And the week goes on...and the week goes on (lame attempt for some culture here). How's your Tuesday going? It's been a rush rush rush for me today-my boss is in town (he lives in Albany) so when he comes to town, I get to play super girl. No complaints-it makes the day go by faster. My only beef? I forgot my lunch in the fridge at home = energy bar, peanut butter and leftover carrots for lunch. Lame.
Regardless, I got in a semi-decent workout during lunch. Kinda. I had speed work on the dock but dropped down to "elliptical speed work" for 3 reasons:
1. My outer calf continues to plague me. That's the reason that makes me look smart.
2. I'm running long tomorrow (I hope). That's the reason that makes me sound like a well-rounded triathlete.
3. Along with my lunch, I forgot my sneakers at home. Lame. I think we all know that's the real reason....and since I haven't achieved barefoot running status yet, I futzed it. I bet my calf will thank my tomorrow, anyways, so we'll call it an added bonus :-)
Let's talk about running a bit more, shall we? Since I've been racing/running/triathlon-ing for six years now, I get quite a few questions from new runners and triathletes breaking into the sport. (Which highly amuses me-I don't consider myself an expert, but I am super happy to help!)
So...you wanna run. Long. As in, you've done some 5 and 10k's, but wanna do a half or full marathon. Sweet! I'm a big fan of distances. Always have been. And it seems this year is the big jump for alot of people I know-I've put together beginner plans for four different people for half marathons this year (again, not an expert-just spreadin' around what I've picked up!) I usually give newbies 3 runs per week, along with a few days of cross training-I've found that it preps you for the distance without any overuse injuries, in most cases. I always ask someone what their current fitness is in terms of a 5 mile test-what is your comfortable 5 mile time? With that information, we can build a plan, working with your schedule, strengths, and goals. It's not rocket science.
But. This.
What never fails to amuse me is the misconception that in order to race a successful half-you must run the whole thing. Now, don't shake your head at me.
All 4 people I am working with said the exact same thing, and I'm trying to get them to at least look at it another way, but we'll see how that works out (laughing).
Am I an idiot? I hope not. Let's say your goal is to run a 10 minute paced mile in the half-which is roughly a 2:10 half (assuming you run the tangents-ALWAYS run the tangents, Rae!) Well, you can do that by running a 10 minute mile every mile, sure. But I bet you fifty bucks you won't. I bet you'll go out guns blazing, determined not to walk, then crash and burn at about mile 8.
How bout trying something different.....during a training run, do a 9:1 ratio of run/walk. Yep, run comfortably for 9 minutes, then walk for a minute. This trains you to walk through water stations during a race, which are usually located every mile. Do you have to walk through every one? Nope. How about doing a 2 mile run/1 minute walk? This way you can stretch out, hydrate, and take a breather. That means you can run just a bit faster (about a 9:40 mile) and still meet your goal, with 6 walk breaks. It makes it easier mentally-you know you'll get a break, and physically, too.
Again, this is just my experience. But your finish time is the same, whether you run the whole thing at a 10 minute mile or use the run/walk strategy.
Personally? My half PR is a 1:50:09 (8:18 pace). I walked 4 times during the race. Would I change it at all? Well, I'd knock off 10 seconds of one walk so I could go sub 1:50, but hey, without those 10 seconds of walk, I might have paid for it later, so who knows?
But again, I'm no expert. Just been around the (half marathon) block a dozen times :-)
Do you run/walk? Or straight through run? Which one benefits you more?
Regardless, I got in a semi-decent workout during lunch. Kinda. I had speed work on the dock but dropped down to "elliptical speed work" for 3 reasons:
1. My outer calf continues to plague me. That's the reason that makes me look smart.
2. I'm running long tomorrow (I hope). That's the reason that makes me sound like a well-rounded triathlete.
3. Along with my lunch, I forgot my sneakers at home. Lame. I think we all know that's the real reason....and since I haven't achieved barefoot running status yet, I futzed it. I bet my calf will thank my tomorrow, anyways, so we'll call it an added bonus :-)
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| The Ironman power walk/eat....don't judge, it was mile 127! |
So...you wanna run. Long. As in, you've done some 5 and 10k's, but wanna do a half or full marathon. Sweet! I'm a big fan of distances. Always have been. And it seems this year is the big jump for alot of people I know-I've put together beginner plans for four different people for half marathons this year (again, not an expert-just spreadin' around what I've picked up!) I usually give newbies 3 runs per week, along with a few days of cross training-I've found that it preps you for the distance without any overuse injuries, in most cases. I always ask someone what their current fitness is in terms of a 5 mile test-what is your comfortable 5 mile time? With that information, we can build a plan, working with your schedule, strengths, and goals. It's not rocket science.
But. This.
What never fails to amuse me is the misconception that in order to race a successful half-you must run the whole thing. Now, don't shake your head at me.
All 4 people I am working with said the exact same thing, and I'm trying to get them to at least look at it another way, but we'll see how that works out (laughing).
How bout trying something different.....during a training run, do a 9:1 ratio of run/walk. Yep, run comfortably for 9 minutes, then walk for a minute. This trains you to walk through water stations during a race, which are usually located every mile. Do you have to walk through every one? Nope. How about doing a 2 mile run/1 minute walk? This way you can stretch out, hydrate, and take a breather. That means you can run just a bit faster (about a 9:40 mile) and still meet your goal, with 6 walk breaks. It makes it easier mentally-you know you'll get a break, and physically, too.
Again, this is just my experience. But your finish time is the same, whether you run the whole thing at a 10 minute mile or use the run/walk strategy.
Personally? My half PR is a 1:50:09 (8:18 pace). I walked 4 times during the race. Would I change it at all? Well, I'd knock off 10 seconds of one walk so I could go sub 1:50, but hey, without those 10 seconds of walk, I might have paid for it later, so who knows?
But again, I'm no expert. Just been around the (half marathon) block a dozen times :-)
Do you run/walk? Or straight through run? Which one benefits you more?
Very good points here. I completely run straight up running races -it's a mental thing for me - and also do 100% run for Olympic distance tris. But now that I'm training for 70.3 and 140.6 this summer, the run/walk has to happen. Since I'm a big believer in "race the way you train" I've been doing some of my bricks with a 6 minute run/1 minute walk, and found that I basically go the same overall pace as straight up running off the bike.
ReplyDeleteI've tried it on standalone runs and wind up going slower with run/walk, though.
To each his own, right? I feel like an idiot I need to catch up on my blots! IM Louisville?
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