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We build stronger runners at Run4PRs Coaching. This podcast is filled with training tips & personal stories from the @run4prs coaches like 13x Boston Qualifier Victoria Phillippi. Our goal is to empower you with training tips & help you become the best athlete you can be. Want to get a more customized approach or consult with us directly on YOUR running questions? —-> www.Run4prs.com for a free 7 day trial
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243. How to build long runs & make it feel easier to run long
Long runs are the cornerstone for many half and full marathon training plans. Many people have bucket list goals to train for a full marathon and train their body how to run 26.2 miles at a time. This endeavor will require a person to be able to run for long periods of time. It can almost seem unfathomable to build from a 3-4 mile long run to 20 miles as a long run. We often see athletes struggle to get to a place where they feel comfortable running for 90+ min at a time. While it is always a challenge to run for long periods of time, it is something that can be trained for and done without leaving you feeling like you were hit by a truck! We are going to do a deep dive into how to build your long runs and the common mistakes we see in building up longer runs.
What is the prerequisite long run to begin training for a full marathon?
90 min is a good benchmark
Long runs in marathon training are usually 2-3 hours 2-3x a month
What type of weekly mileage do you need to support long runs
We have used the 30% rule in the past which states your long run should not be more than 30% of total aerobic volume
If you workout 6 hours in a week, no more than 2-3 should be a long run
There are exceptions to this rule & we need to find what works best for the individual
Marathon training is more than just the long run & the more volume we do on one day the higher the chance for injury.
Balance risk vs reward
10% rule: We don’t want to increase long run too much too soon
10% of time of mileage
Do not increase every week
Having a cut back week
Consider having every other week be a build long run
We don’t need to run long every single weekend
More to marathon training than 1 single long run
SLOW THE F DOWN
You need to go slow enough to be in zone 2
Run/walks work well
FUELING
Fueling will allow you to run better
Carbs are fuel for long distances -
242. Get better at racing
We spend a lot of time focusing on the training for race day but sometimes athletes find the art of racing to be complicated. We rarely practice racing for the obvious reasons because we can only have so many A races a year without burning out or compromising our training.
However, if we never practice digging deep into the well, the already daunting task becomes even more daunting. It is similar to a lot of things in life. Like public speaking, we can prepare and rehearse everything perfect, but we rarely get the exact opportunity to speak in front of the large group. For this reason, many people fear public speaking. Although, those who do practice regularly seem to have less of a fear.
I know public speaking and road racing are not entirely the same, but they do share some similar principles. Today we are going to talk about the things you can do to become a better racer.
Pacing Practice
How you do anything is how you do everything
Practice negative splits in workouts & you will find it comes naturally on race day
Practice a Positive Mindset
Confidence boosting when you have experience. People who ran in high school or were athletes in high school. Some people are naturally more aggressive physically and they naturally want to push themselves more. Others more cautious
How do you talk to yourself during training runs?
What do you tend to focus on?
Practice saying 5 positive things after every run
Have Realistic Expectations & A Plan
Look at how your training went & develop a data driven plan
Practice doing uncomfortable things/pushing yourself
Many people say once they become a mom, they have ‘new strength’. I don’t think this is physical. It may be mental. Perhaps you realize you can handle more than you thought
Practice mental discomfort every day in non-running related ways -
241. Strengths and weaknesses as a runner
Assessing your strengths and weaknesses is key for building self awareness and also knowing what you should work on! When we know where we could use a little work, we can channel our energy to that area of life. This is important for your personal life as well as for your running. You will be able to better reach your potential when you know what direction to go. We have 3 areas of runner traits we are going to address in this episode as well as ways to turn your weaknesses into your strengths. For more information on this we have a commit60 mental training toolkit on our website that goes into this in depth.
Weaknesses
1- impatient- you want results right away, you speed up at the end of runs
Forced into a waiting pattern with winter, illness, pregnancy, etc.
Some people say they can’t slow down on their easy days:
Make yourself wait
Meditation/mindfulness
Deep breathing
Yoga
Read
Do a puzzle
Accept what you cannot change & practice empathy
2- Too negative/self critical- you beat yourself up, perfectionist tendencies, unable to see positives, can lead to black or white thinking
Mindfulness
Recognize your triggers
Come up with neutral statements instead
Try a gratitude journal
3- inconsistent- lacking organization or discipline
Routine
Run streak
Accountability buddy
Building a habit/habit stacking
4-insecurity- doesn’t believe in themselves, races workouts, pushing it on easy days
Practice self care: nutrition, sleep, boundaries
Maybe you always wanted a coach or to buy a certain pair of shoes: do it!
Step away from toxic people, spend time with people who make you feel good
Write down a list of things you are good at
5- Lack of experience- pacing, grows with time, technical
Get experience
Sign up for races
Hire a coach
Try new workouts
6-over analyzing- focusing too much on the details
What do you over analyze?
