October and May it’s ultra time with the 6 inch ultra in December, last Sunday before Christmas, then the Australia Day Ultra in January, as well as the new WA Ultra Series which adds in another three ultras. We really are spoilt for choice in Western Australia at the moment. This is why I realised there must be ultra runners out there who I need to connect with.
I want to feel that mental pain that they gush about when describing their ultra exploits. To this end I have decided to make it more interesting by not changing my training specifically for the 100k race in January. I enjoy my long Sunday runs with the ‘BK posse‘ but 30k is enough even for me. My training for the ADU100K will consist of a good weekly distance but no runs further than 30k, bar the 6 inch ultra on December 18th. No point wasting all that ‘ultra-high’ in training, I want to feel the full monty on race day, probably at 80k when my legs give way? There’s more of course, it’s not about just finishing the 100k I need to give myself a target time, it is after all a race no matter what distance. 8 hours sounded reasonable until my friend Rob showed me the Australian record for the 50-55 age group (the one I miss by a week) is just shy of 8 hours. No point aiming low then so 8 hours it is. I’ll certainly get to 50k at 8 hour pace, the rest so they say is in the lap of the gods.
Last tear I had entered the ADU100K but dropped down to the 50k after a particularly bad run the week before in the heat when I targeted a long 34k and pulled the pin at halfway. This, in hindsight, was the right thing to do as on the day I ran well enough for a podium finish but would have been in no state to continue for another 50k. I feel this year I am better prepared after a stellar 2016 racing season and hope basic good old fashioned running fitness will get me to the finish line rather than long slow runs to build endurance. Even typing that I can see flaws in my master plan but what would life be without the odd gamble? On the bright side I get to run a long time (and I love running) and also I get to eat a lot of high calorie , high fat ‘tukka’ as well as lots of carbohydrates. How bad can this be? I may even pout on some weight like my mate Jon last year. (who is also competing again more for the food than the glory I feel.)
So this is the first post in the ultra marathon category and I will use this to document my path to the 6 inch ultra late December and then the Australia Day Ultra late January. It will be an interesting journey and a challenging one but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Well this time last week I was asking myself some serious questions as I was about 28k into the Masters marathon and running into a headwind that made me question myself and why I do what I do. My friend Jeff was cycling alongside me but he could see I was in a dark place. As I mentioned in my race report I told myself to hang on for the 32k turn around and the tail wind that was waiting for me.
A week later and I’m still buzzing from the World Masters but at that 28k point it could have turned out so different. I could have given in to my inner demons demanding that I stop or walk or just slow. Their reasoning was sound, I was fatigued with the head wind, slowing pace and I still had 14k to go. It’s at these times in a marathon you have to ‘man up’ (or ‘woman up’ if such a term exists?) , embrace the pain and push on. The rewards are so worth it. Last week I staggered to 32k but as soon as I turned I was a totally different runner. I was caressed home by the tail wind but more importantly my whole mindset had changed. The 10k to go was now no longer a problem but an opportunity to chase down some runners ahead of me, all thoughts of not finishing had evaporated with the head wind, hell, I was going to enjoy the last 10k. (as much as anybody can enjoy the last 10k of a marathon )
No one races a marathon without having at one point (or many points) to argue with your ‘central governor’ which demands they slow or stop. The logic for this is sound but running marathons is not about logic. As Noakes and many coaches preach the human body can run 32k, and is probably designed to run around this distance. The extra 10k is where training and the power of the mind is called upon and if either is lacking you will be found out. No one can finish a marathon and say ‘that was easy and I didn’t really train for it‘, doesn’t happen. They may get to 32k feeling good but trust me the ‘pain train’ is coming if they are not prepared at that point and there is no hiding from it.
The article below from Amby Burfoot from Runners World (2012) is on Noakes and his ‘central governor’ theory. I said in a post before the Masters that although I could not over ride my ‘central governor’ I believed that with experience you can get some leeway and this is enough to allow you to finish strong because your mind knows from experience what to expect. Of course this was marathon number 41 for me so experience has come over a long period of time. It was at the 28k mark last week when my central governor was telling me enough is enough and with his ( or hers, now there’s a theory?) friend ‘fatigue’ was conspiring to protect me by forcing me to slow. This time I was able to persuade ‘myself‘ to get to 32k and reevaluate the situation with a tail wind and a boost you receive when the kilometres to go enters the single figure range. It was enough this time and I finished strong but if I had been faced with a head wind for the last 10k or some serious hills I’m not so sure my central governor would have been so forgiving. As I said in my race report I felt this time I was so close to paying the piper and when I do that will be a very interesting end result and blog post…. let’s hope I’m not faced with that prospect anytime soon.
For the last 40+ years, South African Tim Noakes, M.D., has been among the most iconoclastic of sports scientists. In the 1970s, he and colleagues proved that a veteran marathoner could die from heart disease, refuting the “Bassler hypothesis.” They did this with hard evidence: images of the unlucky marathoner’s heart.
In the 1980s, while everyone else was hyperventilating over dehydration, Noakes practically invented exercise hyponatremia, i.e., “overdrinking,” among endurance athletes. The evidence? Studies of how much runners drank during marathons, particularly their pre-event and post-event weight, and how this affected their plasma sodium levels. Too much drinking lowers sodium levels, and if it goes too far, this can become a life-threatening condition.
For the last decade-plus, Noakes, author of the justly-famous Lore of Running and the soon-to-be-published Waterlogged, has focused his attention on a concept he calls the “central governor.” In Noakes view, the central governor, i.e., the brain, is what limits endurance performance.Take for example the sub-2-hour marathon. We all know that no current marathoner can achieve that mark. But why? For most of the last century, exercise physiologists have given a host of reasons: insufficient leg muscle endurance, too much lactic acid, insufficient vo2 max, insufficient glycogen supply, too much dehydration, and the like. These are all very nice things, because each can be measured.
Noakes believes all these explanations are wrong. He says no one can run a sub-2-hour marathon because, in effect, the brain won’t let us. The marathoner hasn’t been born yet with a sub-2-hour brain, and the body to back it up.
But now Noakes has a problem. When it came to his heart and hyponatremia findings, he had solid evidence to support his position. But where’s the evidence for a central-governor impact on endurance performance? And if a central governor does exist, how do you measure it?
“The Noakes paper has an interesting concept for a role of the brain in fatigue and athletic performance,” notes Henriette van Praag, Ph.D., a reviewer of the paper and an neuroscience investigator at the National Institutes of Health. “It lacks a clear structural/physiological basis within the central nervous system. Thus, empirical evidence for the existence of a ‘governor’ remains to be established.”
