This weekend I yet again ran a 5k the wrong way. Exploding out of the start like a rocket and hanging with the leaders for the first kilometre is always going to end badly and I was not disappointed. It quickly became an exercise in damage limitation and the final result was acceptable but with a caveat that I could have done better. I blame my training buddy Mark Lee who is probably on a par with me with the fast starts and after the first kilometre we were both set adrift as the ‘proper’ 5k runners (I say ‘proper’ by that I mean young and ‘full of beans’.) accelerated away.

Myself and Mark then maintained a gradual decline before both collapsing over the line, well I collapsed and I’m assuming Mark was probably in the same boat. Position wise a 5^th place finish, beaten by runners I would expect to be beaten by at this distance, was not that bad but it was the manner of the race which was disappointing.

Started too fast and although the decline in pace was not significant it was not the way to race a 5k. Ideally you should ease into the race with the first kilometre probably not your fastest, this is saved for the finish. The second kilometre should be similar to the first, maybe a tad quicker and then you should see a progressive pace increase as you accelerate to the finish. Overall the 5k splits should be within 1-5 seconds of each other with the last a tad quicker. Easy to type but in the heat of battle so many runners forget all about pacing and ‘gun it’ from the start. The distance is not significant but when your legs are gone it doesn’t matter how long you have to finish, it’s going hurt. I consider a badly run 5k one of the most painful experiences in running, on the bright side it shouldn’t be that long before the finish comes into sight and you can always find something for that last sprint.

This last minute sprint I feel is related to the mental side of running. It’s amazing how many runners sprint for the finish when just previously they are just about jogging in a world of pain. The mental limiter has been lifted when the finish line is in sight and all of a sudden the mind lets the body go for broke confident that nothing will ‘break’ in the final few metres.

After the race on the journey home is when you start to question what has just transpired. Could I have gone out slower and finished stronger? Why do I always fall for the ‘follow Mark Lee’ race strategy? Why does a 5k hurt so much and at my age why am I still bothering to race them? Is 17:12 a good enough time, am I slowing down or was this a blip? So many questions and answering these will allow you to learn for the next time and believe me there will always be a next time.

So excuse wise I have a few. It was windy which is a two edged sword as I must admit to not being overly bothered about the conditions as I was caressed to a 3:08 min/k first kilometre. Although on the way back I was cursing the wind, and running in general truth be told, got to love the last kilometre of a 5k race when you’ve already shot your bolt. Another reason for the below par performance I am putting down to the start time. This 5k was a 6pm start and thinking back to all the races that I have run starting in the evening I have never performed that well. Spending all day stressing about the race, combined with a Yelo muffin, is normally a bad combination which ends up with me in a the pain box cursing the start time but never the muffin, funny that. I could always give up the pre-race muffin or maybe just give up the late start race, a quandary? (Not really, I’m never going to give up my Yelo muffin.) I have also been concentrating on distance as I work towards the ADU 100k this Friday evening. (There’s that evening start again but this time on steroids, it’s a midnight start! Actually is a midnight start an early start i.e. Saturday morning 0:01am or a really late start, Friday evening 11:59pm; I’m going for early start more for the mental benefit this will give me and for a 100k it’s all about mental strength.) Since the 6 inch in December I have avoided any speed work as I always give myself a few weeks to gently ease back into training. After a marathon you need to be very careful with regards picking up an injury, for me it’s a four week recovery period, avoiding pace. Wow, with all these excuses I actually ran a blinder yesterday and now feel so much better. This blogging lark is great for the confidence.

What did I take from this race? I need to run more 5k’s to better pace the distance correctly which I can do this with Saturday Park Runs. After the 4 week recovery period from the ADU I need to add more pace to my training runs as distance wise I am covered but I can feel my top end pace has suffered. Finally I need to stop chasing Mark Lee but after so many races over the years I feel this will be the hardest thing to implement, remember old dogs and new tricks is never a good combination.

An article below from Pete Magill who holds three American age-group records and is the oldest American to break 15:00 for 5K, which he did at age 47. I need to read this myself…….

The 5K is the race where runners come to meet. It’s the race where real distance runners drop down, taking a break from the usual smorgasbord of 15Ks, marathons, and 24-hour relays to snack on an event that seems nothing more than a sustained sprint. And it’s the place where middle-distance runners go up, figuring to grit their teeth and hang for three miles, then streak past all the slow-moving shufflers like cheetahs picking apart a herd of gazelle.

 

The 5K is where these two distinct groups of runners face off and where a third group, the 5K specialists, are likely to steal the show. Because the 5K specialist knows what neither the mileage junkie nor the speed racer seems to grasp: The 5K is a unique effort that demands a full range of physiological and psychological preparation.

And blending the correct components of that preparation takes more than marking down miles in a training log or recording splits during an interval session. It takes collecting and then putting together all the pieces of the 5K puzzle.

THE 5K PUZZLE
Zen master Yuan-tong noted, “When the task is done beforehand, then it is easy.”

