Half Marathon Training Continues! Race Week and Beyond (Part IV)

Just as you need a race strategy to achieve a PR on race day, you will need a post-race strategy to help you recover after your effort (and maybe prepare you for another race down the line). The duration of your recovery depends on race distance. Use the following as a guide:

5K: Jog 1-2 miles after your race, and follow with some light stretching. Have a recovery snack, and follow with a post-race recovery meal within two hours. Take the following day off. Jog easy (with days off) for the next week.

If you want to race for another 5K PR, pick one week from your Track Work phase and repeat the workouts. Then follow a Race Week schedule to prepare you to race again.

This cycle can be repeated three more times before you will need to go back to Road Work.

10K: Jog 1-2 miles after your race., and follow with some light stretching. Have a recovery snack, and follow with a post-race recovery meal within two hours. Take the following day off. Jog easy (with days off) for the next week.

If you want to race another 10K PR, pick two weeks from your Track Work phase and repeat the workouts. Then follow a Race Week schedule to prepare you to race again.

This cycle can be repeated two more times before you will need to go back to Road Work.

Half Marathon: Walk half a mile to recover after your race (do not stretch). Have a recovery snack and follow with a post-race recovery meal within two hours. Take the next three days off, taking care to eat well and drink plenty of fluids. Jog easy to finish off the week. Then jog easy the following week.

If you want to race for another half marathon PR, the first thing you need to do is find another half marathon to race. If there is one available, count back from race days and plug in those weeks from your training schedule. For instance, if there is another half marathon in four weeks, count back four weeks in your training schedule (including Race Week), and begin to train again.

This cycle can only be used this one time before you will need to go back to Road Work.

Half Marathon Training Continues! Race Week and Beyond (Part III)

"How to Run a Personal Record: Cover the Ground in Front of You Faster Than Ever Before," by Dave Kuehls, p. 145-152.

1. Monday to Thursday: Caution

2. Friday to Saturday Morning: The 24-Hour Countdown

3. THE RACE

When the gun goes off, it is all about you. Fortunately, by this time, you will have two things going for you that race novices do not; a familiarity with the race distance and with the race pace.

These two things should give you a good shot at your PR. But if you want to increase the odds substantially, you need to keep a few general racing rules in mind, and also come up with a workable race strategy - one you have thought out in the weeks leading up to the race - that you can employ during the race. Here's what you need to know:

START CONTROLLED, FINISH STRONG

When the gun goes off, everyone's first impulse is to take off much faster than race pace. Call it nerves. Call it excitement. It is probably a little of both. Yet you must tame this impulse or risk losing precious energy at a point in the race that is essentially meaningless (who cares how fast you run the first 800 metres of your 5K or 2 miles of your half marathon?).

A good way to help stay controlled at the start line is to line up back in the pack a bit (but not too far back) rather than at the front lines. The congestion in front of you will force you to go out under control so you will have to work up to your race pace (which will empower you), rather than bolt out and then have to slow down to find race pace (which leaves you feeling tentative and out of sorts).

In the same vein, you want to finish the race strongly, but with a controlled strength. Finishing strong does not mean sprinting wildly for the last 100 metres, as so many runners do at races. This is a simple waste of energy, since a sprint over that distance can only earn you a few seconds off your finishing time (and besides, a sprint like that is usually guilt driven, following a huge drop off in pace). Instead, take that same energy - you know it's there - and use it to fuel race pace over the final 800 metres of a 5K or the final 2 miles of a half marathon, and you have a much more efficient use of that energy. And a finishing time that's more likely to be a PR.

THINK OF YOUR RACE IN SEGMENTS

Try thinking of a marathon, or even a 5K, in its entirety, and the task gets a little overwhelming. ("I have to run 26.2 miles! Do you know how far that is from my house?" "I have to run 3 consecutive miles in 9 minutes per mile! Just one of those miles puts me in pain!") If you think of your race as a whole, you will lose sleep, have a hard time training, and fail utterly in your quest for a PR.

Instead, what you need to do is what you did with the training process - divide it into segments. This is a general concept, a way of thinking about the race, not necessarily a way you will attack the race come race day (that would be your race strategy). For instance, a 5K race can be divided into three 1-mile segments,. Your 10K can be handled as two 3-milers; your half marathon as two 6-1/2-miles runs; and your marathon as two half marathons or two 10-milers and a 10K.

