Alameda Runners – Get After It!

Number two on my list of tips for the long run is to slow down.  Long runs are for training.  They are not to take a measure of your performance so you can gauge your time.  It is amazing to think that you can’t get people to slow down when they run but it is true.  I talk about marathon training because that is what I am doing right now.  It is true for any distance event you are training for.  Going fast on your long runs is bad.  The wear and tear on your body adds up and you have a good chance of getting injured before you make it to the start line of your planned event.

The first time you do an event, you should not have any goals other than to finish.  We all know that it is no fun to have only one goal of finishing so we set up a couple of other goals while we are at it.  We all do it so don’t worry about me knowing your secret.  The most popular time goals for the half marathon and marathon are 2:30 and 4:00 hours.  2:30 is a reasonable goal for a first timer running a half marathon.  4:00 hours is a pretty tough goal for a first timer to run a marathon.  I think 4:00 hours became the standard because that is what Oprah ran in the Chicago marathon many years ago.

To run a 2:30 half marathon, you will need to run an average pace around 11:30 per mile.  This takes water stops and the start line mob into account.  To run the half at this pace, you should run your long slow runs at around 12:30 per mile.

To run a 4:00 hour marathon, you will need to run at an approximate pace of 9:00 per mile.  This also takes water stops and the start line mob into account.  To run the marathon at this pace, you should run your long runs at 11:00 per mile.  You need to slow down more for the marathon because you are going farther and you have to cross mile marker 22.  When the mile markers get into the 20’s, you are so grateful for all of the spectators cheering you on.

Slow down and get to the start line healthy.  If you train properly, getting to the start line healthy will be the biggest challenge of all.  I know, if I show up healthy, I will finish the race with a good possibility of meeting my goals.

As you may know, I tend to write about what I am doing.  I also tend to socialize with people with similar goals.  Things are similar for running and triathlons but not so good when I am resting after a big event.  Rest is a bit boring.  Today’s post is a list of 10 or more things for distance training.  I will attempt to follow up with a daily explanation for each item on the list.

13 things from Ted’s training list:

1. Just do it
2. Long runs (or rides) are for training.  Slow down
3. Increase your distances slowly
4. Eat before a long training day
5. Run by feel and time
6. Cycle your training with buildup and rest phases
7. Don’t train to someone else’s pace.  Train at your own pace.
8. Rest, when you are not feeling well.
9. Find a training partner
10. Practice eating
11. Work on your strength
12. Work on your core strength
13. Watch your diet

I will talk about number one today
Just do it – Long runs are hard; you have to go out and do it.  The bigger the distance or duration, the more excuses your subconscious can come up with to avoid the effort.  People often ask me why I train so hard for the Escape from Alcatraz triathlons.  I tell them “The bay does not care how cold the water was on a training day.  If you do not practice, you will sink.”  The same can be said for marathons and bike rides.  The hills do not care if you train or not.  If you do not train, you will not conquer them.  I look forward to the peace of a long run.  If I build up my distances properly, I don’t put myself into difficulty until I get up around 18 miles.  I try to put the difficulty out of my mind before the 20 mile run the following week.  For my long bike rides, I pick great places to ride.  I absolutely love riding up the side of Mount Tam.  I am going to do the Vineman half ironman again next year, just to get out and ride at all of the great locations around San Francisco.  My lunchtime run was along the bay in Berkeley and Emeryville.  I have a great location for outdoor sports.  I still pinch myself that I can live here.  It does not matter where you live, you have to make the most of it and get out and do it.

I always write about “the long slow run”.  Today, I am going to talk about speed and variations.  As you may know by now, I tend to write about what I am doing.  Today, I did speed work.  Running at a slow pace helps to build stamina and endurance.  Unfortunately, running slowly also trains you to run slowly.  You have to break it up by throwing in some speed work.  A lot of us like to go out and run at the same speed every time we run.  Our only variation is when we do the long slow run.  There is a fine line between being in a groove and being in a rut.  We all fall into the rut.  Let’s get back into the groove.

It is hard to complete a marathon or become race ready by doing the same thing every day. We need to vary our routine.
The long run – what we do to build endurance
Hills – for speed, strength and fun
Tempo runs – for speed and endurance
Intervals – for speed
Easy run – recovery (I mean slower than a long run pace)

I talk about the long run a lot so I will skip it.
Hills – I like to do trail half marathons for my hill work.  Hills are cool because they make you work so hard going up them.  When I go up the sand ladder at baker beach, I am panting so hard, I am wheezing.  My heart rate goes through the roof when I go up the big hills.  You have to turn off your brain and climb that hill while hoping you don’t have a heart attack.  It only takes a few minutes to climb most hills but it seems like an eternity.  The nice part about hills is that your body gets used to feeling pain without going on a long tempo run.