I’ve coached hundreds of 5K runners over the past 25 years, from college All-Americans to middle-aged mortgage brokers to seniors battling osteoarthritis. And those who met their 5K race goal arrived at the start line properly trained in every aspect of the 5K. They had completed their “task” beforehand.

Surprisingly, most runners don’t practice this simple concept. Volume enthusiasts assume that big numbers in training logs ensure success in a race that is only 3.1 miles long. Interval warriors pound out 5K-pace repetitions, convinced that all they’ll have to do is connect the dots come race day. Both groups arrive at the start line with their task unfinished. Both are missing pieces of the 5K puzzle.

In a puzzle, we start with lots of little pieces, then match those pieces to build small islands (in a landscape puzzle, these islands might be patches of blue sky or a cluster of redwoods), which we then bring together to complete the puzzle.

For our 5K puzzle, we assemble pieces to create these six islands:.

• Stride Efficiency
• Aerobic Endurance
• 5K-Specific Endurance
• Intermediate Fast-Twitch Endurance
• Versatile Race Pace Efficiency
• Post-Run Recovery & Injury Prevention

On race day, we join these islands to complete our 5K puzzle. Voila! Our task is done beforehand.

THE PIECES OF OUR PUZZLE

There is an ancient Chinese proverb, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” So does our training program…
1) STRIDE EFFICIENCY

It all begins with our stride. Stride efficiency is the single most important element of our future training and racing success. An efficient stride allows us to meet the demands of training without falling prey to injury. And a smoother, longer stride is an essential ingredient of a fast 5K. So how do we improve our stride?

If we wanted to improve as a ballet dancer, we wouldn’t throw on a CD of the Nutcracker, then twirl madly across the floor. Instead, we’d do drills to develop proper posture, correct placement, and alignment. We’d improve strength, flexibility, movement skills, and artistry. And we’d train until we could perform individual movements automatically, without having to think our way through every plié or pirouette.

It’s the same with running. If we want to improve our running stride, we don’t dash madly through the streets, across a park, or around a track. Instead, we begin by developing the parts — the individual actions that make up our stride. And we do this using two methods:

• Technique (Form) Drills
• Short Hill Repetitions

Technique drills involve variations of movements such as skipping, bounding, and marching. These drills are designed to promote muscle fiber recruitment, improve nervous system function, increase strength, and correct muscle and form imbalances. Click here to see some key drills demonstrated.

Short hill repeats are 40-to 60-meter sprints up reasonably steep hills. Our effort level should be slightly less than an “all-out” sprint — but just slightly. Also, remember that this workout is designed to challenge our legs, not our lungs. Our legs should feel momentary fatigue as we recruit their full range of muscle fiber, but we should recover quickly. Don’t make the mistake of turning this stride-efficiency workout into a fitness session. After each repetition, we walk back down the hill, wait until a full two to three minutes have passed, and then sprint up the hill again. Eight to 10 reps will do the trick.

Of the two workouts, technique drills are better for improving stride. But short hill reps will do in a pinch. A half dozen sessions of either during the first 8-12 weeks of your 5K training (no more than one session per week) should provide 100 percent benefit. Naturally, each session should include a proper warm-up and cool-down.

I tell my athletes, “Run first, train later.” When we focus on mechanics at the outset of our program, we set the stage for better overall training in the weeks and months to come.
2) AEROBIC ENDURANCE

This is just a fancy way of saying, “Run long and run often.” But understand that long is about duration, not distance. Our bodies are not odometers. Our legs don’t know a mile from a kilometer. Or a kilometer from a run to the park and back. Runners who focus on “mileage” miss the point of aerobic endurance training. The point is to keep our bodies working at a moderate level of exertion for a sustained period of time — not distance.

Think about it. Let’s say we decide that 50 miles per week is the optimal volume for 5K training. It would take a 30:00 5K runner approximately twice as long to complete that training as a 15:00 5K runner. Do we really believe that slower runners should train for twice as long as faster runners?

Instead, we focus on time. Whatever our ability, we’ll gain similar benefits from 60 minutes of lower-intensity running (65-75 percent VO2 max). Or from 90 minutes. Or from 30.

Long also refers to an accumulation of volume. “Volume” is not a single long run, a single week of high mileage, or even a single season of training. It is a long-term, consistent amassing of lower-intensity, aerobic conditioning.

For our purposes, there are three types of aerobic distance runs:

• Short: up to 40 minutes in duration. Short runs aid recovery from hard workouts and add to our overall volume.
• Medium: 1 1/2 to 2 times the duration of our short run. Medium runs are “normal” distance runs and provide the bulk of our volume.
• Long: up to (approximately) twice the duration of our medium run. Long runs build capillary density, increase mitochondria (our body’s cellular power plants), improve stride efficiency, burn fat, expand glycogen stores, and do all kinds of other wonderful stuff.