These divisions are better than thinking about the race as a whole. But if you are smart, you will think about your race in segments that correspond to the overall effort involved in covering the distance. They are as follows:

• 5K - the first two miles, then the last mile.
• 10K - the first four miles, then the last two miles.
• Half Marathon - the first 10 miles, then the last three miles.
• Marathon - the first 6 miles, then the middle 14 miles, then the last 6 miles.

HAVE A RACE STRATEGY

What should be your race strategy? That depends on the type of training you have done and how you feel coming into race day. If you have followed a training schedule in this book and taken care to rest and recover as race day approached, you should be ready to run these strategies for these races:

• 5K - even pace - at PR pace - for 3.1 miles. This is the most efficient use of your energy for a 5K.
• 10K - even pace - at PR pace - for 6.2 miles. This is the most efficient use of your energy for a 10K.
• Half Marathon - even pace - at PR pace - for 13.1 miles. This is the most efficient use of your energy for a half marathon.
• Marathon - The marathon is different from the other three race distances since an even-paced race will not work for your PR time goals. That's because every recreational marathoner slows down over the last 6 or 8 miles. It's inevitable. Therefore, for your race strategy, you need to build up a "time cushion" before you hit this point. You do this by averaging a pace faster than a break-even pace. (The marathon training programs in this book have you training at a pace that is 10 seconds per mile faster than even pace for your PR). Then, when you get to the inevitable slowdown over the last 6 or 8 miles, your strategy should be to hold on, keeping a slower, but still consistent, pace. This will be tough (you are running the miles that make the marathon infamous here). But if you don't panic at your slowing mile splits, and keep in mind that you have built up a substantial time cushion, you should be strong enough to hold on over the final miles and get to the finish line under your PR goal).

BAD PATCHES

Because distance running is hard work and it hurts, at certain points during your race you will be struck with a lack of energy and confidence. These moments are called "bad patches," and they need to be dealt with as soon as possible or they can linger, and cause a massive slowdown in pace. What should you do when you encounter a bad patch? First of all, try to keep running at your designated pace. Then work through some relaxation motions - like shaking your arms out, keeping your thumbs loose - while you remind yourself of all the hard work you have done in training and the fact that you are on pace to PR.

If that doesn't work, don't slow down. Instead, speed up. Try a gradual increase in pace for 100 yards or so, then come back to race pace. You should be more comfortable when you get back on race pace, and your bad patch will simply be a bad memory.

THE MIDDLE MILES MALAISE

Different from a bad patch, the "middle miles malaise" is a loss of focus during these crucial miles of your race (most often it strikes just after you have reached the halfway point). If left unchecked, it can slow down your race pace so that a PR is out of the question.

If you feel the middle miles malaise coming on, concentrate on your strike cadence and remind yourself of all the hard work you have put into training. Then, when you reach the next mile marker, note your time, and make it your only goal to run the next mile on pace. Do the same for the next mile. And the next. Until you have kicked the middle miles malaise out of your system.

FUEL AND FLUIDS

For fluids and fuel, the key is to eat and drink during training so you are comfortable with them in the race. First off, that means figuring out what kinds of fluids and fuel will be available at your race. You can do this by calling ahead and speaking to race organizers, or check the race website. Once you know what type of energy drink, for instance, that will be offered during your race, you can stockpile at home, and get used to drinking it during your training runs. A good time to do this is during your Saturday morning long runs, the runs that most closely resemble the race at hand.

Fuel can be handled in the same way. Find out what - if any - fuel will be available during your marathon (for example, Gu), stockpile it at home, then get used to it during your Saturday morning long runs.

You also have another option with fuel: You can bring your own - and this might be your only option during a half marathon. If you are particularly comfortable with one type of gel, for instance, you might consider taking them along for the run by pinning them to your shorts or the bottom of your singlet.

In general, here are your fluid and fuel priorities depending on race distance:

• 5K - no need for fluids or fuel
• 10K - no need for fluids or fuel (if it is a warm day, a cup of water halfway can invigorate you).
• Half Marathon - Fluids should be taken. Fuel can be used if you will be out on the course for more than 2 hours. For instance, pop a gel as you approach 10 miles and have only a 5K to go.
• Marathon - Fluids and fuel need to be taken . In general, fluid stations come along every 2 to 3 miles, offering water and energy replacement drink. Figure out during your long runs which kind of drink you will be taking and when. Similarly, figure out what type of fuel you will be taking and when, making sure to save fuel for the final 6 miles, when you will need it the most.

Half Marathon Training Continues! Race Week and Beyond (Part II)

"How to Run a Personal Record: Cover the Ground in Front of You Faster Than Ever Before," by Dave Kuehls, p. 143-4.