Tempo runs – Tempo runs are hard.  This is where you run at 80% – 90% of your max heart rate for a short distance, usually 3-5 miles.  I usually run 4 mile tempo runs.  The first mile is a warm up mile where I get my heart rate up to about 150 (170 is my max).  I then run for 3 miles at a heart rate of 150.  It is a long 20 minutes at that heart rate.  The good thing about the tempo run is that it is mindless.  You pretty much go at your maximum sustainable pace for the 3-5 miles you select.  The better your conditioning, the higher your heart rate will be.  Since I am out of shape, my maintainable heart rate will be around 145.

Interval runs – Today, I did an interval run.  I did a one mile warm up followed by ¼ mile pickups.  The pickup pace should be a little faster than the tempo run pace.  I followed the pickup with ¼ recovery run.  I did 4 pickups then 4 recovery runs followed by a 1 mile cool down.  As you get stronger, you can pick up the pace and number of speed sessions.  Interval runs are designed for the track but I use a Garmin GPS in place of the track.

Recovery run – You can’t just go fast and long, you have to have rest and recovery days in your training routine.  I did a long tempo run (decreased tempo pace and increased mileage) yesterday and intervals today.  Tomorrow will be a recovery run day.

Changing things up helps your body get used to the different amounts of stress you put on it.  The first few times you pick up the pace, it will be painful until you get used to the exertion.  As you get used the exertion, you will get faster.

Long slow run means exactly that.  Slow!  Slow means slow.  Going too fast on the long slow run is probably the leading cause of injury for marathon training.  We all have running friends on dailymile.com or our local run groups who do long slow runs of 20+ miles at a sub 7:00 per mile pace.  People who can run that fast are special.  Most of us can’t run like that or the cut off time for the Boston Marathon would be 2:30.  Do not try to run at the speedy pace.  It will lead to injury.  If you can run 4 miles at an 8:00 pace, slow down to 10-11 minutes per mile for your long run.

It takes practice to run slowly.  I did a 9 mile practice run a couple weeks ago.  I kept picking up the pace.  I don’t know why I picked up the pace, I just did.  I could feel the change physically then slow down to my target HR zone.  Target HR zone?  What is that and what is mine?  I know my target heart rate for various circumstances because I do it so frequently.  How is a novice supposed to figure out a target heart rate?  The old tried and true method for a target heart rate is 220-age for max HR.  Multiply your max HR X 0.7 to get your long slow run rate.  This is not an exact science but it is close enough.  I am the oldest Alameda runner at 50.  220-50=170.  170X0.7=119.  See picture above.  To be honest, that picture was taken as I was slowing down to complete my run.  My average HR was 125.  Another way to find your target HR zone for the long slow run is to build up to 6 or 8 miles.  Go for an 8 mile run at a tough intensity.  Do not go all out but talking should be difficult.   Check your average HR, your long slow run should average 80-85% of this number.  Always err on the slow side.  For example; if you run 8 miles at 8:00 per mile with an average HR of 150.  Slowing down to an HR of 120-130 will give you a10-11 minute per mile pace.

While you are running, you should be able to talk comfortably and breathe deeply.  No huffing and puffing.  After you finish the long run, you should be tired but not exhausted until you break the 15 mile barrier.  Practice the long slow runs.  Get it right while you are still on the easy phase of the long runs.  It seems like a waste of time at first but these runs are very important to building stamina and preventing injuries on your quest to complete a marathon.

When you break the 15 mile barrier, a mistake can kill your chances at finishing the marathon.  It is really difficult to recover from an injury on big runs because your injuries occur on a fatigued body.  Pay attention to your body, you need to consume calories, sodium and water on the long runs.  I know that I don’t drink enough water from the fountains along the trails so I carry water.  I start out with the bottle filled with an electrolyte drink then go from there.  I try to drink 4-28 ounce bottles during a 3 hour run.  I drink some water before I start the run.  One bottle for the first hour.  Two bottles during the second hour and one to two bottles for hour 3.
Run slow, eat, drink and consume electrolytes.

The long slow run is a weird thing.  It works your leg muscles and burns a lot of calories.  I always want to pick up the pace because my brain does not like to accept the fact that running slowly will benefit me in any way.  The experts say that it trains the legs for turnover for a marathon.  Ted says the long slow run helps train the slow muscles for when you get to mile 22.  When running a marathon, there is something about the last 4 miles that are so difficult.  It does not matter why but something will happen to make you change your stride.  When you change your stride to a slower pace after 3 or 4 hours of running, you need to be prepared for it.