For the beginner, there might not be much difference among short, medium, and long runs. Don’t worry about it. Just make sure to increase the duration of aerobic runs gradually, focusing first on the medium and long runs.
3) 5K-SPECIFIC ENDURANCE

The 5K race demands a unique mix of aerobically and anaerobically generated energy. The only way to prepare our bodies for this demand is to train at 5K effort. We do this by running repetitions. This is the place where most of us make our biggest mistake: We base the pace for our repetitions on the fitness we’d like to have rather than on the fitness we already possess.
If our goal is a 20:00 5K, we want to run repetitions at 20:00 5K pace right now. We want to skip ahead to the glorious conclusion of our training program. Only one problem: We aren’t in shape to run goal pace yet.

Remember, we don’t run repetitions to practice running faster. We run repetitions to improve the physiological systems that will allow us to run faster in the future. To accomplish this goal, we train 5K “effort” rather than 5K “pace.” As our fitness improves, our pace will improve. But our perceived effort will remain the same, allowing us to become well-versed in the effort level we’ll use in the race itself.

To avoid the trap of training by pace, we go off-track for our workouts, running on the trails or the road. This eliminates the temptation to check split times during our reps. It also allows us to practice adjusting for race-day variables: weather, terrain, our fatigue level, etc. The ability to adjust for variables is essential to race-day success.

Some runners bristle at leaving the security of the track. Let’s face it, there’s comfort in a perfect 400m oval and the equally perfect splits we can record while running around it. But that’s the problem. Road 5Ks are not perfect ovals. We won’t record perfect splits as we dodge runners, climb hills, and make 180-degree turns. Our goal is to become efficient at the race we’re training to run, and training on trails and the road is the best way to make that happen.

5K-specific workouts should be run once a week. This is a typical progression of sessions. All reps are followed by three minutes of jogging unless otherwise indicated:

• 5-10 x 1 minute (2-minute recovery)
• 5 x 2 minutes
• 5 x 3 minutes
• 4 x 4 minutes
• 5 x 4 minutes
• 4 x 5 minutes
• 5 x 5 minutes

It makes no difference whether we’re 15:00 5K runners or 45:00 5K runners. Our repetitions last the same amount of time. We’re targeting specific physiological processes, not mimicking race distance.

If you’re unsure whether you’re running 5K effort, try this simple test: As you’re running, ask yourself, “Is this an effort I can maintain for an entire 5K?” Be honest. If the answer is yes, keep up the effort. If it’s no, slow down.

Still unsure about proper repetition effort? Then here’s another guideline guaranteed to keep you within the proper range: Whatever pace you run your repetitions, you should finish your last one feeling as if you could run one or two more. If you’re completely exhausted at the end of your repetition session, you ran too hard. Adjust the next week by decreasing your effort. If you’re barely winded, then increase your effort the following week.

“But how will I know if I’m on track to meet my time goal?” Many athletes set specific time goals and crave reassurance in training that they’re on track to hit that pace in a race.

Two of my athletes, K and M, fell into this camp. Both were 19:00 5K runners. Both wanted to run mid-18:00. Both balked when I explained that we’d be training off-track. They didn’t want to waste months of training only to discover that they hadn’t improved. I explained that workouts are not races, that training “race pace” on the track has little bearing on what they’d run in an actual race. I also told them that they were limiting their potential. Why train for mid-18:00? Why not train the physiological systems involved in 5K racing and see where the chips fell?

K and M finally agreed. Three months later, K ran 16:40 and M ran 17:50.

There is one exception to the off-track rule. As race day approaches, some runners like to add a couple track sessions (also at 5K effort) to “sharpen” their fitness. This isn’t about testing pace. It’s about solidifying our stride efficiency at 5K effort. While adding hills and turns and uneven terrain has prepared us for actual race conditions, doing one or two training sessions on a perfectly flat surface helps to hardwire the relationship between stride efficiency and 5K-specific endurance. Two workouts I recommend for this are

• 16-20 x 400m (100m jog recovery)
• 6-8 x 1,000m (400m jog recovery)

4) INTERMEDIATE FAST-TWITCH ENDURANCE

Our best 5K effort results from a combination of stamina and speed. And it just so happens that we have a type of muscle fiber that’s perfectly suited to this task. Fast-twitch type IIa muscle fiber provides much of the “speed” associated with fast-twitch type IIx (sprinter) fiber, but it also has the capacity to function aerobically.

Bingo! This combination allows us to run faster longer — the definition of 5K racing.

The best way to train this intermediate fast-twitch fiber is to run long hill repeats. This has nothing to do with whether we’ll be racing on hills, flats, roads, or the track. Long hill repeats make us faster — period.

The first step is to find a hill that’s not too steep and not too flat. The incline should be challenging, but it shouldn’t chop our stride or require mountain climbing gear. I prefer about a 6 percent grade. This increases the workload for each stride while allowing us to maintain full range of motion.

We use our watches to time the first hill repeat of each week’s session. Let’s say our rep for that week is supposed to last 60 seconds. We stop running as soon as a minute is up. That’s our finish line. We won’t have to time the rest of our repetitions, allowing us to focus on correct effort and form. Recovery between reps is four to five minutes, including our jog back down the hill and some walking at the bottom. Less recovery won’t give us a better workout, but it will increase our risk of injury and burnout. Remember that we’re targeting a specific muscle fiber type that is recruited during a specific range of effort. Too little recovery forces us to recruit the other type of fast-twitch fiber and/or to burn through our muscle glycogen stores.