Weekly mileage (run 49.5 miles one week)
Paces (don’t hit your paces)
Run streaks (break it)
Certain workouts (eliminate something you think is super important- IE yassos 800)
How many 20 milers (run 18-19 milers)
Focus on trusting the big picture -
240. Marathon in 99% aerobic
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Most runners know that we want to build our aerobic system while running. The marathon and half marathon are said to be 99% AEROBIC in nature. It only makes sense that distance runners should focus on that aerobic development the most. However, when it comes to the shorter distance races like the 1 mile or 5k, more of our performance is going to require development of the anaerobic system. We want to chat today about the different systems used and the type of workouts you should focus on for each type of distance you are training for.
What is the anaerobic system?
How long can you run at an anaerobic pace?
What is the aerobic system?
How long can you run at an aerobic pace?
The marathon & half marathon are 99% aerobic in nature: TEMPO, progression, LT, MP, steady state
What kind of workouts will help build the aerobic systems?
What kind of workouts should you avoid during marathon training?
If you did only speed work during a marathon training cycle, could you still run fast in the marathon- why/why not?
Training specifically for the distance matters
The 5k is 90% aerobic. I said earlier it is important to develop the anaerobic 10% because that is a 1-2 min of the race.
How would you train 5k runners?
What type of speed workouts?
How often do you do a speed workout vs threshold?
How long of a long run?
The 1 mile is like 60% aerobic. A lot more of this race is anaerobic. How do we develop runners for this?
What type of workouts do you run?
Would running long make you slower?
Why do college xc coaches not allow their runners to do a marathon?
What are running workouts?
Track workouts
What is an easy run? Why do we do easy runs most of the time?
We need to go slower to build the aerobic base
You need to go slow enough to recover from workout days
“I can’t slow down. My legs won’t let me”
Your workouts aren’t hard enough
You aren’t running enough
“9 mile marathon plan”
Mileage is key to success: You can get away with less mileage if you have a strong aerobic base like a masters runner or a triathlete
What are the best time of running workouts to do?
Training for a 5k 10% anaerobic
Speed work comes into play
Training for a 10k
Training for a half 99% aerobic
Training for a full
Video on youtube that goes over all of this
Medium long runs
Steady State Runs
Threshold workouts
Long runs in the mid-zone not hyper focused on the 20
Training for an ultra
What are the most common mistakes we see athletes make
Running in the gray zone
Not doing the correct workouts
Only doing workouts they are comfortable with
Not progressing stress
Doing too much too soonMara -
239. Ask The Coaches Podcast: "Are You Fast Enough To Wear Supershoes like Alphaflys?"
I can't complete 20 miles in 3 hours, can I do 5 easy + 10 mp + 5 easy?239
3 hour long run rule
Marathon pace work- when is it good
Can I run a marathon 6 weeks after running a marathon?
Marathon manics
Ultra marathons
Racing vs running
50 states
What should be the fartlek pace?
Fartlek = speed play
How to get constant speed for a longer run
How are we measuring this?
Do we need to go fast on long runs?
Is HR too high 170-180 for MP?
Easy Pace only improved by 30-60 sec after a year of zone 2… is this normal?
What is the best shoe for a first time marathon? -
238. How to Figure Out Goal Race Pace
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We sometimes see runners on strava or IG referencing their ‘goal race pace’ for various distances. We wanted to do a deep dive into how useful this actually is to train using goal race paces or if it is actually detrimental to your progress as a runner. Should you be training using your goal race paces or should you be training at your current fitness level?
What causes someone to want to train at goal race pace
We want to run a sub 3:00 marathon and know that is a 6:52 pace. We think that if we train & do workouts with 6:52 pace as marathon pace, we will be in sub 3 hour marathon shape
The FLAW with this logic: You could be racing workouts.
Many marathon workouts are broken up with rest intervals. Let’s give for example a workout like 3 x 2 miles at marathon pace within a long run. Someone who is in 3:10 marathon shape could do a 3x 2 mile workout at 6:50 pace. However, this 6:50 pace is their threshold pace.
Another common example- women in 3:45 shape and wants to BQ
When she trains with an 8:00 marathon pace: this is actually her threshold pace. When she does a threshold workout at 7:30 pace, she is actually dipping into interval pace and anaerobic territory. Physically she can do these workouts, but they will be too stressful over time and lead her into worse shape and not improving
Not only will she be working very hard and not improving, she will be frustrated on race day because her training workouts indicated that she was in better shape than she actually was. Little does she know, she was racing most of her workouts and overtraining during her training cycle
When we don’t train at the correct paces, we neglect the purpose of the workout & negate a lot of the benefits
It is not good to set a goal and train at “GOAL” paces. Instead, you should train at the fitness you are currently at which will allow you to progress and reap the benefits of the workouts
How should you figure out what pace to run
Do a race or time trial
If the 3:45 chick raced a 5k in 23:00 and we discovered her marathon pace is 8:22 and threshold pace is 7:50, we can use these paces in training
We would retest fitness in 4-6 weeks. It is better to slightly undershoot workouts than overshoot them.
Even if you think you are in better shape, you need to be honest and do a race. It doesn’t benefit you to run faster than you should.
What if you really want to run a BQ time but the fitness just isn’t there?
Have it be a longer term goal and focus on other benchmarks to get theseHow o