In a wonderful new paper in Frontiers in Physiology, Noakes makes little to no attempt to pin down the central governor with a measuring stick, such as the IQ scores often used for intelligence. He does seem to like something called the TEA (the Task Effort and Awareness scale), which he sees as a counterpart to Gunnar Borg’s RPE (Relative Perceived Exertion scale).
But Noakes tells the central-governor story in a narrative form that’s almost, well … almost readable. I’m not saying the paper is easy-going, certainly not for the faint-of-heart. And I’m sure there are vast parts of it that I don’t understand—it appears to have about 150 references, many of them from the last year or two of research.
Still, the quotes from great athletes are always entertaining. Roger Bannister says: “The great barrier is the mental hurdle.” Former marathon world record holder Derek Clayton says: “The difference between my world record and many world class runners is mental fortitude. I ran believing in mind over matter.”
Apparently Noakes does as well. In the provocative last section of his paper, he writes that the “illusionary” symptoms of fatigue are what separates the marathon winner from the runners-up. The first time I read this section, I couldn’t help but think about the people with illusionary thoughts who are often locked up in mental wards. Of course, Noakes isn’t saying that fast runners are crazy. Only that their thoughts are illusionary in the sense that they “are entirely self-generated by each athlete’s brain and so are unique to each individual.”
Noakes closes by quoting Vince Lombardi, who said, “Fatigue makes cowards of us all.” Noakes believes, however, that Lombardi got things backwards. Noakes writes: “My unproven hypothesis is that in the case of a close finish, physiology does not determine who wins. Rather somewhere in the final section of the race, the brains of the second, and lower placed finishers, accept their respective finishing positions and no longer challenge for a higher finish.” The winner’s brain simply doesn’t give in.
In other words, according to Noakes, cowardice produces fatigue.
It seemed I may have spoken to soon when I commended the T-Train on his recovery run the day after he took an almighty beating at the World Masters marathon. Tone had set his sights higher than he actually finished, with good logic as he has been training with me and keeping me honest at the end of our long runs as he always finds an extra gear when he smells the coffee and pancakes. (maybe that was what affected his world masters time, no coffee and pancakes to explode towards in the last 5k. I’ll make sure this is sorted for his next marathon, or maybe not? )
I had noticed that Tony was very quite this week on Strava, which is unlike him. As I mentioned in a previous post there is nothing Tone enjoys more than running a sub 4min/k average 10k the day after a marathon just to fish a reprimand from yours truely. I’m sure he must be smiling to himself on that ‘recovery’ run every time as he imagines the rebuke I will send his way via Strava.
It was later in the week it all became clear. It seems the T-Train had entered a 12hour race the week after the marathon, one I discussed yesterday the Light Horse Ultra, a 3/6/12 hour race around the ‘beaut 2.5k loop.’ So much for taking it easy the 2 weeks after a marathon, the T-Train was going to run over 120km in 12 hours, starting at midnight less than 7 days after racing to a good sub3 at Perth. One word, suicidal. ! To put this in perspective I ran 12k today and was glad to finish. I couldn’t imagine another 10k no matter 110k . In the end Tone managed to run 125km, I wonder if he thought the 2.5km track was a ‘beaut little track when he ran it for the 50th time…?
You would have thought there would only be one person that crazy to attempt a T-Train double in less than a week but no, looking through the results I see the female version, Margie Hadley, went one better than Tone and won the female 12 hour race after also competing last week at the World Masters. Margie managed 120km.
Looking at the photos on Facebook the event looked amazing and I said yesterday you will not find the comradery anywhere else like at an ultra or trail event. If you have never tried one I strongly recommend you put that right and either get into the nearest trail or find the longest ultra you can and run it, albeit slowly and eating and drinking a lot. (As discussed previously I consider an ultra an eating and drinking competition with the running bit a means of getting to the next aid table to eat and drink some more. The first person to get to the finish is the winner, they also get to really dig into the tukka at the end first, another benefit of finishing as quickly as possible)
After being blown away by the runners at the Light Horse Ultra I then saw on Strava my mate Jon had got up at 3am and ran 70km before the kids woke up and then umpired a Tee-ball game. What is happening to WA runners today? Jon has started his training for the Australia Day Ultra when he debuted last year with an impressive 2nd place in the 100k. This race still has entries available so if you’re reading this and fancy a move up to the ultra world this is the one to go for in WA. ( http://australiadayultra.com ) I’m even tempted to enter the 100k myself after I ran the 50k last year.
If you live in WA there is an ultra series you can run, including the two races mentioned above ( http://ultraserieswa.com.au ). Well worth a look and a great way to get into ultras. These events are organised by some awesome runners turned race directors and the time and effort they put into organising these cannot be over stated. These guys rock !
Footnote:- Like going shopping when you’re hungry , blogging about Ultra marathons when you know there is an event you can enter can be fatal. Just followed my advice and entered the Australia Day Ultra, the 100k option. (I did actually enter the 100k last year but dropped down to the 50k after a few bad runs in the heat of a Perth summer.) This year I will be stronger and all that blogging has inspired me. Albeit I did check I could get a full refund before January 7th. You don’t get that at a supermarket after you’ve over spent by about $100 because you were hungry when you were shopping. How good is running ? Of course you’ll be able to follow my progress as I move to three figure racing for the first time, and it’ll be my last race in my forties so seems like a good time to step up to the ultra world.
There are two trains of thought regarding recovering from marathon. Most suggest an easy first week of little or no exercise and then a slow second week, staying away from any speed work. Week three and four are still recovery weeks albeit slightly less so each week. I normally give myself 4 weeks of no racing as a minimum and certainly no speed work for at least two weeks. The second week can sometimes be the most dangerous time as runners are always keen to push the envelope and think they are bullet proof, so add pace before their bodies are ready.
The other train of thought (an apt description) is you just ignore the fact you’ve run a marathon and continue training like it never happened. This is what my good friend Tony ‘T-train’ Smith does on a regular basis and always posts his splits on Strava to wind me up. That was until today when I saw on Strava a very reasonable recovery run at a pedestrian pace, compared to the normal T-train sub-4 minute recovery sprint. I put this down to one of two things. 1. He is starting to listen to me and realises the error of his ways. (unlikely) 2. After finding him in the recovery position next to the bin at the end of the finishing chute yesterday he is still totally suffering from yesterdays beating he took at the hand of the World Masters marathon (likely)… NB. There really isn’t two trains of recovery, there is only one, slow and steady is the only way.