1. Monday to Thursday: Caution

2. Friday to Saturday Morning: The 24-Hour Countdown

Just like the week before your race is a crucial time to make or break your PR, so is the final 24 hours before the gun - but even more so. During this time any mistake (the wrong food, a brisk run) will be magnified because you have only a few hours to recover from those mistakes.

Therefore, here's a 24-hour countdown to race time that you can follow to keep on the straight and narrow:

24 HOURS OUT: Jog easy for a few miles during the time you will be racing tomorrow.

23 HOURS OUT: Eat a healthy and light breakfast.

22 HOURS OUT: Spend a good chunk of the morning reading the newspaper or a novel.

19 HOURS OUT: Have a carbohydrate-rich lunch. For many, it is better to get your carbs at lunch than during the evening. This lessens the chance of waking up bloated on race morning.

18 HOURS OUT: Nap time.

16 HOURS OUT: Arrange your race gear for tomorrow. Lay out your shorts, shirt, socks. shoes race bib, pins, chip, hat, and anything else you might be wearing for your race.

14 HOURS OUT: Have a healthy and light dinner.

12 HOURS OUT: Watch TV or a DVD. Caution: an action movie or thriller might not be a good bet at this time since it can hype you up and keep you from getting to sleep.

10 HOURS OUT: It might be fitful since you have so much on the line in the morning. but stay in bed and relax. (Also, the previous night's sleep is often designated as your real sleep night before your race. By why focus on just one night? Aim to get a good night's sleep each night during Race Week.)

3 HOURS OUT: Wake. Shower. Breakfast, if needed.

1 HOUR OUT: Arrive at the race. Warm up with light jogging, some stretching and a few striders.

15 MINUTES OUT: Find a spot behind the starting line. Put your watch in stopwatch mode.

10 MINUTES OUT: Go over race strategy.

1 MINUTE OUT: Take deep breaths and shake out your arms.

GO!

Half Marathon Training Continues! Race Week and Beyond

"How to Run a Personal Record: Cover the Ground in Frobnt of You Faster Than Ever Before," by Dave Kuehls, p. 139.

(Blogger's Note: I have completed Phases I & II of the training. Next week, I start Phase III: Track Work. I decided to jump ahead and post the race tapering information from my training program because this is what I am following this week).

Race Week and Beyond

Race week is when you make your final physical and mental preparations for the race. It is also, of course, when your race occurs. And it is the beginning of your recovery from that race.

That's a lot to pack into a fragile seven days. I say fragile because at the end of sixteen weeks of smart and intense training, your race is like a piece of finished sculpture. (Now all you have to do is transport it from one building to another, without breaking it, so it can go on display).

To better get a handle on all the challenges associated with Race Week, I have broken it down into four segments; Monday through Thursday ; the 24-hour period directly preceding the starting gun; the race itself; and the post-race period.

Let's take them one at a time.

1. Monday to Thursday: Caution

These are the days when you can take all the gains you have earned during those sixteen weeks of training , crumple them up into a ball, and throw them out the window.

I have seen runners who didn't know any better (and runners who should have known better) completely ruin their chances at PRs just a couple of days before the race).

And how did they do it? They went for runs on Tuesday or Wednesday of that week - and those runs turned into races. The runs were invigorating, exciting and they ran well (they were in great shape). But, then, when they shoed up for their race Saturday morning, they found that their midweek"races" had taken more out of them than they realized. And soon after the gun this fact dawned on them with cold certainty. They had blown it.

To make sure you don't blow it, here is a cautionary discussion of some of the misconceptions that tend to creep up during Race Week:

I STILL NEED MORE SPEED (OR MILEAGE)

During Race Week, all runs should be easy except where noted in the training schedules. A Tuesday light track workout at race pace, for instance, is a good way to get the legs moving during Race Week. (But it is a light workout and over with soon). The danger here is to doubt your training, think you are not fit, and try to squeeze one or more hard workouts into the limited time remaining. This could be a heavy track workout or, if you are training for a half marathon or marathon, one more long run six or seven days out.

This is foolish for two reasons: The first reason is that you will not have time to recover and so the workout will leave you fatigued on race day. The second is that any hard training takes a while to take effect - you need to recover and grow stronger to see the benefits - and a hard workout during Race Week will not even have enough time to "sink in."

Therefore, any hard training you do during Race Week should be thought of in this manner: You are tiring yourself out for nothing.