Today, I did my second long slow run in preparation for CIM 2011.  I got out there and plodded along at the prescribed pace.  My goal was to keep my heart rate close to 120 at a pace between 10 and 11 minutes.  I did a pretty good job of maintaining my pace without using my heart rate monitor to slow me down.   I carried a 20 ounce bottle of GU electrolyte drink, one Honey Stinger waffle and a Clif shot gel.  I also wore a pair of injinji toesocks.  The long slow run is a good time to try out new things.  The toe socks were a success.  I was bit leery about wearing toe socks for a long run but they were great.  I love Honey Stinger waffles but they are not very good for running because I inhaled a few crumbs which caused some discomfort for a while.  You don’t realize how much you use your abs while running until you start to cough up some crumbs.

I always wear a hat and sunglasses for long runs.  Good polarizing sunglasses are best.   I should wear sunscreen but I don’t.   I planned on running 15 miles but I cut my run short because I ran out of water.  There is something about stopping at home for water then going out for a few more miles.  After my run, I tossed down 16 ounces of water followed by a Clif Shot vanilla recovery drink mixed into 12 ounces of chocolate milk.  The instructions say to mix it into 8 ounces of water but I like it better when it is added to chocolate milk.  The long slow run is important.  I will write more about it in the future because I always mess up on the long run.

As mentioned in my last article, rest is important.  I don’t hate rest.  I really like to rest, I just happen to like doing things more.  It can be hard to rest.  We are afraid that rest will become addicting and we will become couch potatoes.  Rest days are good.  Learn to put them to good use.  I am saying this even when I know it is next to impossible.  I have been married for over 25 years.  One trick to staying married that long is sharing my free time.  That means Saturdays are mostly mine to beat myself up.  I can go do an 8 hour long slow workout on Saturday then use Sunday as my rest day.  Sunday happens to be the day I share with my family so it is not a total rest day but at least I am not working out.  Sometimes, I think getting out and walking around with my wife helps with recovery.  It probably does not help with recovery if you look to sit at every bench you walk by.

We all know that we need to rest.  Think about what happens when you lift weights or do sprints.  You go all out for a very short duration, take a breather then repeat.  We need to rest.  Sleeping is a big part of rest.  When you are into serious training, you need to get plenty of quality sleep.  Most of us know what time we are going to wake up in the morning.  If you go to sleep late, set your alarm clock accordingly.  Do not set your alarm clock early then hit the snooze button for an hour.  That is not a good hour’s sleep.  I noticed that I do not sleep as well when I am resting for a long duration.  When I took time off after the triathlon, work stress kept me up at night.  Balance is good.

I tend to eat a balanced diet consisting of healthy foods.  I also look for real foods with real sugar and real fat.  There is nothing wrong with going out and eating some junk food on a rest day.  I consider fat free yogurt junk food but that is not what I will indulge in on a rest day.  I will aim for pizza or In-N-Out burger and a milkshake from real ice cream on a rest day.

Drink plenty of water and get some sleep on rest days.  Rest is good.

As we increase the duration of our workouts, recovery becomes more important.  If you are under 35 and running for 3 miles or less, a glass of water after a workout is just fine.  For the rest of us, we need to consider other options.  Depending on the duration of our workout, we will need to recover in different ways ranging from recovery drinks to ice baths.

Ice baths can be a bit aggravating from going to the store to buy the ice to jumping into the tub full of ice.  On really tough days or at the end of tough weeks, I will take an ice bath after a 20+ mile run.

I don’t like to put the ice in until after I am in the tub full of cold water.  It is a bit uncomfortable but it does feel good after you are done.  I also like to have ice packs handy for my knees and calves on tough days.  I use anything I can to hold the ice packs in place.  They make custom straps with Velcro and foam to hold ice to any part of your body.

I use Ace bandages, old socks and saran wrap to hold the ice packs in place.  Use your imagination; just try to keep the ice pack tight.

I usually have a recovery drink after most hard runs.  Cytomax powder was my favorite for years.  Lately Clif and GU jumped into the fray with excellent products.  I really like the Clif and GU products with Cytomax right behind.

I always have the drink before I take a shower.  If you wait until after you shower, you will get all sweaty again.  I don’t notice any gain from the recovery drinks, I just notice the added pain from not having a recovery drink.

Massages are good but the cost can add up if you get one every week.  I use a foam roller on my calves and the sides of my legs but I don’t like to sit still long enough to use the roller because you can’t do anything else while using it.  Home electro stim machines are available for around $100 now.  They work really well to aid in recovery.  The home machines are not really strong enough to hit the big muscles but they work great on the smaller supporting muscles.

I had a low sugar Cytomax in a pre-mixed bottle.  I am not a fan of the low sugar drinks so I will not buy that stuff again.  If you like low sugar drinks it may be for you.  In my opinion, the Gatorade G-series stuff is better.

