Training Topics

Hydration is a 24/7 job.

Do not wait until right before or right after a run to hydrate. You should drink water regularly throughout each day. Everyone’s hydration needs are different so develop a plan that works best for you. Before exercise try to drink between 16-20oz in the hours before. 

During exercise it is best to listen to your body and drink based on thirst with the goal to lose no more than 2% in body weight. As a guideline the American College of Sports Medicine recommends 3-8oz of a sports drinkevery 15 to 20 minutes of exercise.

After a run, weigh yourself to determine how much water weightyou lost during the run. You should replace about 16oz of fluid for every pound lost. 

During a long run or race it is recommend to intake 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrate per hour of exercise. Your body is only able to process so much at a time. If you consume more than your body can process it will cause digestive issues. A simple way to take in carbs on a run is with a sports drink. Make sure your sports drink has 8% or less carbohydrate concentration, or between 13-19 grams of carbs per 8oz. The lower the percentage the faster it will empty the stomach and absorb into the blood stream. Higher than 8% may cause digestive issues. When you take a gel packet remember that there are between 20-25 grams of carbohydrate per gel. You need to take water with your gel to dilute the carb concentration to the 8% or lower for best absorption rate.   

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Runners are notorious for having strong quad and ab muscles but weak back, and glute muscles. To compensate for this, target these muscles after a run as part of a short strength training circuit after a few easy runs each week. 

Fix Muscle Imbalances

Weight Lifting for Runners

There are various methods to help speed up recovery, but we will focus on these two:  

Nutrition: Choose foods which naturally reduces inflammation (olive oil, Broccoli, Berries, peppers, tart cherry juice). Also, try to minimize consumption of foods that increase inflammation (simple sugars, fried foods, processed meat). Complex carbohydrates and proteins should be a normal part of your diet but are extra important for post-race/workout meals to help with muscle repair.   

Foam Rolling/Massage: these techniques may help to loosen up and release knots/adhesions in the muscles. This helps to maintain range of motion in a joint and proper muscle function. Foam rolling/massage also promotes blood flow to the muscles which helps with recovery.   

Adequate sleep, Ice bath, active recovery, stretching, and compression gear are some other methods which could help aid in recovery.  

Creating a training plan is part science and part art form with every person and every race being different. In general, as you build your weekly mileage and long run, a 10% increase is advised. This includes a 10% increase in weekly mileage and also a 10% increase to your weekly long run. Some may have to build at a slower rate while others may be able to safely build at a higher rate. As you build your mileage you will want to plan in a “down” week, or recovery week, every 3-4 weeks. This week should have about a 20% drop in total weekly mileage and also that week’s long run. This “down” weeks allows the body to recover and repair.   

Below are some tips to help you get to that next level!  

1) Training at race pace- Your body adapts to how you train. If you include 1-2 workouts a week at your goal race pace your body will become more efficient at running at that pace (it required less energy). You will know when your body is adapting to your new pace when it starts to feel easier and you can maintain that pace for longer periods of time. Training at race pace also pushes you to mentally work through tough spots during your workouts so when race day comes you have developed techniques to push through when things get hard.  

2) Study the course elevation and train accordingly. Do training runs that include hills through the run and if possible, train on parts of the racecourse. This helps you learn how to run strong and controlled up the hill and then learn how your body responds as you get back on even ground. Mentally prepare for where the hills are located along the course. If you are prepared for them then you can better manage the challenge.   

3) Do a few training runs on tired legs. This helps you learn how to push through when you are tired in those final miles.  

4) Eat, drink, sleep for success! Making sure you are consistently hydrated and putting good fuel into your body so you can both train and recover properly through the training months.  

“Practice makes perfect” Take a few runs each week to focus on one aspect of your running posture.  

Run Relaxed- Think top down. Try to relax your jaw and shoulders. Relax your arms and your hands so you are not holding tension in these areas.  

It is all in the hips- your hips should remain high and forward (run tall) to keep your center of mass overtop your feet. If your feet hit out in front of your body you are essentially putting on the breaks with each step you take.  

Light on your feet – think about picking your feet up off the ground. If you reduce the contact time on the ground then you will increase your cadence. This is a good technique to introduce during speed sessions where you can concentrate on this in short time segments.  

Probably the hardest (mentally) weeks of training come during the taper….us runners like to run! BUT it is time to cut back on the mileage to give our bodies time to heal so we can show up tothe Start Line ready to RUN!  During the taper you still want to include race pace running into yourmileage, but the total mileage will be reduced by 10-20% each week. For the full marathon arecommended taper period will last between 2-3 weeks. For the half marathon, or less, 10 days to 2 weeks is sufficient.    

During the summer months, try to get out early or run in the late evening when it is the coolest. Make sure you stay hydrated and drink often during a run. When the temperatures rise you will need to reduce your pace to compensate for your body’s need to cool. Do not be afraid to cut your run short when the temperature rises.