The correct effort level for each repetition varies depending on its length. As with our 5K-specific workout, the guiding principle is to finish our long hill repeat session with enough energy remaining to run one or two more reps. We want to finish with gas in the tank.

This is typical progression for long hill repeat sessions:

• 8 x 30 seconds
• 6 x 60 seconds
• 8 x 60 seconds
• 4 x 90 seconds
• 6 x 90 seconds

Long hill repeats should be run two to three times a month until we’ve accumulated six to eight sessions. My preference is to alternate hill repeats with technique drills on a weekly basis. If you’re already in fairly good shape, you can begin incorporating these reps at the outset of your 5K program. If you’re a beginner, wait three to four weeks. Never do long hill repeats the week of a race. Also, on weeks that don’t include hill reps or a race, it’s beneficial to incorporate a few hills into our long runs. This reinforces the gains we’ve made.

5) VERSATILE RACE PACE EFFICIENCY

A 5K puzzle isn’t complete without pieces obtained from training at efforts above and below our 5K goal pace.

Training faster than goal pace serves two purposes. Physiologically, it makes us efficient at paces that might be required in the race (at the start, during surges, and for our finishing kick). Psychologically, it makes our actual 5K pace feel “slow” — our race pace feels relaxed since it’s less than 100 percent of the effort we’ve trained to run.

Two faster workouts are:

• Track: 16 x 200m at 3K effort, with 200m jog recovery
• Park or Trail Fartlek: 8-10 x 30-to 90-second surges at >3K effort, with jogging recovery equal in time to each surge

3K effort isn’t meant to imply an exact pace; rather, the point is to run harder than 5K effort but not quite as hard as we’d run during a mile race.

Training slower than goal pace allows us to increase the duration of higher-intensity endurance sessions without overstressing our bodies.

Two examples of this type of workout are:

• Tempo Runs
• Progression Runs

Tempo runs are one of the great misunderstood workouts of our sport. In his seminal book, Daniels’ Running Formula, ubercoach Jack Daniels writes that “the intensity of effort associated with [tempo] running is comfortably hard. [Y]our effort should be one that you could maintain for about an hour in a race.” This is what tempo is not: a time trial. To be on the safe side, when preparing for the 5K we should tempo train at an effort approximately equal to half marathon race pace.

Because the 5K doesn’t require the sustained endurance effort of longer races, it’s OK to break tempo runs into two sections. This gives us most of the benefit while reducing the chance of overtraining. For example:

• 2 x 10 minutes, with 2-minute jog recovery
• 2 x 15 minutes, with 3-minute jog recovery

Progression runs begin at our normal distance pace, then drop 10-15 seconds per mile until we can’t go any faster (or until we reach 5K race pace). This usually occurs at between 6-9 miles. A Garmin is great for this workout, but it’s OK to guesstimate pace while using a watch to trigger each increase in effort.

Varied pace work should be introduced four to six weeks before our 5K race. Faster work can take the place of the weekly drills or hills session. Slower than goal pace work can substitute for the 5K effort repetitions. Always make sure to subtract one hard workout from your weekly schedule before adding one of these.
6) POST-RUN RECOVERY & INJURY PREVENTION

One of the biggest mistakes we runners make is to call it quits on our workout once the running part is finished. We figure we’ve done the work, so what can it hurt to skip the stretching, injury prevention exercises, and icing?

Answer: It can hurt a lot.

Running depletes muscle glycogen, generates minispasms in our muscles, triggers inflammation, and leaves us dehydrated. The most important 15 minutes of our workout is the time we spend post-run counteracting these effects. In order, we need to incorporate:

• Glycogen replacement and rehydration
• Stretching
• Injury-prevention exercises
• Icing

Glycogen replacement and rehydration is easy. We simply consume 300-500 calories of carbohydrates, washing them down with lots of water. Bagels, bananas, and sports bars are great sources of carbs. Or choose chocolate milk or a sports drink to get a combination of carbs and fluids.

Static stretching has gotten a bad reputation in recent years. Done before running, it can reduce strength and even cause injury. Post-run is a different story, however, as stretching releases pesky muscle spasms that can lead to pain and inflammation.

Injury-prevention exercises are geared toward preventing and rehabilitating conditions like plantar fasciitis and iliotibial band syndrome. Towel toe curls and foot orbits can reverse many cases of plantar fasciitis, while a revised hurdler’s stretch can sometimes erase iliotibial band pain in the space of a minute. These exercises and stretches should be incorporated into our post-run routine on a daily basis. Click here to watch a video of a good post-run routine.

Icing is the silver bullet that makes our sport possible. We need to ice each and every sore spot that could potentially progress to injury. And we need to begin our icing within 15 minutes after completing our run. This is truly a case of a stitch in time saving nine.