I NEED TO FAST TO BE FAST

You need to fuel yourself for you race, but as the race draws near the exact opposite impulse often strikes runners. They see a drop in mileage during the last week (or, for marathoners, during the last two weeks) as a reason to cut calories. They skimp on breakfast, nibble on lunch, and then skip dinner altogether. Because they are not running as much, they feel fat, and the only way to combat this feeling is to put less food in their mouths - which, of course, leads directly to a race where running PRs is simply out of the question, because they have not properly fueled themselves for their races.

During Race Week the lesson is simple: You need to eat. For starters, food keeps energy levels high (this, in turn, combats pre-race anxiety). It also stores fuel (needed to get you to the finish line). And it aids in recovery (your body is repairing damaged muscle tissue from sixteen weeks of training). All three are critical for PR race success.

The easiest way, then, to ensure that you are getting enough food during Race Week is to continue eating three meals a day. Your body should be conditioned to eat (and be hungry) at these times, so keep up the daily routine. Pay special attention to eating dinner, especially if you run during the late afternoon as cutting back (and cutting out) on a run at that time will lessen the usual pre-dinnertime hunger and the motivation to eat.

If any food can be cut during Race Week, it should be the "reward snack," the large cookie that comes on the afternoon of your long run or the bowl of ice cream on the night of a hard track workout. Save that eating for after the race.

I DON'T NEED REST

Resting is vital because the only way you can be completely ready to run a PR is to be so rested you are bursting at the seams to race but at the same time also at your highest level of fitness. This is your final "peak" for the race, and it's a tricky thing. Your training program - Road Work, Strength Work, and Track Work - has also been designed, over the course of months, to peak you for your race. So is the fact that in the weeks leading up to your race, you have been cutting back on mileage and the intensity of your workouts. But all that stuff has been the easy part. All you had to do was read a training program and then go out and do the prescribed workout.

The real challenge comes when "rest" starts to appear more frequently in the training program (for instance, most programs have two days of rest in a row during the final week). By the time you get to that point in your training - with the race just around the corner - many runners are either too antsy ("I can't take a day off now, I'll lose fitness") or too excited ("I'm ready to go") to refrain from running.

Yet rest is what you must do at this time if you want to PR. To do so, you need to remember that you won't "lose fitness" by taking days off close to your race. If you have followed the training program, the exact opposite will happen - you will gain fitness as the body takes its final rest before race time to repair itself and grow stronger. (This is the internal magic of peaking). Second, all that energy and enthusiasm is certainly a good thing, but it needs to be harnessed. Think of yourself as a racehorse in a paddock. You need to wait for the race to officially begin before you use that energy for its intended purpose.

Finally, there is a danger even if you do refrain from running during your rest day. The danger is you take that day to do a bunch of things that keep you on your feet, like running errands or cutting the lawn. "Rest day" means no running. But it also means taking it easy, keeping your feet up, and relaxing. So watch this tendency to burn that running energy through a series of non-running activities on your rest day.

REVIEW - HM Training Phase II: Strength Work

# of Runs Scheduled: 12 purpose runs + 6 optional runs (3 weeks X 4 runs per week + 2 optional runs per week)

Scheduled Mileage (Achieved Mileage):

*Note: This applies to 6 runs and excludes both hill and tempo workouts, which are not completed according to mileage.

Week #9 = 31 km (11.5 km + 19.5 km) + optional 13 km (6.5 km x 2)

(32 km (12 km + 20 km) + 0 optional runs)

Week #10 = 27.5 km (11.5 km + 16 km) + optional 13 km (6.5 km x 2)

(15 km (5 km + 10 km race) + 1 x 6.5 km optional run)

Week #11 = 27.5 km + optional 13 km (6.5 km x 2)

(27.5 km (11.5 km + 16 km) + 1 x 2.7 km optional run)

TOTAL = 86 km + 39 km (optional)

(74.5 km + 9.2 km (optional))

I ran 4 out of 6 of these runs as scheduled, decreased mileage for one of them, and changed one to a 10 km race.

TEMPO WORKOUT

Week #9 - tempo for 40/40 minutes (check)

Week #10 - tempo for 16/40 minutes

Week #11 - tempo for 30/40 minutes

HILL WORKOUT

Week #9 - 6 + 2 walked repeats / 8 repeats scheduled

Week #10 - 10 repeats / 10 repeats scheduled (check)

Week #11 - 8 repeats / 12 repeats scheduled

Observations:

1. Tempo workouts - I attempted all them. I am disappointed because I would have liked to have seen #1 @6:40, #2 @6:30 and #3 @6:20. It just wasn't in the cards for me during this round of training so I will have to wait until the next round of HM training to try it again.