On to something worth writing about: Pretzel Crisps.  A couple of grocery bags full of pretzel crisps showed up on my door step a month or so ago.  I liked them so much, I went out and bought more.  I like the original and sesame and love the cinnamon toast flavor.  They are like potato chips.  Once you start, you don’t stop until the bag is empty so be careful.

I am not a fan of garlic so the garlic and everything flavors wound up at work.  My friends from Berkeley dipped them in soft cheese spreads and ranch dressing!  It turned my stomach to watch but they liked it.  I am going to change the subject before the political correctness police come after me.

Electro pulse stimulation on the calf muscles.  It is amazing what you can get for under $50 on Amazon.  It can take a little practice to get the pad placement just right.  The configuration I have pictured is off for the target muscle.  Since I did not want to lose my photographer, I kept the pads in place until the picture was taken.

The pad placement did the trick but it caused some discomfort after I took the pads off.  One side of my leg felt nice and massaged while the other side was tingly from poor pad placement.

I don’t need to use the stimulation machine every day but it is very easy to use and it does help.

I have been accused of being type “A” a time or two.  I say that because I consider cross training as rest.  I have also been known to do a session of P90X as my third workout for the day.  I don’t want to get injured, but I just wind up that way all of the time.  Last year, one of my Ironman buddies told me about cycling and rest.  I did my best to include buildup and rest weeks into my schedule but I just can’t help myself.  I always have to push myself.

This year, I took about 5 weeks off after the Vineman 70.3 Half Ironman triathlon.  Actually, I took two weeks off.  Did a hilly trail half marathon, and then took 3 weeks off.  I am easing back into training for the California International Marathon (CIM) coming up in December.  Most of my little injuries have healed.  I think my hip flexor injury will be with me for a few years so I will just have to live with it.

I went out for a run today and I was pain free.  When you get used to exercising in pain, it is really nice to not have pain when you go out for a run.  Rest is good.  The older you get, the more you need to rest.

I have been easing back into things for the last couple of weeks.  Now that I decided to do CIM, I have to dedicate myself to marathon training.  I would love to set a pace and finish the marathon at that pace.  I can run a half marathon at any pace I choose; the full marathon is a different animal.  There is just something about the mile 22 barrier that makes things difficult.

Now that I am back to running again, I will post my marathon training plan and do a few articles about how I mess up on my marathon training.  I imagine everything I do wrong involves over doing it on the long runs.  I will have to carry a note pad around and think of some of the things I do right too.

Rest is good.  Figure out ways to rest.

Moving up from international (Olympic) distance to half Ironman distance triathlons is a big leap.  It can sometimes mean going from 2 ½ to 3 hours for the event up to 6 to 7 hours for the event.

When you are training for a half Ironman or 70.3, you can do an international distance triathlon on Saturday and still have to go do a long training day on Sunday.   To maintain a happy family life, I had to make a deal with my wife that Saturdays would be my training day and Sunday would be my day for her.

The time commitment is huge.  I had to invest a lot of time and effort to finish in 6 ½ hours.  If I want to finish in 5 ½ hours, I would have to make another huge time investment.  Make sure your significant other and family understand the time and dedication required to successfully complete a 70.3 event.

Finishing in 6.5 hours was a big success for me.  I started serious training six months before the triathlon.  When I started training, I could do all of the events individually.  I could not do them back-to-back but I could do them.  I started out by building for three weeks and resting for one week.  The rest week would be about 50% of the total workout time of the training week.

Swimming – A typical week would entail of mornings swims four or five times a week varying between distance and speed work for a total of four swim miles per week.  I would occasionally add a weekend long swim in the bay to keep the open water swimming skills up.

Running – I would run at lunch from Monday to Thursday varying the distances from four-to-eight miles per day.  Some weeks, I would forgo the long run and do a faster tempo run instead.  On Saturdays, I would do a long run of 6-10 miles followed by a short bike ride of less than 50 miles.  Some weeks, I would do a half marathon with no bike ride after.

Cycling – I am a reluctant cyclist, so I always looked for an excuse to get out of riding but I forced myself to do a long bike ride on Saturdays.  I usually did 50-100 miles per week on the bike.  I never did speed work.  I just got on the thing and rode.

There is a lot to training for a half Ironman.  I woke up before 6:00 AM, almost every day of the week.  Some Saturdays, I would leave my house at 8:00 AM and get home at 8:00 PM.  During the week, I was in bed before 10:00 PM.

To learn how to train for a long triathlon, I read a lot of books on training and nutrition.  My physiology likes to stop eating while I am doing long distance training.  Poor nutrition on long training days has bad side effects.