 

COMPLETING THE PUZZLE

Finally, race day arrives. We step to the start line injury free. The gun goes off, and we immediately fall into a pace that matches the 5K effort we’ve been practicing for weeks. Our stride is effortless as we blend aerobic endurance with speed and strength gained from the hills. We make adjustments in our effort level based upon feedback from our bodies, a method we rehearsed during all those repetitions on the roads and trails. And when finally the finish banner comes into view, we call upon our fartlek-trained fast-twitch muscles to carry us to the finish line, then cross at the exact moment we reach 100 percent effort.

There’s no part of the race for which we’re not prepared. There are no surprises awaiting us. We completed our task before race day. We assembled all the pieces of our puzzle. Our race is no longer a test. It’s show and tell. It’s graduation. It’s a foregone conclusion. It’s a celebration.

Best of all, the race itself now adds to our overall fitness, locking our puzzle pieces into place. We can look forward to improved 5K performances in our next races. And as an added bonus, the same training that’s prepared us for the 5K has also prepared us for races like the 10K — even the marathon! That’s right. Since we’ve focused on improving the essential aspects of training — from stride efficiency to muscle fiber recruitment to aerobic endurance — rather than simply adding miles to our training logs, we’ve emerged as better overall runners: fitter, faster, and more efficient.

This morning I ran the City Beach 4k where for the third year in a trot I managed a 2nd place. I did manage to drop my time but as always there was a faster runner.( and a lot younger !)  Always the bridesmaid, never the bride. (Not that I would be a particularly attractive bride with my ‘speed beard’ in full ‘Grizzly Adam’s mode’, pre 6 inch ultra marathon)

The 4k is an unusual distance which requires a sprint from the start to separate yourself from the 8k race that starts at the same time. There’s also a bit of a poker mentality involved because you are never sure who is running the 4k or the 8k until you hit the finish. (It’s here you can go from being 4th or 5th to top 2 when 3 runners keep running instead of turning left into the finish chute.) My tactics is always to assume everybody is in the 4k and race them all, if there are runners ahead and they don’t turn left at the 4k mark then all good as you’ll rise a place in the rankings. This has happened on a few occasions in this race.

Today I went off with the lead runners and held third place at 1k with the front runner already a good distance ahead. It was time to work for a podium place and I managed to sneak into 2nd place just before the 2k mark where there is a right turn back to the start. It was here you’re given the chance to sneak a look to the right to see who’s behind you. (Big Kev Racing Tip  : First rule of racing, never, I repeat never look behind you in a race. All it does is encourage the person chasing you. )  I was not happy to see 6-8 runners probably 10-15m behind me so I knew this race was still in the mix and I was in the pain box big time.

Now 2k to go, after a 2k start does not seem like there should be any issues but trust me you are in a world of pain if you are racing to your limit. 2k seems like a massive distance when your legs are screaming and your heart feels like it’s about to explode, welcome to racing ! Anyhow this time , like in the two previous years, I managed to hold it together and the last 2k were both 3:23min/k splits which for me is the best I could hope for. I finished in 13:12 which is a 14 second course PB and as such a new 4k PB. Can I find 13 seconds for next year so I can go sub 13minutes, I think I need to. This now has become a priority race for next year and sub 13 minutes is the goal. To achieve this I will concentrate on speed and the perfect run for this will be the Mona Fartlek. (I’ve already written a post on this bad boy of a run, otherwise google it.) Being I’m 50 next year it will be a lot easier as I will have more ‘wisdom’ apparently?

For now though I need to get back into ultra mode, not sure how good a 4k training run is for a 46k trail run I have to complete in 7 days. No one said the BK method of training was the standard, I like to mix it up a bit. That being said the race favourite for the 6 inch won the 8k so maybe my preparation isn’t too far of the mark. As with all things running, be it a 4k sprint or a 100k ultra,  I just enjoy being out there with a bib on my chest testing my ability against , really, myself and my own goals and ambition. That’s what makes running so personal, in the end when you strip away all the other complications in life running is about pitting yourself against what you believe you can achieve and you are a better person for it.

So not a bad day really, I’ve ran a PB, grabbed a podium and written a post and it’s only just past 9am, I have the whole day for the family before I sneak away for a second run later in the afternoon, well c’mon I need to find those 13 seconds from somewhere and I might as well start today…….

Today I put on my race bib for the first time since the Masters marathon three weeks ago. I normally allow four weeks before I race after a marathon but this race is special as I won last year, mainly because none of the normal suspects turned up.  The WAMC (West Australian Marathon Club http://www.wamc.org.au ) Founders 10miler (16k) is one of my favourite races in the calendar and I have placed in it on two previous occasions with a win last year. The opportunity to defend my ‘title‘ was too good to pass up so after a day off yesterday I set off to the event.

Some people recover quicker than others when it comes to racing marathons and as I mentioned earlier I’m a four week man normally. This is inline with a day per mile going with the imperial system of measurement, so about 26 days.  Other people like Tony ‘The T-train’ Smith use the same imperial system but substitute the day for hours so he can recover in about 26 hours. He is one naughty runner !

