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ASK THE COACH 

By Coach Kirt West 

Dear Coach: I have entered a fall marathon and want to run it in 3:30. My weekly long run is 12 miles and I have been trying to run it at 8:00 per mile, my marathon goal pace. My concern is that I may not be able to hold that pace when I begin to increase my long runs to 20 to 24 miles. I do a weekly tempo run and do all my other runs at about 8:30 per mile. I have recently run a 45 minute 10K. Bill 

Dear Bill: You are risking becoming over-trained and burned out before the marathon by doing both your easy days and long runs too hard. You are doing too much, too hard, too soon. Instead, try the following approach. For the time being, do your easy days and long runs at 60 to 70 percent on your heart monitor or a very easy conversational pace if you don’t use a monitor. Based on your present 10K time, this should be about a 9:00 to 9:15 per mile pace. I would continue a 20-minute tempo run at anaerobic threshold of 80 to 85 percent each week, but would add a second workout of three one-mile repeats, also at 80 to 85 percent with a one minute recovery between miles. Starting in August, start predicted marathon pace (PMP) runs with an initial three-mile PMP run and add one mile each week to your PMP run until you have run 12 to 13 miles at PMP three weeks before your marathon. Because this PMP workout will be somewhat taxing, you need to cut back your anaerobic threshold workouts to one per week. You can either do the PMP workout as a separate workout or incorporate it into the middle of your long run. Be sure to do a three-week taper before the marathon. 

Dear Coach: I want to increase my stride length. Can you recommend some flexibility exercises and weight workouts to help me do that? Jennifer 

Dear Jennifer: You have posed an interesting question. All runners should be trying to increase stride length since stride length determines how fast you run. I once watched a marathon in which the two leaders were very different in size. One was about 5’3” while the other was 6’3”, a foot taller. Yet, they were running stride for stride together and had the same stride length even though one was much taller. It is true that flexibility will help increase your stride length because your muscles won’t be as tight and therefore will be able to extend further. This is the reason why most elite athletes do a lot of stretching and receive daily massages. They also incorporate drills into their training, such as high knees, butt kicks, toe walks, skip bounding, etc., in order to increase their flexibility. Another way to increase your stride length and is to become a stronger runner. This means running more miles, running hills, and doing speed work. If you slowly increase mileage, do speedwork, incorporate drills, run hills, and stretch on a regular basis, your stride length should increase. 

Dear Coach: What do you think about summer racing in preparation for the fall racing season? Jim 

Dear Jim: Unless you are a veteran racer, be very careful and look for a quality race with good support, including aid stations and lots of course marshals. Summer racing can be dangerous because of the heat and humidity. Having said that, summer racing can be great mental preparation for the fall if you approach it carefully. I tell myself, while feeling absolutely miserable in the heat, that, if I can handle an August race, when the cold days of October and November come along I will be ready to run some great times. When the weather is too hot, consider turning the race into a controlled workout or just go out and enjoy the post-race festivities. Two of my favorite races are the Leesburg 10K and the Annapolis 10 Miler. Both have lots of aid stations and provide runners with the tender loving care they need in an August race. The post-race festivities of both races are terrific. In Leesburg you can cool down with ice cream after your run! For those training for the marathon, the Montgomery County Road Runners Club half-marathon in early August should be considered. 

Coach Kirt West is a private coach for motivated adult runners. Questions for him can be sent to kirtwest@erols.com or c/o the Washington Running Report.

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