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Back to Training Tips Table of
Contents
The
days of over-training for the Marathon are over:
Today’s runners combine science and common sense to prepare themselves for an
event…
By
Joe Dougherty
Usually it’s the lower limbs that are the first to go, starting at the
calves and working up the hamstrings – that weak-kneed sensation that makes
you feel as if your legs are made of spaghetti.
From there it could be one of any number of things:
shortness of breath, dizziness, tunnel vision, and a queasy feeling
directly related to failed attempts to suck in oxygen by the metric ton.
Then the mind kicks in, informing the rest of the body that, yes, you do
plan to reach the finish line and, no it won’t be on a stretcher. Although you later don’t remember doing it, you eventually
cross the finish line, in dire need of several gallons of Evian and a bed.
The story is familiar to almost anyone who has taken up competitive
distance running, whether as a hobby or as a profession (although the
professionals would likely claim that, if they did in fact experience
such an event, it was so long ago they can’t remember it.)
Often experienced in a person’s first-ever competitive race, it is the
result of a poor training program and inexperience in preparing for the first
“big race.”
“Anyone can run 26 miles – it’s not as hard as everyone thinks,”
says Jeff Reed an Arlington resident who has been running competitively for 15
years. “The hard part is being
able to walk the next day. That’s
the challenge. There is a lot of
needless pain when you run a long race and you’re not ready for it.
It’s more enjoyable to run when you’re in shape.”
Experienced runners and trainers agree there are basically three phases
when preparing for the big race”: Build-up,
intensity, and preparation.
The
problem with runners entering their first major race, experienced runners say,
is that they are not physically prepared. Some
runners, thinking they are intrinsically fit enough, give themselves very little
time to train. Others over-prepare,
running themselves into the ground months ahead of time with the philosophy that
by training hard every day, the actual run will not be difficult.
The latter mistake is usually the most common, says Reed, noting that the
running mentality of the 1970s – long runs everyday – still exists with
newer runners.
“That was the period when overtraining was the thing to do.” Reed says. “Now
it’s easier because it’s not popular to do heavy mileage anymore.
People have come to realize you don’t need that.
If you do your usual training and one long run a week, you can do just as
well or better because your body is not destroyed.”
Rather than aiming for triple-digit miles every week, Dan Rincon, the
head cross country coach and assistant track-and-field coach at the University
of Maryland, said inexperienced runners must first learn what their bodies are
capable of handling.
The best way to do that, he says, is to start the build-up phase early
– at least 14 to 16 weeks before medium-size races.
For longer runs, such as the Marine Corps Marathon, training should begin
as much as a year ahead of time.
With that in mind, runners should first establish some sort of daily
training schedule that takes into consideration their jobs, family time, and
other responsibilities. Should you
run in the morning? At lunch?
At night?
With that decided, the next decision is to determine how much to run.
“Everyone’s a little different,” says Rincon, who advises and helps
train Jim Hage, one of the area’s top runners and two-time winner of the
Marine Corps Marathon. “For some
people, 15 miles (a day) may be their big run.
For others it may be 30.”
During the build-up phase, Rincon recommends a daily run of six to eight
miles, with a longer run on Sunday. That
schedule can deviate, but the longer run should be about 50 percent longer than
the daily run.
Reed agrees, but noted that runners should focus not only on the mileage.
“It’s not a numbers thing,” he says.
“You have to find out what’s right for you.
If your body can’t handle a lot of miles, you have to adjust.”
The weekend runs provide the strong base level of endurance, while the
longer runs prepare the body for the extra endurance needed for the race.
This, says George Mason University Track and Field Coach John Cook, is
where the real fun begins. And he
should know. A native of Germany
and former soccer player, Cook has turned GMU into one of the nation’s premier
track teams. From Rob Muzzio, the
two-time NCAA decathlon champion, to Abdi Bile, the world champion in the 1500
meter race, Cook’s individual athletes and teams have placed the small Fairfax
school on the track-and-field map.
“The name of the game,” says Cook, “is fitness.”
The build-up phase, says Cook, is the proper technique for aerobic
training, that is, allowing the body to maintain the correct oxygen supply while
still training. The marathon, he
says, is an aerobic exercise because the respiratory and circulatory systems are
not strained to the point of depleting the body of needed oxygen.
