It’s here! *THE* Long Run of your training. Most of you don't anticipate it with 'much' pleasure, but it's one of the most rewarding, mentally & physiologically, as it will for many of you, become the longest run of your careers… at least until early June, when you run a bit further for the big race;) Here some good notes and articles on the long run.
“While the long run is undoubtedly the most important mental training event for a marathon, it isn't the most important physically. I strongly believe that it's the miles covered on the way to this long training run -- and the marathon -- that truly count. The long run is your chance to put yourself to the test. Here are a few pointers to make sure you get it right.” Read the entire store here:
http://www.active.com/running/articles/marathon-training-the-long-run
And from our online friends at McMillan Running: "I don't think there's any other race distance where one single workout plays such a large part in the success or failure of the race. As a result, you're often left with many questions: How far should I run? Do I run for time or distance? What about pace? What to eat and drink? The list goes on and on."
https://www.mcmillanrunning.com/articlePages/article/2
"Above all, marathon training schedules must be designed so that runners are adequately rested prior to undertaking their long runs. One who completes at long runs of 20 miles or longer prior to his or her marathon will no doubt reduce the possibility of visiting the dreaded "wall" (the point in time when glycogen stores within the muscles have been depleted and as a result, the runner's pace slows considerably, oftentimes to a walk). In short, the majority of runners who experience difficulty in completing their long training runs fail to prepare adequately for these critical workouts. Remember that both long runs and the marathon don't have to be painful experiences. The key is to plan ahead." Read the entire article here:
http://www.marathontraining.com/marathon/m_longr.html
There are a handful of reasons not to do much more than 21-22 miles. The main one - “your body doesn’t see a significant increase in training benefits after running for 3-hours. The majority of physiological stimulus of long runs occurs between the 90 minute and 2:30 mark. To add insult to injury, running for longer than 3:30 significantly increases your chance of injury. Therefore, you’re leveraging some very slight training benefits for increased fatigue and injury risk.” Read more from Runner’s Connect here:
http://runnersconnect.net/running-training-articles/marathon-long-runs/
So with all of that, you’ll be that much closer to tackling possibly one of the longest runs of your lifetime (noob’s)
See ya out there!!!
Coach Aaron
Are you running Rock n Roll Marathon in 3.5 weeks? If you are, your training schedule likely has you doing your LONGest run this weekend. Join us! We're hosting our annual LONG Run on Saturday morning at 7:15am. If you're looking to do your 20-24mi run with a bunch of like-minded runners, coaches, volunteers and support, hit me up. Half Marathon options of 12-14 miles also available.
]]>It’s that time in your training to step it up a notch. Hill Training! Not only do we have some hilly races that we are training for, hill training in general is a great add-on to your program, for those who are ready and prepared. We are starting our Hill Training add-on phase.
Hill training has been proven to benefit runners that are training from distances from the 5k to the full marathon. Hill training is a form of “resistance training” which is beneficial in many sports. Many runners and coaches alike will replace all traditional “resistance training” with hill workouts. For some OMG reference, East Africans typically do hill runs that include up to 4,000 foot climbs over 13 miles distances.
For those who can’t join us on our training runs and looking to do some on your own, check out the first referenced article on Runner’s World. We will essentially be doing #2 “Hilly Power Run” though ours isn’t 10mi long, the effect is the same - strong medium distance hill after a solid easy warm-up of 3-4mi. http://www.runnersworld.com/workouts/head-for-the-hills
When hill running and comparing your pace and cadence, think back to good old Geometry. When running uphill, you not only have the horizontal component, but you now have a slight vertical (step up) component. Your leading foot will strike the ground quicker as the ground approaches quicker. With your cadence kept constant, your horizontal component (speed) will have to drop. The natural step up cannot be forgotten so this unfortunately does not count towards your horizontal ground speed in any way so consider it wasted ;)
With all of this in mind, your goal is to keep your overall effort equal, NOT your pace. If you have a Heart Rate Monitor, these are the times to wear it.
Many of us here in San Diego run the infamous La Jolla Half Marathon which was at one time deemed one of America’s (West Coast) toughest half marathon hill in a recent Road Runner’s magazine. The Torrey Pines hill is approximately 1.7 miles long and climbs 433 feet between miles 5.5 and 7.0 for an approximate 5% grade overall. To add insult to injury, miles 8.5 to 10.5 drop back down that same 420 feet which is nice and all until you get to mile 12 and have to run the next 0.5 mile up the 150ft climb. Good bye Quads!! For humor-me reference, that African Run up 4,000 feet also equates to a nearly 6% grade . . . just don’t forget that it’s over 13 miles!
The AFC Hill is also a doozy - not as steep as La Jolla Half, but the issue is that a) it’s at the end of the race, b) you’re legs are pretty wiped from the huge downhill at the beginning and c) being August, it can be very warm so weather is an issue.
Here is data on some of the local races:
Rock n Roll Half & Hot Chocolate 15k - 197ft over 1.75mi = 2.13% (Steepest ~6% between 1.6-1.7miles)
http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/185022418
AFC Half - 220ft over 1.39 miles = 3.0% Grade (Steepest ~ 6% between 1 and 1.2miles)
http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/185018034
La Jolla Half - 433ft over 1.7 miles = 4.8% (Steepest ~12% During first ¼ mile) http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/184990034
Running hills takes a lot of practice. Not only from a conditioning and strength training standpoint, but from a form and mechanics standpoint. Downhill running effectively takes even more practice, especially the “falling” over your feet without allowing yourself to go into a sprint which will in turn cause you to over stride which will in turn kill your Quads. With that said, hill training should only be done, however, once your base building phase is complete and you are “seasoned” and ready to take your training to the next level.
Hill Training is both beneficial for your running training and for your overall endurance fitness. But it needs to be approached with care, and like many other aspects of training, don't overdo it too much too soon.
See ya on the Hills!
All levels of training for short and long distance running can be broken in to four (4) zones:
As marathon training is concerned, we will focus most of our time and training in the first two zones, endurance and stamina. We will touch slightly on Speed, and little on Sprint zones.
Source: McMillan Running
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