2. If I were to claim my 10 km race in Ingersoll as a @6:30 tempo, then I did achieve #1 and #2 from above; just not #3 this past week. Semantics!

3. Hill workouts - I attempted all of them. I am more pleased with the 8 solid repeats I did this past week when I was scheduled for 12 than I am of the other two workouts. I know the quality was there. My workout with 10/10 repeats could be claimed as *perfect* but I didn't run the day before so I had an advantage of being rested.

4. I would have liked to have attempted more optional runs, but I really needed the extra rest. I am curious to see during the next round of HM training if I feel "less" tired and can attempt more of these runs as a result of improved fitness.

5. I ran 2 out of the 3 long slow distances. Both my 20 km and my 16 km were strong. :) Once again, I think the "5 km out of 16 km" run is an indication that inserting another recovery week (after Week #8 when Road Work ends and before Strength Work begins) would be ideal.

Half Marathon Training Continues! Phase II: Strength Work (Long Runs)

"How to Run a Personal Record: Cover the Ground in Front of You Faster Than Ever Before," by Dave Kuehls, pg. 16-17.

Long Runs:

The Saturday long run carries over from the Road Work phase. If you are involved in 5K, 10K, or half-marathon training, the long run will stay constant or will vary slightly from week to week. For instance, one Saturday you might run 12 miles and the next Saturday you would run 10 miles, and then next you will run 10 miles again (for half marathon training). If you are involved in marathon training, the long run will still be building during the Strength Work phase. For instance, a Saturday long run will go from 14 miles to 18 miles in a one-week period of the Strength Work phase (marathon-training plan). Carry over all the long run lessons learned during the Road Work phase. And make sure not to skip it. The long run at this point is what gives you the endurance to handle your hill runs and your tempos runs. Without a long run for a period of weeks, you will simply "run out of gas" one day on the hills or during a tempo run. And then you will have to go back to the drawing board - back to the Road Work phase to build up your endurance again.

Note: The long run in this phase is not treated exactly the same as during the Road Work phase. You don't have two days to recover and prepare for it after the midweek run. And you don't have three days to recover from it before the midweek run. Instead, only one day separates your Thursday tempo run from your long run at the end of the week, and only two days separate your long run from your hill run on Tuesday. This means that the recovery days serve a slightly different function during the Strength Work phase (see earlier post re: recovery days), but also the long run itself has changed. No longer is it the ultimate workout for the week - the reason for your week's running - but instead, a piece of the training week that also includes two other efforts that need to be focused on: your hill and tempos runs.

What this means is that the long run might have to be handled a bit gingerly in the first week or two of this phase: Start slower. Spend more time in the warm-up phase of the long run, the first couple of miles when you are getting your legs, and also resist the temptation to push it the last couple of miles.

What it also means psychologically could be just the opposite. That is, that the long run, since it is not the sole focus of the week anymore, could also become easier as the Strength Work phase goes on. There is less pressure on you to complete the long run. Instead, it is simply another workout that needs to be done during the week. Another factor making the long run easier at this point could be the fact that you are getting "more fit."

REVIEW - HM Training Phase I: Road Work

# of Runs Scheduled: 40 (8 weeks x 5 runs/week)

Scheduled Mileage (Achieved Mileage):

Week #1 = 47.5 km (50 km)

Week #2 = 50.5 km (45 km)

Week #3 = 55.5 km (50 km)

Week #4 = 58.5 km (47 km)

Week #5 = 58.5 km (46.5 km)

Week #6 = 62 km (62 km)

Week #7 = 65 km (36 km)

Week #8 = 68.5 km (65 km)

TOTAL = 466 km (401.5 km) / 289.6 miles (250 miles)

I ran 33 of those runs and changed 2 of them to races =

• 17 runs completed exactly as scheduled
• 11 runs with increased the mileage (!!!), but not enough to make up for my 65 km shortfall :(
• 5 runs with decreased mileage

5 outright cancelled runs:

1. 1 recovery run (Week #2 - very tired)

2. 1 recovery run (Week #3 because of a wedding)

3. 1 midweek medium run (Week #5 due to a wicked migraine)

4. 1 LSD (Week #7 - self-imposed recovery week and race)

5. 1 recovery run (Week #7 - self-imposed recovery week)

2 runs changed to races: (Week #4 and Week #7)

# striders scheduled/completed = 10/6

Observations:

1. I increased the mileage on runs twice as much than I decreased. This surprised me! Cool! :)

2. I did more striders than I expected - I thought I skipped more. :( 60% is not great. Isn't that a "C" if I were grading?