I use to give myself three days off and then start training on Thursday but these days I take the day off after the marathon and then it’s back into it, albeit at a very relaxed pace. I am now a firm believer in running on tired legs (and my legs are seriously tired at the moment!) is good training and as I have discussed before don’t underestimate the good work you could be doing just by getting out there. Thus I can’t wait to get on my compression tights (another good article of clothing to have for these recovery runs) and go for a very relaxed 10k tomorrow morning. With Spring finally sprung over here in Western Australia the mornings are glorious and I’m finding running tracks everywhere. Even this morning while walking from the train station I snapped this photo of what I see as great running track compared to what the general public just see as a bike path. I just can’t wait to get back into it.
This week is all about ‘smelling the roses’ with maybe a small gathering on Sunday for some pancakes and some ‘Masters Marathon debriefing’. As I said before only one thing better than running a marathon is talking about running a marathon, over pancakes and decent coffee of course. Next week is also another easy week , just adding distance if I feel I can. (Very important to listen to your body for the next two weeks). Recovery weeks three and four are similar but maybe the odd steady or tempo run and longer on the weekends but at a slow pace; more time on legs. After four weeks you are generally good to go.
So what next ? The World Masters has been my goal since June this year and now this goal has been achieved it’s time for a few short term goals to keep me honest. The first of these is my favourite off -road trail race the 6 inch ultra marathon, named after it’s big brother the 6-foot which is an event over east in the Blue mountains. ( http://www.sixfoot.com ) The 6 inch was started 12 years ago and has grown from a ‘fat-ass’ free entry race to a 350 runner sell out that it is now. ( http://www.6inchtrailmarathon.com/?page_id=71 You’ll recognise the athlete bearded runner in the link.) This will be my 7th year of running it and it is always a challenge given the terrain, the elevation and the heat. It is another special WA event though and, as the last run of the year, very sociable, it’s like a private party where the entry is a 48k pre-party run.
Finally an article from coach Jeff from Runners Connect gives you a few pointers about recovery. Funnily enough doesn’t mention the T-trains ‘train like it never happened approach’.
Recovering from a marathon is a critical component to a perfect training plan that runners often neglect.
Unfortunately, if you don’t properly recover from your marathon, you’ll increase your injury risk, increase the total marathon recovery time, and limit your long-term potential – making it harder to break your PR and stay healthy.
As a running coach, I’ve heard all the arguments from athletes wanting to jump back into training or racing immediately after their race.
More often than not, runners who do not follow a proper post marathon recovery plan find their subsequent performances stagnating or they suffer from overtraining symptoms.
Today, we are going to give you the best ways to recover from a marathon; this article will outline the science behind post marathon fatigue, so you can feel comfortable knowing you’re preparing your body for optimal performance down the road.
Then, I am going to provide you with an optimal post marathon recovery plan to help get you back to running your best as soon as possible.
Marathon recovery is critical and often overlooked. This article will provide you with the ultimate marathon recovery plan and the time it takes to get backWhat Happens To My Body When I Run A Marathon?
Marathons are tough on the body – there’s no way to sugar coat this fact.
Muscles, hormones, tendons, cells, and almost every physiological system is pushed to the max during a marathon race.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a Boston qualifier or it’s your first marathon, 26.2 miles is 26.2 miles and your body has undergone tremendous physical duress, let alone the stress you have put on your body running according to your marathon training schedule.
Here is a list of some of the scientifically measured physiological systems that are most effected after a marathon and how long each takes to fully repair.
Skeletal Muscle
Muscles soreness and fatigue are the most obvious case of damage caused by running the marathon distance.
One scientific study conducted on the calf muscles of marathon runners concluded that both the intensive training for, and the marathon itself, induce inflammation and muscle fiber necrosis that significantly impaired muscle power and durability for up the 14 days post marathon.
Accordingly, it will take your muscles about 2 weeks post marathon to return to full strength.
Cellular damage
Cellular damage post marathon, which includes oxidative damage, increased production of creatinine kinase (CK) – a marker that indicates damage to skeletal and myocardial tissue, and increased myoglobin levels in the blood stream (which often results in blood being present in urine).
One study concluded that CK damage persisted more than 7 days post marathon while another study confirmed the presence of myoglobin in the bloodstream post marathon for 3-4 days post race.
Both of these studies clearly indicate that the body needs at least 7-10 days of rest post marathon to fully recover from the cellular damage caused during the race.
These markers, along with a suppressed immune system, which is discussed below, is the primary reason that the optimal marathon recovery schedule avoids cross training the first 2-3 days.
Immune system
Post marathon, the immune system is severely compromised, which increases the risk of contracting colds and the flu.
Furthermore, a suppressed immune system is one of the major causes of overtraining. A recent study confirms that the immune system is compromised up to three days post marathon and is a major factor in overtraining syndrome.
Therefore, it is critical that you rest as much as possible in the three days following a marathon and focus on eating healthy and nutrient rich foods.
The research clearly indicates that the marathon induces significant muscle, cellular, and immune system damage for 3-14 days post race.
Therefore, it is essential that all marathon runners have a 2-3 week marathon recovery protocol that focuses on rest and rejuvenation of these physiological systems.
How To Recover After Running a Marathon
We’re going to outline a nutrition, rehab, cross training, and running plan for the 3 weeks after a marathon. This rehab plan is guaranteed to help you recover faster and return to training as quickly as possible.Immediately post race
The immediate post race recovery protocol can be a little difficult to plan ahead of time, so I wouldn’t stress about it pre-race.
Focus your energy on pre-race nutrition and race strategy. These notes are simply to give you some guidance after the race.
After you cross the finish line, try to get something warm and get to your clothes. You’ll probably get cold very quickly, and while it won’t help you recover, getting warm will sure make you feel a lot better.
Try to find something to eat. Bananas, energy bars, sports drinks, fruit, and bagels are all good options.
Many marathoners can’t eat soon after finishing, so grab a handful of items and make your way to friends and family.
When you get back to the hotel room, you should consider an ice bath.
Fill the tub with ice and cold water and submerge your lower body for 15 minutes. You don’t need the water too cold, 55 degrees is optimal, but anything colder than 65 degrees will do.
After your ice bath, you can take a nap or walk around to try and loosen the legs.
At this point, you’ve done about all you can do for the day. Relax and relish in your accomplishment.Days 1-3
Running: None
Cross Training: none
Recovery Tips and tricks:
Soak in a hot tub for 10-15 and stretch well afterwards.
Each lots of fruits, carbohydrates, and protein. The Carbs and protein will help repair the muscle damage while the fruits will give you a boost of vitamin C and antioxidants to help combat free radical damage and boost your immune system.