This event also includes a 5.15k as well as the 16.1k race. This always make the start interesting because you are never sure who you are racing until after the 5.15k runners dart for the finish line instead of ‘manning’ up and continuing on for the full distance. (I need to be careful here because I have been known on a few occasions to be tempted by bling and take the easier option when faced with a podium for the 5k or a top 5, with no medal, for the longer distance. I admit it , I have a bling problem…)

As expected the start was quick as a number of 5k runners set off at their ‘suicide’ pace and I joined them with the goal of staying as close as possible to the leaders incase one of them decided to continue after the finish line and go long. I didn’t want to leave myself with too much to do to catch them. This works great in theory but of course the fly in the ointment is you normally end up going through 5.15k just behind the leaders and way too fast for a 16k race. As expected this is what happened and I went through the 5.15k mark in second place at 17:35, must admit it was tempting, run through the chute for a nice shiny silver medal and all the pain ends or carry on for another 11k curled up in the foetal position in the pain box.

Funnily enough I was reading the Lore of Running by Tim Noakes yesterday (The bible of all things running.) and the chapter on Training the Mind. (Remember I didn’t run yesterday so what else is there to do but reading about running?) This went into detail about how the mind can be trained during competition. Paragraph headings like dominate from the start, allow for the unexpected, concentrate and focus, give a maximum effort and perform up to expectation. All easy to read while you wait for your daughter to finish her dancing lesson but when you’re racing at maximum effort and in a world of pain it’s not so easy. I did recall this while racing and it certainly brought at least a smirk to my face, not sure I ever really smile when I’m racing short distances.

Right, where were we, of yes at 5.15k and in the lead as the only runner infront of me was a 5.1.5k runner and had scuttled of to collect his gold medal. So it was just me and the lead bike ridden by my friend Ross who I run with on the weekend. Ross is a good lead bike in the fact he knows just to ride, let runners know I’m coming and avoid any type of conversation with me as , like me, he knows when you’re racing it’s all about concentration and pain mitigation, conversation does not come into it, ever ! Luckily for me , like last year, none of the usual suspects turned up so I was able to record another victory, which at my age is cherished. This would be my third for the year but only my 6th ever top finish so it really is a wonderful feeling.

So what did I take from the run.

1. Nothing makes you run faster than a race bib pinned to your chest. I understand this comes with a price, the nerves pre-race, doubting your ability, training and the pain you know you must go through to be your best. All these things are part and parcel of racing and need to be embraced and overcome. When you cross the line and achieve your goal all these are forgotten instantly and the ‘runners high’ that takes their place justifies everything that comes pre-race. You will also use more fast-twitch muscles in these race situations with is another big benefit.
2. You need to be realistic pre-race and set yourself goals determined by past experience, current training workload and pre-race training runs. Every race cannot be a PB time so adjust your goal accordingly. You may not need the goal A, B or C option that comes with longer races but still give yourself a range of what could be called ‘acceptable’.
3. Do not start the race at suicide pace and then expect to finish strong. Doesn’t happen unfortunately. As described above my splits were not ‘one for the ages’. They varied by around 20 seconds a kilometer which is not ideal. Ideally I should have started about 10 seconds a kilometre slower and this would helped to towards the end of the race. I knew I had started too quick but experience allowed me to roll the dice so to speak in an effort to give me a good buffer to second place. This would have been enough to probably make them settle for second early and not make an effort to catch me. This is more racing tactics but even in the middle of the pack you are racing people and this little tip may help gain a few places.  (Assuming the suicide pace start doesn’t morph into a suicide pace finish which has the opposite effect.)
4. Enjoy the experience of racing as these times are the litmus test of your training and can be a great confidence booster and also give you renewed energy once you get back into the ‘slog‘ of daily training.  You will find a spring in your step (after a few recovery runs) after a successful race and this can be carried forward to the next one and beyond. I certainly use races as justification for all the hard effort I put myself yourself through in training, coupled with the benefit of point 1 of course.
5. Sometimes a good race can move a runner to a new level complete with new expectations and goals. Yesterday my mate Gareth ran a 10 minute PB and was elated with the whole experience. I have mentioned Gareth before in my posts as the ‘runner who treats running as something he does in-between injuries” , to see him so animated after such a great run sums up the feeling only a race can give you when you achieve something you thought beyond you. Gareth has been on the cusp of breaking through his current ‘expected times’ on a number of occasions but has been thwarted by injury, maybe yesterday was the start of his rise to greatness. If nothing else the run would have given him the confidence to move forward and I guarantee he’ll be ‘champing at the bit’ to get running post-race.

Had to end with an article I found on the subject of racing that probably sums it up better than my ramblings. So to sum up racing in a few words ‘just do it’.

 

7 Reasons to Make the Start Line Your Friend

BY CLINT CHEREPA

The race is the beauty part. The time you put it all together is the race,” said noted running author Dr. George Sheehan. And, whether you run one kilometre or 50, racing is exhilarating.