3. I was surprised that most of my decreased mileage runs were in one week (crazy heat week). This was a surprise to me because I thought there was more. :)

4. I had valid and good reasons for canceling the five runs.

5. My Thursday midweek medium runs (13K) were almost all negatively affected. :( Not good. :(

6. It was with interest that I see how challenging my Week #4 was (when ideally I should have had a recovery week). Most of my decreased mileage runs occurred during this week. I attribute this to the onslaught of heat and humidity (a.k.a the heat bubble), but I think it still underscores my need to add supplemental recovery weeks to this training program.

7. The point of Phase I: Road Work is just to run slow, easy mileage for eight weeks. In keeping with this philosophy, I stopped uploading my Garmin results to the DailyMile and just manually added the mileage. I also stopped posting my time and mileage in my posts (not sure if this was even noticed or not).

However ... I still kept a record of my pace on the right-hand side of my blog to log any milestones, and I still downloaded my results every day to check.

When my BIL and sister visited the last time, my BIL told me laughingly how my sister had weeks worth of runs on her Garmin that had not been downloaded. She just didn't care. She would use her Garmin for distance, but not pay any attention to any other information upon arriving home. It made a big impression on me. Even though I wasn't posting my pace for all to see, it didn't mean that I was ignoring it. I was still checking it daily, and it was negatively affecting me because I was seeing a decrease in my pace average.

Yet, my sister, who is aiming for a sub-1:45 in the Toronto Waterfront Half Marathon next month, didn't pay one iota of attention to it. She took the training advice to heart ... it's just about the mileage and endurance build-up so it's not necessary to obsess over pace ... yet ...

I am blogging this now because I think this is is one of the best learnings, and I'm challenging myself to follow my sister's lead the next time I use this program for training for a half marathon. Lesson learned. :)

Half Marathon Training Continues! Phase II: Strength Work (Tempo Runs)

"How to Run a Personal Record: Cover the Ground in Front of You Faster Than Ever Before," by Dave Kuehls, pg. 15-16.

Tempo Runs:

The other cornerstone workout of the Strength Work phase, tempo runs, take a little time getting used to, but once you do, they will be an effective tool that carries over to the Track Work phase. Tempo runs are done on Thursdays Following your hill work (Note: Fridays in my case because of my shifted schedule). On a flat, soft surface run 20 to 40 minutes at a pace that is just below the point where you would be uncomfortable trying to hold that pace for a good length of time. This will be tricky at first, and you may go out too fast only to slow down severely after a couple of minutes of running, blowing your first attempt at a tempo run. Instead, start slowly, gradually work up to a pace that is uncomfortable, then back off slightly to find tempo pace. A flat surface is key because you are getting your body to push your anaerobic threshold up by holding a pace that is just below it for a consistent amount of time - and this would be hard to do on an up-and-down course. Warm up for a mile or two before beginning a tempo run, and cool down afterward with the same distance.

Half Marathon Training Continues! Phase II: Strength Work (Recovery Runs & Days Off)

"How to Run a Personal Record: Cover the Ground in Front of You Faster Than Ever Before," by Dave Kuehls, pg. 17.

The Recovery Runs:

Runners think about their upcoming runs all the time - at home, at work, during school. Whether they realize it or not, this thinking helps them get ready for the next run at hand. Yet, as any runner will tell you, there is one time when we do our best thinking about an upcoming run - and that is during a run itself, most often a run that is done the day before. Therefore, some recovery runs during the Strength Work phase take on an additional task, one that is preparatory in nature, helping you get ready for your hill workout or tempo run.

You'll do this two-for-one run by simply dividing a run in half. Spend the first 2 miles of a 4 mile run in the recovery mode - start very easy and slow down if you have to. Then shift gears and spend the next 2 miles in the preparatory mode. Freshen up the pace a little. Evaluate how you are feeling. See yourself conquering those hills or maintaining tempo pace tomorrow. You will notice the difference.

Days Off:

Sunday remains a day off during the Strength Work phase (Note: Mondays on my shifted schedule), but you should consider taking some of the other recovery days off, especially in the first week or two after the shift from Road Work. For example, if the first hill workout has really taken it out of you, opt for a complete recovery day (day off) the next day rather than getting back out there and running. You will need to monitor your fatigue level at this time because any new stress that is thrown into the training program (like stress from a hill workout) can cause injury or illness if it is not accompanied by adequate recovery. When in doubt, take the day off.