Light massage will help loosen your muscles. Don’t schedule a deep tissue massage yet, just a gentle effleurage massage or a light rolling with the stick.
Days 4-7
Running: One day, 2-4 miles very easy
Cross Training: Optional – Two days, 30-40 minutes easy effort. The focus is on promoting blood flow to the legs, not building fitness.
Recovery Tips and Tricks:
Continue eating a healthy diet
Now is the time you can get a deep tissue massage if you have areas that are really bothering you or that are injured.
Contrast bath your lower body. To contrast bath, take large trash cans and fill one with hot (hot bath temp) water and the other with ice water (cold enough so some ice still doesn’t melt) and put your whole lower body into the cold. Hold for 5 minutes and then switch to the hot for 5 mins. Repeat 2 or 3 times, ending with cold. This helps rush blood in and out of the area, which facilitates healing.
Epsom Salt Bath. About an hour before bed, massage your legs out with the stick or self massage and then soak in a hot/warm bath with 3 cups epsom salt and 1 cup baking soda for 10-15 minutes. After the soak, stretch real well and relax. This always perks up my legs quite a bit and you’ll also sleep great.
Days 7-14
Running: Three or four days of 4-6 miles very easy.
Cross Training: Optional – Three sessions total. One easy session and two medium effort sessions for 30-45 minutes.
Days 14-21
Running: Begin to slowly build back into full training. My suggestion is four to five runs of 4-8 miles with 4 x 20 sec strides after each run.
Cross Training: 1 easy session, 1 medium session, and 1 hard session of 40-50 minutes.
Don’t worry about losing any running fitness during this recovery period.
First, it’s much more important to ensure proper recovery so you can train even harder during your next training cycle.
If you don’t let yourself recover now, you’ll simply have to back off your workouts when it matters and put yourself on the verge of overtraining.
Likewise, you won’t lose much fitness at all.
In my experience, it takes about 2-3 weeks of training to get back into good shape and ready to start attacking workouts and planning races.
Try not to schedule any races until 6 weeks after your marathon.
I know you may want to avenge a disappointing performance or you’ll be coming off a running high and you’ll want to run every race under the sun.
However, your results won’t be as good as they might be if you just wait a few weeks and let your body recover and train a little first.
Patience is a virtue, but it will pay off in the end.
Well what a day. I am sitting here with a cup of tea and a few chocolate biscuits as this post could take all night. This has to rank as one of my best ever days running as it was just such a great event with great friends, great support and pretty good conditions. It really was everything running a marathon should be. There were times when you felt you could run forever, times when you just wanted to walk and give the whole thing away and of course the runners high when you realise you are going to achieve all your goals when you have asked yourself some tough questions and answered them all.
I know this sounds pretty dramatic but ask everybody who finished today and they all have their stories containing questions that had to be asked, time in the pain box, mental battles with fatigue and generally we all come out better at the other end. Funny thing now is I can only really remember the good things, like the last 10k with a tail wind and legs that had something left for the run home, finishing strong and getting a sub 2:45 time, 7th overall finish and 2nd in my age group. The feeling of running down runners who are far quicker then me (albeit they were probably injured.) and the relief when you see the finishing chute finally. Man, running gives you so much on days like these.
First of all lets break the race down into manageable chunks. With all marathons I’m a big believer in the first 21k is really where you should be relaxed and if you start to question yourself before halfway you are in for a world of pain. Proper training and a realistic goal should make the first 21k hard but achievable. Today was different. I had been second guessing myself since the Rottnest half. The week on Rotto’ after the half was probably not the most ideal training and although I ran twice a day I was certainly fatigued. This manifested in a good Masters 5k but not the PB I was hoping for. Thus the seed of ‘self doubt‘ was planted and then along came his partner in crime ‘weight gain‘ when I weighed myself yesterday and found to my horror I was 2kg heavier than 3 weeks ago. (I remarked to my Wife Karen in Yelo Saturday morning, while eating a chocolate and banana muffin, I had ‘let myself go‘, to her amusement !) Thus for the first 21k I was certainly running quicker than I should have really , given the conditions, but knew I was running in 3rd place in the age group so this is where I needed to be.
So as the course is a two lap course we started the second lap into a head wind which I knew would be my partner until the 32k mark and the last turnaround before the run for home. This was a double whammy as I felt this was not going to be my day and could feel myself thinking about all the (wrong) reasons to justify a slower second half. When I started to do the maths, adding on 1:30 for the second half, I knew I was in trouble. I managed to struggle to the narrows bridge and into the head wind from hell (I am assuming in hell you would probably be faced with a head wind as I suspect Lucifer is the sort of demon who would find that amusing. I, of course, will never find out as we all know BK will one day be God’s training partner.)
I digress. My mate Jeff managed to catch up with me at 28k (on his bike) when I was at my worst, slowing down and thinking of so many reasons that I could justify stopping. This is what running a marathon is all about. These times when you ask yourself some really hard questions, give yourself the easy way out and then decide to get back in the pain box and shut the door behind you. I reached a decision to get to 32k and introduce myself to the tail wind I knew was waiting for me.
32k, as already discussed, the ‘death zone’ for runners. If you are going to have a bad day it will normally start around this distance. Training, character, nutrition, fuel all get you so far, at 32k it’s time for the mental part of marathon running to take over. This is what running marathons is all about, the last 10k. As I have already discussed this is where the Noakes ‘Governor’ kicks in and the mind works with his old friend ‘fatigue’ to slow you down. (Commonly known as ‘hitting the wall‘) Surprisingly this time I had managed to convince myself that if I could get to 32k the tail wind would ‘caress’ me home. This was all I needed, instantly with a tail wind I was reinvigorated and knew the last 10k would be challenging but do-able. My race was saved. This proved to be the way it panned out and I even managed to move from 3rd to 2nd in my age group and catch a WA running legend Todd Ingraham , albeit an injured Todd Ingraham. Finished 7th overall, 2nd in my age group and even part of the Australian team who won gold as our combined times was nearly 2 hours quicker that the British who were second.
So what did I learn about today. When you race a marathon it never gets any easier. I certainly had to dig deep, real deep, to pull this one out of the fire. The City to Surf and Perth earlier in the year were both a lot more pleasant, I won’t say easier. I went out too hard and ‘trusted my training’ to get me home in one piece and with the help of the tail wind I got the job done. For marathon number 41 I may have once more managed to avoid ‘paying the piper‘ but this time he was close, real close.
Other highlights of the day. The support on the course was just amazing. I tend to keep my head down and try and zone out during a marathon so if it looked like I ignored you, believe me I didn’t. Every shout of ‘go bk’ was registered and helped, trust me. Of course I must mention Tom Millard and his family for the ‘Run BK Run’ sign at South Perth, that made my day and I certainly made a big effort not to let them down as I passed. Thanks guys.