Many run so they can race, but some are leery of the endeavour. Let’s delve into why racing comes with benefits.

Community
Nick Walker, a runner for 15 years and owner of Frontrunners store in Langford, B.C., says racing helps connect people. “We find a lot of people through races who are new to the area,” he says. “Racing gives people a goal and purpose. It encourages them to get out and go.”
Keith Iskiw, a runner from Kingston, Ont., says, “No other sport allows both beginners and professionals to share the same arena. The excitement, tension and joy shared between people makes the race events fantastical.”
Alan Brookes, race director of the Canada Running Series, says racing gives people at the front a platform to develop athletic careers and gives amateur athletes a chance to race head-to-head against age-group categories and clubmates. New runners get a sense of achievement in their new, healthy lifestyle, with benchmarks, rewards and encouragement.

Motivation
“When I participate in an activity, I like to do it well. I don’t have to win. I just have to be satisfied that I gave my best effort,” says Jerry Kooyman, a runner who has competed at a national level, running in a couple of Canadian Olympic trials. When he hits rough patches in training, the prospect of a race motivates him to train and set goals such as achieving personal bests, winning medals or beating other successful runners.

Structure
Ken Parker is the founder and coach of the Ottawa Athletic Club Racing team. He is also a co-founder and race director of Ottawa’s National Capital Marathon. Parker is no stranger to racing; his marathon personal best is 2:42. He feels racing encourages discipline and enticed him to study running to optimize training. “It made me focus on a goal and get organized to do what was required to achieve that goal,” Parker says.
Walker, a former University of Victoria track athlete, says racing keeps him honest and modest. It keeps his competitive edge honed and says shorter races can be great preparation for longer challenges. Walker recently won the Island Race Series Sooke 10K and the Merville 15K, races he ran at 3:17 and 3:20 pace as part of the preparation for his first marathon in Vancouver in May. “I try to have a fun outlook,” says Walker. “But I take racing more seriously. I still like to push hard.”

Fears
Race-day fears are normal. After more than 40 years of racing, Kooyman says in the back of his mind he worries about injury during a race and fears that he will work hard during the race, only to be out-kicked at the end. Still, he keeps racing, leaving his fears in the dust of his race-day speed. Iskiw’s advice for hesitant runners is to remember we are built for competition, and that deep down we all have a drive to win and the only way to satisfy that hunger is through competition.

Measuring Progress
Your first 10K may not tell you much about your progress, but after a year of racing, a runner can gauge success.
“Progress may initially be measured by weight loss and increased mileage, but once I get beyond those basic measures and get into a regular training program, the most reliable measure of progress is improved race times,” Kooyman says.

Competition
Races open themselves to runners of all levels. A racer can compete even if he is at the back of the pack. A suggestion from Brookes is: “If you’re really nervous, start right at the back, run the first half easy, then count how many people you pass in the second half or the number you pass the whole way.”
Competition helped Parker. He says: “In the marathon, I ran against the clock and ignored other runners for the most part, using them only toward the end of the race when, hopefully, I was passing them. In track races, I used the head-to-head competition to race harder. Fast times would come as the result of racing a strong competitive field.”

Learn
Through his racing, Parker learned that anything worth doing is worth doing well and that success does not come about by accident. A progressive runner never stops learning. Introducing racing into your running program provides a platform of wisdom. You learn more about yourself, and running in general. The race and people involved provide the anecdotal evidence. The question lingers, “Why not race?” If you are hesitant to toe the starting line, take Kooyman’s words to heart: “You don’t know what you are missing!”

As I’m racing Rottnest half this weekend I ran this morning and that is it until the race on Sunday. This is my half taper routine, 48 hours of no running and nothing too strenuous the week of the race. Obviously for a marathon it’ll be a good two week taper with very little on race week.

My legs still feel fatigued but they felt the same pre-Fremantle half two weeks ago and still managed a good PB so it’ll be another ‘trust in your training’ sprint from the start line and hopefully I’ll be able to maintain whatever pace I settle into until the end. Rottnest though is a different animal compared to Fremantle. Three nasty hills on a two lap course means six nasty hills, add in heat and possibly wind and the pressure of a PB is non-existence. This weekend is about a top 5 place (depending on who turns up of course?) and pushing myself into the ‘pain box’ for the last time on a race of distance pre-Masters Marathon November 6th. ( http://www.perth2016.com )

It will be the first time I’ve ran a half at Rottnest, actually the first time anyone has as it’s the inaugural event. I’ve ran the marathon ten times so it will be weird running at half pace on a course I have only ever ran at marathon pace. Judging the hills for pace will be a challenge but truth be told it’ll just be the normal ‘suicide pace’ until either something blows or the finish line.

Predicted time will be hard because so much will depend on the conditions on the day. You are exposed on sections of the course so a head wind would be a challenge. Heat wise we are expecting  25-28 degrees which will be the first time I have raced in anything above 20 for the year probably. Coming from the UK originally I’m not a fan of racing in the heat and this will certainly affect my time.  (I do enjoy horizontal rain and extreme cold funnily enough, we call that summer in Cornwall!)