Half Marathon Training Continues! Phase II: Strength Work (Hill Work)

"How to Run a Personal Record: Cover the Ground in Front of You Faster Than Ever Before," by Dave Kuehls, pg. 14 - 15.

Hill Work:

One of the two cornerstone workouts for the Strength Work phase, hills are run on Tuesdays during the week (Note: Wednesdays in my case because I pushed the schedule by one day so that I have two workouts on the weekend, hence why I have Mondays off.) The key, of course, is finding the right hill. Look for one about 100-200 meters long and about the grade of a highway exit ramp, something challenging but not severe. Footing is also important, so some trails may be off limits. Traffic may be another impediment, so some roads may not be ideal. Scout out possible hill work locations while still in your Road Work phase, so as not to be stuck when hill work comes upon you and you are without an adequate hill.

For hill work, after a warm-up jog, you'll run several times up a hill, then follow that up with a cool-down jog. On the hills, you should shorten your stride, leaning into the hill and dropping your arms so that they pump near the waist. Start conservative at the bottom of the hill and try to maintain pace the entire way up (this is Strength Work, not speed). Always "run through the hill." That is, as you approach the crest, don't slow down, but maintain your cadence even as the hill levels out. On the way down, run slowly and carefully, as injury is more likely to occur going down a hill than going up. At the bottom, jog for a minute or two before beginning the next hill climb.

Half Marathon Training Continues! Phase II: Strength Work

"How to Run a Personal Record: Cover the Ground in Front of You Faster Than Ever Before," by Dave Kuehls, pg. 13-15.

Strength Work exists as a middleman in the training process. It is transitional in nature - getting the runner from Road Work to Track Work - but vital to the overall training plan.

What is it?

Strength Work includes hill climbs and tempo runs.

What does it do for you?

Strength Work gives you strength - in your legs, arms and overall cardiovascular system - strength you will need to "keep the pace" during your race. Strength Work is also a bridge between Road Work and Track Work. By that I mean Strength Work prepares the body (coming from a lot of long, slow runs) for the exertion of track work. Without Strength Work, the abrupt shift from slow to fast could cause an injury that would end the training program.

What workouts does it include?

Several climbs up a gradual hill and tempo runs of 20-40 minutes.

How do I do it?

For hills, start at the bottom of the hill and run up it at a brisk, but controlled pace. For 5Ks and 10Ks, you will do 4-6 repeats. For the half and full marathons, you will do 6-8.

For tempos runs, find a flat stretch of trail of road and run steadily at a pace that 'comfortably close' to PR pace for the distance that you are training for. For 5Ks and 10Ks you will run for 20 minutes. For half and full marathons, you will run for 40 minutes.

What mental approach should I take to Strength Work?

Strength Work is when you really start to focus on effort in your training. You'll need to prepare yourself before each run for the effort and also keep steady during your runs.

What distances for Strength Work should I expect?

Hill Work will amount to a mile or two in total distance; tempo runs of 40 minutes during half and full marathon training can cover four to five miles (6.4 - 8 km).

Half Marathon Training Begins! Phase I: Road Work

"How to Run a Personal Record: Cover the Ground in Front of You Faster Than Ever Before," by Dave Kuehls, pg. 9 - 13.

How to Train for a PR

There is no completely right or wrong way to train - there are training philosophies that work for some, and different training philosophies that work for others. For example, many successful distance runners train at altitude. Many successful distance runners do not train at altitude. There's no one way.

That said, the training philosophy behind this book is based on a solid three-pronged approach that has been used for decades by many runners - elite athletes as well as every day joggers. The guiding principle is that in order to run fast, to run a PR during a race, you must work through three stages of training: Road Work, Strength Work, and Track Work, which includes a secret workout.

Road Work (8 weeks)

Road Work (a.k.a. distance work) is often given short shrift - sometimes even overlooked altogether - when a runner is concentrating on running a PR. Training manuals paraphrase the weeks and months of boring distance work a runner needs to do in preparation to race, and this has a tendency to belittle the phase, as though you can get by without it (or at least some of it), causing many runners to try just that. For example, they will be instructed to put in six weeks of Road Work prior to hitting the track, but they cut that down to perhaps three or four and then jump right in.

This is a mistake. Traditionally this phase has been known by other names, like the Endurance Phase, but for this book, I have renamed it Road Work for a singular reason: "Road Work" is a boxing term. It refers to the long, slow miles a boxer will put in (often behind a car driven by his trainer), and as any boxer knows, Road Work is vital to his success. It literally gives him the legs to stand on when he is in the ring, particularly in later rounds. Without Road Work, a boxer cannot compete with another in the ring. And without Road Work, a runner cannot compete with himself (or herself!) during a race.