Anaerobic exercising, however, is training when the body is depleted of
oxygen. That, of course, means
speed training.
Cook’s ideal weekly workout is as follows:
One day of long interval workouts, consisting of several 1000- or
1600-meter runs. Between each run
you should take a 60-second rest. Those
runs should equal the same distance as the daily distance runs and should be
preceded and followed by longer, easy runs.
Two other days should be set aside for hill workouts.
“It’s best if you find a continuous hill,” although he says they
should have gradual slopes, not steep. One
of the hill days should focus on shorter runs, while the second should include
longer runs. Each run should be
done incrementally, with rests in between.
The remaining four days should remain distance days, with the fourth day
the longer run. But while the
volume should stay the same, the intensity and speed of the runs should
increase, he says.
Both Cook and Rincon agree that one of the biggest mistakes distance
runners can make is to increase the intensity and speed to the point of
stressing and, eventually, injuring the body.
“You can’t keep up the large volume and increase the intensity for
very long without a breakdown,” Rincon says.
Runners should therefore keep close eye on body “messages” that tells
them to slow it down a notch. As
your body is being broken down by the heavier workouts, they say, it must be
given the opportunity to naturally mend itself.
It is at that point when nagging injuries often occur.
“There are times you know there is absolutely no way you’re going to
get a run in. You should listen to
your body and incorporate some rest. That’s
an important factor as the body adapts to the harder efforts.”
The final
phase focuses on preparation – both physical and mental.
Starting about 10 to 14 days before the race, rather than increasing
tempo, experts say runners should concentrate on resting.
Known as “tapering,” this time period is used to freshen the legs and
build up the body’s energy resources. Interval
training is completed, and distance runs should be cut in half, with the one
long run still maintained.
At the two-week mark, as Reed puts it, “You’re either in shape or
you’re not. You might as well be
well-rested.”
Rincon says you know you are
ready “when you finish your run feeling as if you didn’t run enough.
That’s when you are building your energy up, and that’s what you
want.” The last few days can also
be used for mental preparation. Rincon
advises runners to know the course ahead of time and create in their minds how
they intend to run the race. “It
gives you a sense of calm and confidence as you approach the starting line if
you’ve already mentally rehearsed the race in your head.”
Rincon knows from where he speaks. A
state champion distance runner in high school, he was an All-American while a
student at Maryland and was the Atlantic coast conference champion in the 6-mile
run, now known as the 10,000-meter run.
In 1980 he recorded the nation’s 5th fastest time for 20
kilometers and 8th for 10 miles (47:49).
His personal best include a 4:09 mile and a two-hour, 20-minute marathon.
A realist, Reed says that runners just entering competitive running
shouldn’t expect tremendous results. Instead,
they should set their own goals and concentrate on meeting them, rather than
attempting to lead the pack. Further,
Reed says that no matter how much you train, unless you’re the best in the
field, there will be a gap separating the good from the best.
Offering his last-minute advice, Rincon says, “If you’re a first-time
marathoner, give yourself the time to prepare properly.
There is nothing worse than not being properly prepared and paying the
consequences for it.
FUELING
YOUR FOOT-POWER
While for
some the actual running may be the hardest part of training for a race, for
others the most difficult aspect is deciding which food is safe enough to shovel
into their mouths.
The world’s perfect diet has yet to be created, but nutritionists have
consistently recommended a meal plan that consists heavily of carbohydrates,
such as pasta and potatoes (and that doesn’t mean pizza and french fries).
Fried foods and foods with heavy fat content should be avoided at all
costs. “Fat is fat,” says Cook.
“In a 40-minute workout, you’ll burn the hell out of carbohydrates,
but you will not have even started on the fat.”
Cook says men are capable of burning fat faster than women and can be a
bit more lenient. Still, he says
women should be limited to 20 to30 grams of fat a day, and men 40 to 50.
And the morning of the race? “Eat whatever your body is used to,” says Reed. Before races, he says he munches on a few pieces of bread to keep something in his stomach. After the race: “I eat like a pig.”
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