Myself, Mike and Mark stayed around for the awards ceremony which actually took longer than the marathon but was worth hanging around for just to be inspired by the runners taking the stage. We learnt a lot from the national anthems and specifically Chile has the longest national anthem in the world. Hearing it for the first time we all assumed the recording was stuck as it seemed to go for ever. Imagine our amusement when about 10 minutes later it was played again. Those Chileans love their national anthem, and why wouldn’t you when it starts sounding like a Mozart tune and ends up more like Justine Bieber. We were also concerned for the two oldest Japanese runners who took to the stage when the wind was virtually at typhoon stage each holding large Japanese flags. At one point I was convinced we were going to lose them in a scene reminiscent of the opening scene of the Wizard of Oz !
My training posse also preformed admirably with Damien and the two Marks grabbing silver in their age group as the second fastest 35-40 age group team ‘in the world’. Well done lads. Mark C. also threw in a 29 minute PB , bringing his marathon time down from 3:33 to 3:04. I can’t take all the credit , the City beach pancakes and a ‘speed beard’ would have also contributed to this biblical PB. If he keeps repeating this feat he’ll be the first man to run sub 2 hours at the City to Surf in August next year. Now that would be worthing blogging about !
Finally a big thank you to the West Australian Marathon Club ( http://www.wamc.org.au ) and the army of volunteers. An outstanding job and it sounds like this could be the last time the World Masters holds the marathon as part of the bi-annual games, which is a pity but what a way to go out.
Right I may treat myself to another cup of tea…….
Everybody has their own routines a day before a marathon. Mine is to growl at the kids and generally mope around the house complaining. Actually my family would probably say that is similar to everyday in my household as most weekends I’m either racing or thinking about racing, by running a lot.
So 24 hours to go and it’s all about finishing off the carboloading (day three), arranging logistics to get to the event (normally means me driving, thanks lads ?) and mentally preparing yourself for the big day. Let’s start with finishing off the carboloading. By day three of a successful carboloading campaign you’re normally quite sick of the sight of carbohydrates in all forms. My go-to favourite, honey on wholemeal toast, does test you as you prepare it for the 6th time in 3 days. I reckon Winnie the Pooh would be over it by now, though looking at the size of Master Pooh I would suggest he could be a good fit for an ultra runner, more distance than speed; honey fuelled of course.
Important to stay hydrated of course so lots of fluid with electrolytes added in preparation for then heat tomorrow. The meal tonight shouldn’t be too large, big meal I find is better 48 hours out. I try for a small meal tonight, small portion of pasta and a couple of slices of garlic bread. I found this by trial and error and on two occasions when I have over eaten the night before a marathon I’ve paid the price. I think on both occasions I was trying to make up for lack of training. Not sure about my logic, not fully trained, solution, eat as much pasta as you possibly can the night before, ‘she’ll be right’. On both occasion she certainly wasn’t right.
Logistics is next. I’m driving , for a change, and have Mike and Mark scheduled to turn up at 5am. Twenty minute drive to the start. (it’ll be quiet at 5am on a Sunday morning, strange that?) , twenty minutes socialising, 5 minute toilet stop, 10 minute warm up and 5 minutes for ‘stuff’… what could go wrong ?
Finally mental preparation. This should have started earlier in the week really. Talk yourself up, trust in your training, hay in the barn, you can do no more etc. etc. Whatever it takes to get yourself in marathon mode. I’m a big ‘trust in your training‘ and drawing on experience man myself but each runner has their own ‘go to’ place for motivation. This will be marathon number 41 so I know what to expect and I’m coming off a great block of training and racing. This will mitigate any risk but the marathon is not one to follow the rules and I’m always prepared to any curve balls that will come my way. Remember the three goals, each one slightly less ‘exciting’ than the last but as long as you hit one of them the day will be considered a success.
Don’t worry too much about sleep tonight, if you get some great but really last night, and all week really , was the time to catch up on sleep. This is hit and miss with me. I sometimes feel if I sleep too well I’m not worried enough about the race and this can be a good or bad thing. I’m really not helping much in this post am I ?
Now it’s all about getting to the start line coiled like a cobra about to strike. Remember this is why we do what we do, enjoy the day and I recommend pancakes, and lots of them, afterwards. (Use this a mental go-to place if you struggle later in the race, have that one on me.)
I normally run only on Tuesday and Thursday the week of a marathon. Tuesday I ran lunchtime but due to a heavy work load (on marathon week, how does that happen?) I needed to run Thursday morning pre-work. I set my alarm for 5am but was far too excited after so little running and woke at 4:15am. After contemplating going back to sleep I decided the best cause of action was to go for a run. Actually when prompted this is my go-to call, go for a run. ! So off I set around 4:30am into my old favourite 10k that I have now run 167 times (thanks Strava).
Being the second run this week (and it’s Thursday, when I would normally be on run 7 for the week) my legs felt heavy but this is to be expected at this stage of the taper week. It is normally around this time of the taper period you experience ‘niggles‘ , you’ll find you can just about finish your run and convince yourself you are about to have a major meltdown. I read on a tri-website that these niggles are just your body recovering but they don’t feel like that I can tell you. Fortunately this morning I was ‘niggle’ free, which should probably worry me.
Reading the article below by Isaac Walker it reiterates several points I have already mentioned in previous posts. Hay in the barn , trust your training etc. all common sense advice but worth a second read, if nothing else to put your mind at ease. Taper time is a testing time at best, helped only by the extra ‘tukka’ on offer for the last 3 days. (just before my old friend ‘weight gain‘ comes a calling…)
Must admit I’m tempted to sneak out tomorrow morning because it will be glorious and I hate missing glorious mornings. I must be strong, the right thing to do is lay in bed and relax but the call of old faithful, my favourite 10k, may be too much.
9 Ways to Deal With the Big Event Taper Blues By Isaac Walker
Sixteen weeks. Four months. One hundred and twelve days of early mornings, sore legs, injury worries, emotional highs and lows, and long hard weekend runs. And now you are supposed to ease right back on the throttle and cut your training. By a lot. You start to get moody. You have so much energy you feel like you are going to jump out of your skin. Your partner has had enough of your complaining. You think every little ache, sniffle and niggle is a catastrophic event-cancelling injury or illness. You start feeling sluggish and lazy. It sounds like you are going through what many runners experience leading up to a big event – the ‘taper blues’.