On the bright side I have a week to recover on the Island so will be treating it as a training camp with some speed work pre-Masters 5k the following Saturday. This will also be the first week of my marathon tapering so will do my best to only run once a day. This will be a challenge as I am now totally accustomed to double-up days, need to look at the bigger picture though. A good taper is so important as the legs and mind need to be fresh for the marathon. I have attached an article from Running Competitor which gives you some tips to taper like a pro. Hey, if we can’t run like a pro we can at least taper like one…

The Art Of Tapering Like A Pro  By Duncan Larki

Mastering the final few weeks of training is trickier than it seems.  Marathon training is hard—the long runs, hill repeats and the arduous track sessions take a tremendous toll on both the body and mind. When many marathoners review their training schedule they get giddy at the sight of the taper, which typically starts two to three weeks out from race day. The reduction in volume and intensity is a welcome one. But what many runners don’t realize, however, is that the taper can be just as (or even more) difficult as the rest of the training cycle.

Why is this? How does a taper help a marathoner in the first place and why do you need them?

First, the benefits: According to 2006 U.S. mountain running champion Nicole Hunt, who now coaches at Speedendurance.net, tapers “bolster muscle power, increase muscle glycogen, muscle repair, freshen the mind, fine-tune the neural network so that it’s working the most efficiently, and most importantly, eliminate the risk of overtraining where it could slow the athlete down the most.” Additionally, Hunt notes that a well-designed taper will increase a runner’s performance. “Studies have indicated that a taper can help runners improve [performance] by 6 to 20%,” she contends.

So what exactly is a “well-designed” taper?

The key is to find the optimal balance between three key training elements: duration, weekly mileage, and key workouts. A taper that doesn’t incorporate enough rest can leave a runner feeling burned out going into the race, while a taper overabundant with rest can be mentally taxing and result in a deterioration of fitness

How long you taper for usually depends on the distance of the race you’re targeting and what kind of mileage you’ve been logging from week to week in training. A typical taper for a marathon is two to three weeks, but some runners like American-record holder Deena Kastor only taper for 10 days beforehand.

Conversely, Hunt usually prescribes a three-week taper for her athletes. If you haven’t felt “fresh” at the starting line for recent races, look at the duration of your taper. Consider adding an extra week (or even a few days) of reduced volume and intensity to your schedule. On the other hand, if you’ve been prone to longer tapers and feel like you’re heading into your races too rested, shorten them up a bit. 

Weekly Mileage

Regardless of their duration, a taper requires backing off your weekly mileage in order to rest the legs for race day. Mammoth Track Club coach Terrence Mahon, who guides elite marathoners Kastor, Josh Cox amongst others, has his top runners running 120-130 miles per week during their peak training periods. Surprisingly, however, he doesn’t cut down their overall volume too much during their taper, reducing it down for most to a relatively still high 90 miles in the final week before a key race. “We have found in the past that dropping mileage too much leads to a de-training effect,” Mahon says. “We don’t lower things universally in our tapers.” Mahon believes marathoners need to keep doing long runs throughout their tapering phase. “The farther you get away from big [mileage] numbers, the more confidence you lose,” he says. Mahon maintains that the best way to keep his runners close to the “big numbers” is to give them a longer single session, approximately 17 miles, during their taper period, and then follow up the next day with a short 6 easy miles. “It keeps their head close to the race distance,” he says.

Hunt is more systematic with how she handles weekly mileage during the taper phase. In general, Hunt assigns “about a 10% reduction in mileage the third week out, a 15% reduction the second week out and the week of the marathon about a 50%+ reduction.”

Key Workouts

Workouts, along with running mileage, are stressors on the body. As such, a sound tapering regimen reduces both the frequency of the workouts, along with their duration, in order to maximize rest and recovery leading up to the race day. During the taper phase Mahon has his runners completing the same type of workouts they’ve been doing all along in training–mile repeats for example–but gives them more time for recovery. He calls this element the “density” of training. “We try to put some extra space in our workouts during the taper,” he says. Specifically, Mahon may give runners more time to recover between repetitions in a workout, or he may give them fewer workouts to complete during the week.

As opposed to increasing recovery time both during and between workouts, Hunt has her athletes completing shorter, faster speed sessions during the taper. “For the final two weeks I gradually cut the mileage but maintain speed with strides and short intervals,” she says. “The focus is on recovery and goal pace for muscle memory and short bursts of speed.” Some examples of Hunt’s taper surges are 20 x 15 seconds or 10 x 30-45 seconds mostly at 3K to 5K effort.

Experiment, Learn & Trust

Taking these two differing philosophies into account, look at your next taper as an opportunity to vary it in some way. Aim for the right balance in your routine: adjust your mileage and fine-tune your workouts by either giving yourself more time to rest or maybe even picking up the pace. Find what works best for you.

At the end of the day, the most important thing is to trust in your training. As Tyler McCandless, U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier, says: “the best advice on tapering is to believe in the process.”