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Easy week

Training this week has been restricted to one 12mile bike ride and a round of golf, thanks to a stomach bug and work demands.

I've been paying more attention to my diet; taking toast and sandwich bread out of my diet, although there may have been too much Irn Bru in my fluid replacement plan!

Normal levels of commitment will be resumed tomorrow, I now know for sure my calf won't take a half marathon for at least the next few months, and the race organisers at Edinburgh won't allow me to swap to a shorter distance.

Time to focus on shorter distances with more frequency, so I'll need to dig out some old training manuals on our return home.

This week's training, it's not over yet!

I've been reading quite a bit on running this week; George Sheehan, my constant companion, and his now somewhat outdated books, which still have a great deal to teach on the subject of motivation and the love of running for it's own sake.

This week George reminded me to keep interval training in my repertoire, so after Wednesday's "almost" five-miler(calf still improving, but nowehere near quickly enough to allow me to do the Edinburgh Half Marathon at the back end of May), I shortened the distance of Friday's run to 3.5M and threw in some ad-hoc sprints, which almost killed me! The following morning there were some complaints from both legs, but nothing out of the ordinary, so I'll be repeating this next week with a little more distance for each sprint.

I've also been keeping blog The Logic of Long Distance in my RSS feeds, and while it takes a few minutes to read the articles are always thought-provoking. The latest entry was very timely, being on the subject of patient improvement rather than pursuing training gains until you break something, a lesson I have learned through bitter experience. One reasons I really like this blog is that it doesn't spend half the entries plugging a book/dvd/gear, and always seems relevant to my own experiences, coming late to distance running as I am I need all the advice and guidance I can get!

Tomorrow will be my "substitute" long slow run, so another twenty mile plus cycle ride up through the Carron Valley, unless someone suggests a better route before then!

Running update

Well, it's a racing certainty I won't be making the Edinburgh Half. My calf is improving, but too slowly, I'm currently up to 4.75M at a push before it starts giving out.

A major improvement on February's constant limping, but not enough time remains to get me to thirteen miles.

Interval training needs to kick in soon to get my pace up without adding any more distance to my runs, I suspect the best I'll be able to manage is a 10k by the end of May, so hey ho, there's still a good reason to run!

I've been training twice a week on foot, and then substituting my weekend long run with a long cycle ride(twenty miles or so) up through here:

Carron_valley
Some of the views are stunning:

Carron_valley_scenic
Early in the morning all you can hear is the cawing of gulls from their nesting island out on the reservoir, in good weather the pine scent of the forest reaches out to you even at full pelt, and the road is almost deserted. The return route brings you over the crest of a hill where on a clear day you can see all the way to the Forth Bridge.

Not a bad way to wake yourself up on a Saturday, one of these days I'll take my camera with me.

Training update - it's gonna be close

So my calf continues to improve, but very slowly! Last week's long run had to be converted into a nineteen mile cycle through the Carron Valley, and I'm just about managing four miles or so on each training run. Fitness wise I know I can run further but the calf simply will not cope with more, and I need two days between runs to allow it time to recover.

Diet wise I'm eating fine, not panicking too much about that, although I did have a few beers on Saturday night. That's going to have to stop over the next few weeks though, especially as I struggle not to smoke when I drink!

The rapid weather changes here mean I always run in a lightweight jacket, and I really do need a case for my iPhone rather than having it bouncing around in my pocket, but I'm not panicking too much about that, payday's coming :0)

The Logic of Long Distance: Five thoughts on how training for 5k can help your marathon.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Five thoughts on how training for 5k can help your marathon.

It's marathon season, and many of you faithful readers are headed towards a marathon attempt after a long bout of marathon training. This is the perfect time to reflect on what you should do next, after that marathon is in the bag. Before gearing up for another long grind, I'd like to suggest spending a season working on your 5k time--and maybe even racing a bit on the track.

The advice I give here is not based in physiology, and I don't even want to say what 5k racing and training means for every person. But I guess these are simple reasons I have come up with just from being a member of the running community for a while and also thinking about my own experience.

1) The primary reason that I suggest working on shorter distances first is simply that this is the most common path that the best runners take; it's a tried and true path to success. There are people who have bucked this idea (some of them are my really good friends) and have run really well, but this is the exception rather than the rule.

2)Running fast requires developing a long and powerful stride. Running is a simple function of stride rate time stride length. There's only two ways to get faster: increase your stride rate or increase your stride length. Racing well over the shorter events requires developing a longer and more powerful stride and being able to control that stride, run it efficiently. This is probably the primary thing that new runners lack: the ability to put power into their stride, and concentrated work at shorter distances like the 5k (or even the 800 and mile) early in your running career will develop this stride and allow you to take advantage of it when you become aerobically stronger.

3) The 5k teaches you how to race. Spending a season on the 5k will allow you to run 5-10 races. Some of these will go badly. Some will go well. It is hard to learn how to race by beginning at the marathon level simply because you can't race a marathon back to back. You can't practice riding the thin line because it takes so much out of you and the consequences of falling off are really painful. In the 5k, you learn how to manage a pace that is aggressive and controlled.

 4) Training for and racing the 5k teaches you how to incorporate quality work. The best marathon training is a grind. You are tired all the time, and you pile miles on miles. The primary thing that makes you better is adaptation to volume. The best 5k training requires learning how to rest so that you can perform your workouts and practice running smooth at race pace. It's easier to learn your body, to feel fresh every now and then. Also, to race well at 5k, you need to balance training and recovery, learn how to target a race. When we marathon train, we train through our races. But since the volume demand for 5k is a little less, you can get away with "resting up" at several points during the season to run your best. Learning what it feels like to be truly sharp can really help you identify whether or not you are properly recovering from your workouts or at the right mileage level.