Tapering (for most) is a critical part of training plans. Whether you taper two days prior to a 5km road race or three weeks or more for an ultra distance, you are basically performing the same function. After stressing our bodies for so long the taper is there to let us heal and recover to a point where we can then operate the most efficiently and to our maximum ability on race day.
There are many differing views on tapering out there. My advice is simple – the shorter the distance the shorter your taper. The longer the distance the longer you taper. Reason being shorter and sharper training sessions will usually take a lot less time to recover from than long hard distance runs. Long runs beat your body up and you need that extra taper time to recover.
So the symptoms of the ‘taper blues’ usually kick in after a week or so of taper and are usually associated with longer distance events. If you have never had them before they can be quite discouraging and even a little scary. So here are a few tips and general points to help you pull through the taper blues and onto race day.
1. The taper blues are completely normal! You are probably not getting sick. You most likely do not have an injury that has decided to rear it’s ugly head one week prior to your big day. And yes, your other half is getting annoyed with your grouchy mood. Accept you are a little down then address it. Remember you are not alone. Chat with friends doing the same event or others who have been through this taper nonsense before.
2. Look back on what you have done. And be proud. One of the reasons we get taper blues is regret for what hasn’t been done. Think of the countless hours of training, early mornings and/or late nights and all the other strings that come along with training for a longer distance event. That is an achievement right there, regardless of what comes next.
3. Evaluate. Go back over your training and write down all the positives. All the things you enjoyed about your training. Then also write the negatives down and the things that may have not gone so well. These are the things to keep in mind and perhaps improve in your next training programme.
4. More events? It is a little crazy but many of us use the taper time to plan more events after the one we are tapering for! You don’t have much time to wallow in taper blues when you’re busy getting excited about your next goal. If you don’t have an event in mind then plan for something else. A personal fitness goal. A family holiday. Home renovations. Anything you can do to keep your brain ticking over and stimulated.
5. Taper means taper! You may be tempted to go out and get one last long run under your belt or smash out a hard tempo track session. You might be fine but my advice is once your taper period has begun, it is exactly that – taper time. Plus, this won’t rid you of your taper blues anyway. This means sticking to your plan and not being tempted to go out and possibly undermine some of the training you have done by adding fatigue to your system this close to your big event.
6. Active recovery more than ever. Taper time is a perfect opportunity to fit in more active recovery. Playing with your kids, massage, walking, swimming, stretching, rolling on your foam roller – anything that keeps you moving can be very beneficial. Don’t feel guilty for not going hard, that just leads to more taper blues. Enjoy the easy, liberated movement your fit trim body is allowing you.
7. The hay is in the barn and there is nothing much else you can do to enhance your training. You can however undermine your training by not tapering efficiently. So rest! Chill out! Make up some of those hours with the family and friends that you used for training. Spending time with loved ones will also help ease some of the tensions and stress prior to an event.
8. Last minute checks. Most people will have their nutrition and game plan locked down by now. It is a good time to run over everything and double check you have all your supplies ready to go. The last thing you want is to discover the night prior to your event that you left your favourite pair of socks in the washing basket.
9. Visualisation techniques. Visualisation can be a very good way to prepare your mind for an event and propel you out of your taper blues. Picture yourself standing at the race start. Imagine how you feel. Put yourself in a bad situation during the race and visualise how you would like to react to that situation. Place yourself being surrounded by your friends and family cheering you on as you come towards the finish line. Visualising these situations will help you prepare your mind for dealing with them in real life.
Big day tomorrow, I start to try and eat 700g of carbohydrates for three days on the trot. This in itself is a bit of a marathon as for the next three days you feel if you’re not eating something or drinking something you’re doing something wrong. I explained my strategy in a post earlier in the week and the Australian Institute of Sport has a similar outlook. Lots of toast with honey, orange juice and pasta. Repeat for three days while also consuming as much water as my bladder can handle, and then a bit more !
This can lead to weight gain apparently (no kidding!) but allegedly the benefit outweighs the negatives. (one of which is looking like Jabba the Hutt as already discussed!) The weight gain is mostly water retention so don’t be too afraid of a few extra pounds. As you tuck into your 4th round of toast for the day just think positive thoughts, carboloading done right is good for 3-5 minutes I reckon.
Points to note of course is you need to avoid too much high fat and sugar if possible, just low fat and carbohydrates. Protein is still ok as it will help with muscle recovery and everybody loves protein. Not sure where the go-to meal for runners, the humble muffin, fits into this diet but we can always find an excuse to scoff down a muffin.
So far this week I am feeling remarkably relaxed which is a two edged sword as I feel you should be nervous as this will focus the mind on the challenge ahead. Too relaxed and you won’t be focused enough. I’ll try and get nervous tomorrow, I’ll make a mental note to self to get nervous.
I’ve tried to avoid thinking about the heat but mentally have already written off a PB run due too the predicted temperature. Of course on the day I will re-evaluate but currently I’ll be aiming for position first and time second. When I say position I am targeting top 3 for my age group and/or top 3 Australian (age group) to go with my 2nd fastest Australian in the 5k last weekend. It will be difficult to see who I’m racing against on the day as I’m assuming all the race bibs will be similar ? In the end you run what you run and we’ll see how the cards fall, most important piece of advice is to run your own race.
Over the next few days it’s time to dial in a pace to hit your target finish time. This is your first goal. Next it’s time to dial in ‘plan b’, if you can’t make your target what would be your next target time, finally ‘plan c‘, this could be as simple as finish ! I’ve mentioned the different goals before and if nothing else they keep you busy over the remainder of the race, and it’s always nice to achieve your goal, no matter what it ends up being.
So one last article on carboloading from my main man on just about anything running, Matt Fitzgerald. ( http://mattfitzgerald.org ) It seems you have 3 options. The good old fashioned 3 day binge (my favourite), or the Western Australian 3 minute of VO2 max exercise and then binge the day before (risky) or ignore the whole thing and eat carbs on the run using Carboshotz etc..
No one said this running lark was easy….
You aren’t still putting yourself through a depletion phase, are you?
The practice of carbo-loading dates back to the late 1960s. The first carbo-loading protocol was developed by a Swedish physiologist named Gunvar Ahlborg after he discovered a positive relationship between the amount of glycogen (carbs stored in the muscles and liver) in the body and endurance performance. Scientists and runners had already known for some time that eating a high-carbohydrate diet in the days preceding a long race enhances performance, but no one knew exactly why until Ahlborg’s team zeroed in on the glycogen connection.