What is it?

Road Work consists of the long, slow runs you do exclusively in the first half of your training program. It also encompasses the runs you do once or twice a week later in your program., during Strength and Track Work.

What does it do for you?

Road Work builds up a well of endurance that enables you to "race" the distance. It also provides a base upon which you can add strength and speed without breaking down or becoming exhausted.

What workouts does it include?

In this training program, the weekly long run, the midweek medium run, and the short, slow recovery runs in between make up Road Work.

How do I do it?

You should start slow (at a conversational pace, a pace during which you can carry on a conversation) and finish slow. Run on a relatively flat surface (distance, not hills, should be your challenge), and build up the distance of your runs every week or two weeks. This is done by targeting a long run once a week but also by upping the mileage of some of your other runs during the week. The end result is that you gradually cover more miles in your long run and also run more total miles during the week.

What mental approach should I take to Road Work?

After a few weeks, Road Work can become boring - you are running slow miles every day - and the temptation is to pick it up on some runs and sooner or later you are no longer running long and slow but short and fast, and your eight weeks of Road Work has been cut in half. Therefore, it is helpful to remind yourself of your goal each day during the Road Work phase: to complete the distance at a slow pace. That's because endurance comes from one thing: time spent running.

What distances for Road Work should I expect?

For a long run, expect to run up to 8 miles while training for a 5K, 10 miles whiles training for a 10K, 16 miles while training for a half marathon, and 23 miles while training for a marathon. For weekly mileage, expect to work up to a 30-plus miles a week for a 5K, 35-plus miles a week for a 10K, 40-plus miles a week for a half marathon, and 50-plus for a marathon.

THE ROAD WORK PHASE: THE ESSENTIALS

The Long Run:

THe long run is the cornerstone workout in the Road Work phase. The long run preferably occurs on Saturday so Sunday can be spent in recovery, and should take place on a flat, soft surface ... (edited) ... Loop courses might be preferable to train on if you are prepping for a half marathon or marathon, because more half marathons and marathons are not out-and-back and you want to simulate the nature of the course. Overall pace is conversational, and the run can be divided into psychological chunks to help you get through it. For example, if a 16-mile long run is thought of in its entirety, it will make the run seem interminable. But if you can mentally divide the distance into two 8-mile chunks or four segments of 4 miles, this will lighten the load.

Also, the longer the long run, the more helpful it will be to run it with a training partner.

The Midweek Medium Run:

The midweek medium run is a supplemental run in the Road Work phase. This run usually occurs on Wednesday (Note: Thursday in my shifted program), after you have had adequate time to recover from the last long run and have enough time ahead of you to prepare for the next long run on Saturday (Note: Sunday in my shifted program). Preferably run on a soft, flat surface, if you are training for a marathon and race day is coming up, the midweek medium run might be a good time to "hit the road" to simulate the surface conditions of race day. Run at a conversational pace or slightly faster (this is simply the nature of going less distance), yet monitor the run so as not to become too fast. Distances vary depending on your race distance.

The Recovery Runs:

Recovery runs are the short-distance workouts you run on days when you are not engaged in a long run or a medium distance run. Recovery runs should be done on a soft, flat surface (to promote recovery) and run at conversational pace or slower. There is a big temptation to run recovery runs fast (since they are so short)and this should be avoided at all costs. Without true recovery during your recovery runs, the Road Work phase will break you down in a matter of weeks. In that respect, slow recovery runs are most important run during Road Work. If you choose to run them too fast, you will not be able to go on.

Days Off:

The day, usually Sunday (Note: Monday in my shifted program), following the long run is a day off, a day of rest. This is part of the training process, which can be boiled down to this principle: You stress the body during a long run, then you let the body rest and recover so that it grow stronger. The Sunday day off is the first day in a three-day rest cycle, which is as follows: Rest day, recovery run, recovery run. It is also the most crucial. The day following your long run is the day when muscle tissue is at its most sore, tendons are their most tender, and the body is most fatigued. You need to rest. Without it, you will be too fatigued to continue training, and eventually break down, becoming injured or ill or both.

Striders:

A few weeks into the Road Work phase, you will do striders following select recovery runs. Striders are short, 80-100 meter runs on a flat, soft surface. They are not sprints, but "pick-ups" run at a fresh pace. They serve two purposes. They let the legs run faster, after weeks of long, slow running. And they prepare the body for faster work in the Strength Work phase, when you will be running hills and tempo runs.