5) Finally, racing at the 5k distance teaches you how fast you can really be. Let's face it, running is a head game as much as it is a physical game. As long as running X minute miles is intimidating, it's going to be hard to have the confidence to run that pace in a marathon. Racing at shorter distances gets you comfortable running 5 minute and 6 minute and 7 minute mile pace, even if initially in short bouts. You begin to understand how to control these rhythms and bring them into your range.

I am a huge believer in mileage and, in running easy. These are still, all things considered, the most important variables for distance running success. However, it's also true that you can't get fast without running fast in training. Running fast is a skill that can be practiced; you can get better at it. Volume is a huge determinative of distance running success, but so is balanced and progressive training. Taking an occasional break from the relentless slogging of miles to really think about how you can get faster will keep you mentally fresh and also allow your body a different stimulus for training.

When you watch great marathoners like Shalane Flanagan or even a pure marathoner like Ryan Hall, you can see the track running in their background. You see it in the intensity of their focus, the dynamism of their stride, their responsiveness to surges, the timing of their moves. You can also see it in their training: they know when to run fast, when to back off, when to hammer. These are skills they learned as young runners on the roads, in XC, and in track, and they apply as well to the marathon. You don't have to be an elite runner for this to apply to you as well. Everyone can make improvements by taking the shorter distances seriously.

Not to mention, along the way: you might find that you enjoy the 5k more than the marathon. Or, you might even be better at it. Stranger things have happened.

Meanwhile, on a personal note and in the spirit of trying new things, I am headed out this Friday to the Sea Ray Relays in Knoxville to try my hand at my first ever 10k on the track. Wish me luck! And best of luck to all the marathoners out there, especially those headed to Boston on Monday.

If you liked this post, check out these thoughts on how to keep it simple and train from 5k to 50k... just try not to catch me in any contradictions!

4 comments:

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  1. Great post Jeff! Very timely as a lot of runners will be coming off spring marathons (like Boston) and this type of focus for the summer is really something many would benefit from. Thanks for writing up these thoughts!

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  2. Thanks, Jake! Looks like you are really fit and ready to roll at Boston. May the winds be at your back!

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  • I was going to do just this (my Spring of Speed! speed being as you say a relative term in my case) until my stupid bad back caught up with me at the end of January. I just wanted a break from marathon training and I had a vague idea that it might help me get better at the marathon, too. I'm filing away the training plan I got and will get back to it someday!

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    • via thelogicoflongdistance.blogspot.co.uk

    Always thought provoking, if you run you should read this blog.

    Running Blog - Dangerous Hills

    So I'm in for the Edinburgh Half at the back end of May, and almost immediately I start training I get a calf twinge that rapidly escalates to limping levels of pain. I back off, rest till the pain subsides, start up again and the pain recurs.
    I find a Physio nearby (v.good by the way - Move Well Physio in Stenhousemuir) and she pinpoints the problem not as a specific physical deficiency but more likely a characteristic of the terrain I'm training on - I now live on a steep hill so cannot easily avoid running uphill hard at some point!
    I'm blending cycling sessions with running downhill then circling paths on the floor of the valley, then running uphill in gentle increments as a way to slowly build up my resistance to the problem, and to date it's working.
    I'd be keen to hear from other runners who live amid hilly terrain about how they cope.

    Edinburgh Marathon Festival

    So I've signed up for the Half Marathon at the Edinburgh Marathon Festival. Training officially starts around the 6th March, but I'll be ensuring my mileage is up to snuff well in advance of that!
    I also need to book some other races over shorter distances otherwise I'll have no milestones to track!

    Weekly running review

    I've been a bit light on runs this week; my shins had been twinging a little, plus I've been on a series of early starts with work.

    All I've managed has been 2.5M this afternoon, but the shins are improved.

    This week I'm going back to my previous full week's mileage, so we'll see how I am by the end of the week!

    Weekly Running Review

    Okay, so this is a day late as we've been living the lives of international popstars this weekend! Only got back from a great weekend visiting friends late last night, and the last thing I wanted to do was squint at the laptop!

    Anyway, legs are beginning to loosen up and the soreness from the first two weeks of training is beginning to ease off. I've maintained another 100% week, although I haven't upped my mileage, but that's in line with getting back into a training programme without over-stressing my body.

    It's been a bit of a roving run schedule though; Tuesday was lunchtime around the Loch, Thursday was on a treadmill in the gym at the Belfry in Sutton Coldfield, and Saturday was five miles around my old stomping ground in Stevenage.

    I'll be running a minimum of three times again this coming week, with no changes in distance, but with the addition of either a yoga session or full strength training session incorporated one morning when I can drag my butt out of bed!

    Tues - 2M

    Weds - 3M or rest

    Thurs - 4M

    Sat - 5.5M

    Provided I maintain this week and next I'll look to up the frequency of my runs, without increasing the mileage, to a minimum of four runs a week, and if that works out then I'll push the mileage up a week or two after that.

    I'm still forgetting to weigh myself, but as per my previous post, it's still a little soon to be worrying about my weight loss, and I'm not running far enough to be concerned with weight loss through dehydration!

    Time to go and do some reading! Hasta manana!