Subsequently, Ahlborg discovered that the muscles and liver are able to store above-normal amounts of glycogen when high levels of carbohydrate consumption are preceded by severe glycogen depletion. The most obvious way to deplete the muscles of glycogen is to eat extremely small amounts of carbohydrate. A second way is to engage in exhaustive exercise. The stress of severe glycogen depletion triggers an adaptive response by which the body reduces the amount of dietary carbohydrate that it converts to fat and stores, and increases the amount of carbohydrate that it stores in the liver and muscles as glycogen. Ahlborg referred to this phenomenon as glycogen supercompensation.
Armed with this knowledge, he was able to create a more sophisticated carbo-loading protocol than the primitive existing method, which was, more or less, eating a big bowl of spaghetti.
Ahlborg came up with a seven-day carbo-loading plan in which an exhaustive bout of exercise was followed by three or four days of extremely low carbohydrate intake (10 percent of total calories) and then three or four days of extremely high carbohydrate intake (90 percent of total calories). Trained athletes who used this protocol in an experiment were able to nearly double their glycogen stores and exhibited significantly greater endurance in exercise lasting longer than 90 minutes.
After these results were published, endurance athletes across the globe began to use Ahlborg’s carbo-loading plan prior to events anticipated to last 90 minutes or longer. While it worked admirably, it had its share of drawbacks. First of all, many athletes weren’t keen on performing an exhaustive workout just a week before a big race, as the plan required.
Second, maintaining a 10 percent carbohydrate diet for three or four days carried some nasty consequences including lethargy, cravings, irritability, lack of concentration, and increased susceptibility to illness. Many runners and other athletes found it just wasn’t worth it.
Fortunately, later research showed that you can increase glycogen storage significantly without first depleting it. A newer carbo-loading protocol based on this research calls for athletes to eat a normal diet of 55 to 60 percent carbohydrate until three days before racing, and then switch to a 70 percent carbohydrate diet for the final three days, plus race morning.
As for exercise, this tamer carbo-loading method suggests one last longer workout (but not an exhaustive workout) done a week from race day followed by increasingly shorter workouts throughout race week. It’s simple, it’s non-excruciating, and it works. Admittedly, some scientists and athletes still swear that the Ahlborg protocol is more effective, but if it is, the difference is slight and probably not worth the suffering and inherent risks.
Note that you should increase your carbohydrate intake not by increasing your total caloric intake, but rather by reducing fat and protein intake in an amount that equals or slightly exceeds the amount of carbohydrate you add. Combining less training with more total calories could result in last-minute weight gain that will only slow you down. Be aware, too, that for every gram of carbohydrate the body stores, it also stores 3 to 5 grams of water, which leads many athletes to feel bloated by the end of a three-day loading period. The water weight will be long gone by the time you finish your race, however.
A friendlier carbo-loading strategy was devised in 2002 by scientists at the University of Western Australia. It combines depletion and loading and condenses them into a one-day time frame. The creators of this innovative protocol recognized that a single, short workout performed at extremely high intensity creates a powerful demand for glycogen storage in both the slow-twitch and fast-twitch fibers of the muscles.The researchers hypothesized that following such a workout with heavy carbohydrate intake could result in a high level of glycogen supercompensation without a lot of fuss. In an experiment, the researchers asked athletes to perform a short-duration, high-intensity workout consisting of two and a half minutes at 130 percent of VO2max (about one-mile race pace) followed by a 30-second sprint. During the next 24 hours, the athletes consumed 12 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of lean muscle mass. This resulted in a 90 percent increase in muscle glycogen storage.
Runners have cause to be very pleased by these findings. Doing just a few minutes of high-intensity exercise the day before a competition will not sabotage tomorrow’s performance, yet it will suffice to stimulate the desirable carbohydrate “sponging” effect that was sought in the original Ahlborg protocol. This allows the athlete to maintain a normal diet right up until the day before competition and then load in the final 24 hours.
The Western Australia carbo-loading strategy works best if preceded by a proper taper — that is, by several days of reduced training whose purpose is to render your body rested, regenerated, and race-ready. In fact, several days of reduced training combined with your normal diet will substantially increase your glycogen storage level even before the final day’s workout and carbohydrate binge. When you exercise vigorously almost every day, your body never gets a chance to fully replenish its glycogen stores before the next workout reduces them again. Only after 48 hours of very light training or complete rest are your glycogen levels fully compensated. Then the Western Australia carbo-loading regimen can be used to achieve glycogen supercompensation.
An even newer carbo-loading protocol calls for athletes to eat a normal diet of 55 to 60 percent carbohydrate until three days before racing, and then switch to a 70 percent carbohydrate diet for the final three days, plus race morning. As for exercise, this friendliest carbo-loading method suggests one last longer workout (but not an exhaustive workout) done a week from race day followed by increasingly shorter workouts throughout race week.
Having said all of this, I would like to note finally that carbo-loading in general has been shown to enhance race performance only when athletes consume little or no carbohydrate during the race itself. If you do use a sports drink or sports gels to fuel your race effort — as you should — prior carbo-loading probably will have no effect. But it doesn’t hurt to do it anyway, as insurance.
Day three of the final week is normally when ‘self doubt’ rears its ugly head. By now you’ve had a light previous week and the odd day off and suddenly you start to feel flat. You’ve not been running as much as normal and all that free time plays on your mind. Runners are normally pessimistic people and any excuse to question themselves is normally embraced. Taper time gives runners too much idle time and rather than use this time for good they ‘worry’, a lot ! I’m as bad as the next runner and even with all my experience I question myself. I’ve posted so many times about ‘trust your training’ but typing the phase is a lot easier than living it.
To get over this ‘self doubt’ continually remind yourself of your previous training block distances and all the work you’ve put in over the last few months. The ‘hay is in the barn‘ so to speak and you’ve worked damn hard to put it there. As I have mentioned numerous times running is an honest sport and if you’ve put in the time you will be rewarded on race day.
Running marathons is a large part mental, especially after 32k, so you need to start to prepare yourself for the challenge ahead. Self doubt has no part to play nearer race day and certainly on the start line you need to be ‘bursting’ with confidence. Please note ‘bursting with confidence’ does not then mean running a 5k PB for the first 5k of the marathon like my good friend Jon recently did at the Geraldton Marathon and then had a walk break to recover. This coming from a man who has run over 40 marathons ! Even he couldn’t explain his enthusiasm on the day. Another friend of mine, also called Jon funnily enough, insists on running his fastest few kilometers in a marathon at the start and is often in the lead at the 500m mark. I would certainly not recommend this practice.
Another way to contain self doubt is to play back all the positive experiences you’ve had from previous races. (I’m assuming you’ve had some positive experiences, if not then they will come, trust me.) Also look at your training for the race and take confidence from the work you’ve put in. For the World Masters marathon I’ve certainly trained harder than I have ever trained before and been rewarded with PB’s and good times in a number of lead up races. This is another way to fight off self doubt, lead up races at shorter distances. The World Masters will be my 5th race in 6 weeks and although I probably wouldn’t recommend that many for all runners it does give me a good base for positive thinking. (assuming they all went well of course) I have highlighted racing before as a great way to break the monotony of training (sometimes it’s monotonous ?) and also as a way to boost confidence. You never work as hard as when you have a racing bib on your chest, or timing chip on your shoe. (or for my local club both!)
So to sum up todays post on my old friend ‘self doubt’ , trust in your training, take confidence from your training block and start to prepare yourself mentally for success. On race day you want to be standing on that start line ready to ‘explode‘ into action and for the last 10k you want to changing gear from 5th into 6th and accelerating into the finish. I can’t emphasis enough how important your mental preparation will be at the start and when you really need it at 32k onwards. Noakes talked about the ‘central governer’ and I have attached an articel from my old favourite Runners Connect by coach Jeff explaining this. It is worth a read as this will be invaluable at 32k when you start to feel fatigued. Think back to this article and it may be enough to get you over the line.
‘Bye bye ‘self doubt’, hello ‘over confident’……?
As runners, we spend countless hours focused on the physiological aspects of training – VO2max, threshold, aerobic development, etc. And for good reason. There is no doubt that improving these biological systems will help you run faster.
However, when it comes to racing, are physiological limitations all that matter or is there a mental component involved as well? What role does the brain play in our attempt to race as fast as possible?
According to exercise scientist Dr. Tim Noakes and a growing number of colleagues, the brain may play a more important role in race potential than runners have typically considered. Noakes’s hypothesis suggests that the brain acts as a central governor when racing, limiting our ability to push beyond perceived fatigue to ensure self-preservation.
In this article, we’ll look at the central governor theory in more depth, explore why it matters to those racing for personal bests, and outline some specific strategies you can use to overcome your own central governor.
What is the central governor theory?
In short, the central governor theory is based around the premise that the brain will override your physical ability to run and “shut the body down” before you’re able to do serious or permanent damage to yourself.
Noakes believes that the point in the race when you think you’ve given everything you’ve got is actually a signal or response from the brain to slow down to preserve health, rather than a physiological reality. In actuality, Noakes believes you have more to give physically when this happens.
Runners experience this during almost every race they run. At mile 8 of a half marathon, goal race pace is extremely difficult and the thought of running faster, even for just a minute, seems impossible. Yet, when you get within 400 meters of the finish, you’re somehow able to summon a kick that finds you running minutes per mile faster than goal pace.
Once your brain realizes it won’t die if you pick up the pace (because the finish line is close) it opens the biological pathways to run faster.
That’s not to say that the physiological demands of a race aren’t real. Rather, the central governor theory posits that racing is a balance between: (1) physical preparation and biological systems; (2) emotional components, such as motivation and pain tolerance; (3) and self-preservation. The exact combination of these factors is what leads to how hard you’re able to push during a race.
Why does it matter? Does this mean you don’t have to train?
Perhaps the biggest misconception of the central governor theory is that if we could just teach ourselves to push harder or somehow turn off this central governor of the brain, that we could run faster. However, as mentioned above, racing is a combination of three important components: physical, emotional, and mental.
As an example, if you asked an Olympic-caliber runner to run a 7-minute mile, they would do so easily and be able to carry that pace on for 26 miles or more with little effort. Ask a four-hour marathoner to run a 7 minute mile and it will be an all-out effort they can only maintain for a mile. The physiological differences between these two runners means that even if the central governor was turned off, the four-hour marathoner couldn’t run with the Olympic-caliber runner. That’s pretty obvious.
However, if that same four-hour marathoner can learn to push the boundaries of their central governor, perhaps by adding motivation, like a Boston qualifier, or improving their mental fortitude, then they can tap into this extra performance reserve.
How to overcome the central governor
So how do you do that? How do you push the boundaries of your central governor? While you can’t completely overcome the central governor, you can improve your ability to tolerate physical discomfort and prepare your mind for the physical demands you plan to place in it.
Workouts
The problem many runners face is that the experience of trying to push themselves beyond their comfort zone when their mind is telling them it can’t go faster only occurs on race day.
Typical interval workouts and tempo runs are performed at a consistent pace and the recovery between repeats allows you to recover to a state that is very unlike the corresponding point in a race. During workouts, you simply get to a certain fatigue level and then stop pushing.
This is great for building your physiological systems, but does nothing to teach you how to push the central governor and prove to your brain that you can in fact run faster, despite how bad you might feel.
One workout that trains this specific aspect of racing is called a hammer interval session. Succinctly, a hammer interval session is traditional interval workout except that on the third or second to last interval, you break from your goal pace and simply focus on running that specific repeat as fast as you can – hammering it. An example hammer workout for a 5k runner might look like: 8 x 800 meters at 3k to 5K race pace w/2mins rest, hammer (run as fast as you can) interval numbers 4 and number 7. Maintain the 2-minute rest after each hammer and do your best to get back onto 5k pace after each hammer.
The specific pace of the hammer repeat isn’t the important part of this workout. Rather, it’s the ability to chip away at the mental constraints late in a workout or race that tell you that you can’t go any faster.
Mental training and visualization
Running a PR is tough! No matter how well rested or prepared the body is, racing hurts. If you toe the starting line thinking that somehow you’re going to feel good or that pushing during the last miles is going to be easy, then you’ve already set yourself up to let the brain override your physical abilities.
Prepare yourself mentally. Don’t head into a race telling yourself that somehow this race is going to be different. Be prepared for it to hurt, but remember that you’ve trained yourself to push through this exact situation. Visualize the race during your training runs or while meditating and picture yourself hitting that point in the race when your body starts to hurt. Recall those feelings from your last race or hard workout and then visualize yourself pushing through that moment. By preparing yourself mentally, you’ll be ready to face the realities of the race.
Pacing
Finally, work to improve your sense of pace. Pacing is one of the ways the brain self-regulates the central governor. The brain “anticipates” all the known variables of a race – distance, topography, temperature, etc. – and then calculates an optimal pace that will get you to the finish without dying.
When you deviate significantly from your optimal physiological pace, the brain reacts by reducing the level of muscle activation in order to force you to slow down. By going out too fast during a race, you kick in the central governor early and even elicit physiological changes by the brain designed to slow you down.
Armed with this new understanding of the central governor theory and how the brain impacts your ability to race, implement these three simply strategies into your training plan and start to push yourself harder than you think you can.
